Amos Alonzo Stagg 1862-1965

Amos Alonzo Stagg 1862-1965. Head Coach, College of the Pacific 1933-1946. , “All football comes from Stagg.” Knute Rockne, Considered a great innovator and motivator in the development of college football, Amos Alonzo Stagg was one of the most influential sportsmen in U.S. history. He was an effective crusader for sportsmanship and amateur sports, and his mentoring of young men produced a legacy of distinguished coaches, teachers, and administrators steeped in his high-minded principles of developing one’s mind, body, spirit and character through sport. His coaching career spanned 68 years, and he logged more seasons as a college football coach than any man in history. Stagg symbolized far more than football as the embodiment of the amateur spirit in American sport, and he brought dignity and worth to the coaching profession. His arrival brought national recognition and “big-name” football to Pacific by scheduling games with nationally known teams such as Northwestern, Notre Dame, Southern Methodist, USC, and UCLA. His innovations in football are now standard in both college and professional football., Coaching Career. Stagg began coaching at Springfield College in 1890 and massed a lifetime record of 314-199-35 before retiring in 1958 as the winningest head coach in college football history. He became the first football coach at the University of Chicago in 1892, and during his 41-year career with the Maroons his team won two national championships and seven conference championships. Stagg had mandatory retirement at age 70, but was vigorous, capable, and ambitious. The College of the Pacific President Tully C. Knoles knew that Stagg would bring prestige to the small college and invited him to become the head football coach in 1933, and suddenly the small college was thrust into the national stage with Stagg’s celebrated arrival and his scheduling of top teams from across the country. Stagg was a leading figure on campus and in the Stockton community during his 14-year coaching tenure, and the local football scene came alive, climaxed by the 1943 team’s success and Stagg honored as America’s “Coach of the Year.” In 1947 Stagg retired from COP at age 85, then promptly left Stockton to co-coach with his son Amos Alonzo Jr. at Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania. Stagg returned to Stockton Junior College in 1952 at age 90 as an “advisory coach” until age 97 when he officially retired from coaching and spent the rest of his days in Stockton. Stagg is one of only four people to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as both a player and coach., 1943 C.O.P. Tigers. During World War II, the College of the Pacific housed Navy and Marine V-12 trainees who bolstered the football team with talented players and a line that was rated the strongest in the West. The Tigers earned seven wins against two defeats, including victories over UCLA and California, and at one time was ranked 6th in the nation by the Associated Press. This team produced Pacific’s first All-American, tackle Art McCaffrey and running back John Podesto, and Stagg was voted National Coach of the Year by both the American Football Coaches Association and the Football Writers Association., ”I am delighted to join with all Americans in paying tribute to Amos Alonzo Stagg. His character and career have been an inspiration for countless Americans of all ages. Few men in history have set so persuasive and shining an example as teacher, coach, and citizen. His integrity and dedication to all of the goals he has set for himself are unmatched.”, – John F. Kennedy, President of the United States of America 1962