Walter Camp was born in 1859 and died in 1925 at age 65. Amos Alonzo Stagg came into this world in 1862, a few years behind Camp, and left it in 1965 at age 102, 40 years after Camp’s death. While noth were pioneers of the game, Camp never saw hash marks, option football, WWII, or the rise of the NFL. Stagg saw all those things, plus plastic helmets, two-platoon football, and the start of football’s broad embrace of Black players. Camp, the father of American football, witnessed only the gam — www.footballarchaeology.com
The bittersweet memory of a final game coaching at the University of Chicago by long-tenured Maroons head Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg.
Amos Alonzo Stagg's Coaching Legacy
Amos Alonzo Stagg, affectionately known as the "Grand Old Man of Football," wasn't just a coach; he was a pioneer, innovator, and legend who shaped the sport as we know it today. His coaching career spanned seven decades, touching countless lives and influencing generations of players and coaches.
A Coaching Odyssey:
Stagg's journey began in 1890 at the International YMCA Training School (now Springfield College), where he coached his first college football team. From there, he embarked on a remarkable odyssey, leading teams at prestigious institutions like:
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University of Chicago (1892-1932): His longest and most fruitful tenure, marked by six Western Conference championships (Big Ten in later years) and two undefeated seasons.
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College of the Pacific (1933-1946): He continued his winning ways here, bagging a California Collegiate Athletic Association title and coaching future NFL Hall of Famer Ollie Cooke.
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Several high schools and smaller colleges: Throughout his career, Stagg also coached at Williston Seminary, Beloit College, and Stockton Junior College, leaving his mark on various levels of the game.
