One
of football’s
great innovators, Sid Gillman served as head coach of the
National Football League’s (NFL) Los
Angeles Rams from 1955 to 1959 and
the American Football League AFL/
NFL Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers
from 1960 to 1971.
Before he made his name as a professional
coach, Gillman, an All-America
end for Ohio State University in
1932 and 1933, served as either coach or
head coach for 21 years in college football
at Ohio State, Dennison, Ohio; Miami
of Ohio; West Point Military Academy; and Cincinnati. His
collegiate
teams won 79, lost 18, and tied 2.
As head coach of the NFL’s Rams,
Gillman won one Division title. With
the AFL Chargers, he captured five Division
crowns and the 1963 AFL
Championship. Gillman was the first
head coach to win Divisional titles in
both the NFL and AFL. Poor health
forced his premature retirement in
1971.
The venerable Gillman, who was
also the Chargers’ general manager, is
credited with the idea for the Super
Bowl—the AFL-NFL World Championship
Game. He developed the use of
game and practice films as an integral
aspect of coaching and was the first to
put names of players on the backs of
their jerseys. On the field, Gillman was
a strong advocate and brilliant strategist
of the wide-open forward pass offense
and is credited with being one of
the developers of the “two-platoon system.”
Some of Gillman’s coaching protégés
are Al Davis, Chuck Noll, Bum
Phillips, Dan Henning, Ara Parseghian,
and Paul Dietzel. Many credit the success
of the “upstart” AFL to Gillman’s
skillful organizational techniques.
With improved health, Sid joined
the Houston Oilers in 1973 as their general
manager. Halfway through the season,
he fired the head coach, took over
the job, and led the Oilers on and off
the field through 1974—after which he
was fired. Nevertheless, he was named
NFL Coach of the Year in 1974.
Health, once again, forced Gillman
into retirement, until he resurfaced in
1977 as the Chicago Bears’ offensive
coordinator. That year, the Bears made
the League playoffs for the first time in
14 seasons. Sid moved to the Philadelphia
Eagles in 1979, but following
heart by-pass surgery, his duties were narrowed to quarterback
development.
Sid Gillman was elected to the Pro
Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and to the
College Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
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