Dispatch
Gillman had ties to Buckeyes, Bearcats
By Jack Park
BuckeyeXtra.com
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
FILE PHOTO Sid Gillman as head coach of the San Diego Chargers in 1964
Sid Gillman was one of football's most innovative coaches and dynamic administrators. He became a pioneer in stretching the football field through the development of the deep, downfield passing game. His passing theories and tactics became the foundation for what is known today as the "west-coast offense."
Gillman was raised in Minneapolis and played college football at Ohio State, where he was an All-America end in 1932 and a team co-captain in 1933. The '33 Buckeyes went 7-1 and outscored their eight opponents 161-26.
After a short stint in the NFL with the Cleveland Rams in 1934 and three seasons as an assistant coach at Denison University, Gillman returned to Ohio State as an assistant to head coach Francis Schmidt from 1938 through 1940. Schmidt was known for his offensive innovations, and he brought to Ohio State a very wide-open style of attack that featured about 300 different plays run from seven different formations. Gillman's foundation for offensive creativity was established during his seasons under Schmidt at Ohio State.
Gillman was head coach four seasons at Miami (Ohio) from 1944 through 1947, where his record was 31-6-1. He spent 1948 as an assistant to head coach Red Blake at Army. When Gillman left West Point for the Cincinnati position in 1949, Blake replaced him at Army with a very energetic young assistant named Vince Lombardi.
Gillman put together a six-year record of 50-13-1 with the Bearcats. Cincinnati was then a member of the Mid-American Conference, and Gillman's teams captured three league championships, in 1949, '50, and '53. His 1949 team defeated Coach Woody Hayes' Miami (Ohio) squad 27-6, but Hayes' 1950 team shut out Gillman's Bearcats 28-0.
Gillman was a strong candidate to replace Wes Fesler after Fesler resigned from the Ohio State position following the 1950 season. The
OSU search committee viewed films of Miami's one-sided victory over Cincinnati in 1950, and this was believed to have been a factor in selecting Hayes as the Buckeyes' new head coach in 1951.
Following the 1954 season, Gillman left Cincinnati to coach 19 years in professional football with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and the San Diego Chargers and Houston Oilers of the new American Football League. He was a major catalyst in building the AFL, and in 1963 he suggested to NFL commissioner Pete Roselle the concept of having the champions of the AFL and NFL play one final game at the end of the season. His idea was finally implemented with the first Super Bowl in January 1967.
Gillman was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989. He passed away in 2003 at the age of 91.
Listen for the "Buckeye Flashback with Jack Park" every day each season on SportsRadio 1460 The Fan, and throughout Ohio on the Ohio State Football Radio Network. Go to www.jackpark.com for information on Jack's books and speaking appearances.
E Sid Gillman (official thread)
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