Although his true passion was to become a minister, Amos Alonzo Stagg (1862–1965) found that he could better spread his Christian message to young men through coaching sports. Stagg would become one of the most successful college football coaches in history, and he is known for being the inventor of several football traditions and plays that are still used today.
Stagg was born in West Orange, New Jersey, in 1862 to a poor family where he acquired a good work ethic early in life. When he was young, Stagg kept busy by taking on odd jobs like cutting firewood. He still made time to play an 1800s-era game (played with balls from blown-up pig bladders) that was similar to present-day soccer.
Through the combination of back-breaking work and rough sports play, Stagg developed a strong, resilient body. In an era when football was still new and basketball had not yet been invented, Stagg found his first true passion in baseball.
While in high school, Stagg became a pitcher and worked many hours to improve his skills. He also joined the First Presbyterian Church of Orange, New Jersey. After graduating high school, he wanted to follow his dream of becoming a minister and worked hard to get into Yale University’s School of Divinity.
While at Yale, Stagg joined the baseball team as a third baseman, but eventually got his chance to pitch. “At Yale, where he lived on soda crackers in a garret, he pitched his team to five straight championships, completing every game he started, and once struck out Ten Thousand Dollar Kelly of the Boston Nationals [a famous baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager] with three pitched balls,” Sports Illustrated reported in 1962 to celebrate his 100th birthday.
All Around Excellence
During his junior year, Stagg also got into football and was chosen for Walter Camp’s first All-America Football team in 1889. After four years, Stagg returned to Yale for postgraduate work, but changed his mind about becoming a minister and left after two years.
In college, Stagg learned that he didn’t have exemplary public speaking skills, and he decided that he could better teach young men Christianity and spirituality through coaching. He received many offers to play professional baseball but refused because he didn’t like the idea of playing sports for a salary.
From 1890 to 1892, Stagg kicked off his coaching career at the International YMCA Training School, known today as Springfield College. While there, Stagg met James Naismith, the inventor of basketball; it is said that Stagg contributed to the invention of the sport.
Sports Inventor
In Chicago, he coached other sports like baseball and track and field. While coaching baseball one season, he pulled the pitcher out of the game because he was throwing too wildly and pitched a game himself. He was known to put on pads and teach his football players how to block and tackle.
During his coaching career, Stagg became known for innovations in sports, such as crafting the first batting cage for baseball practice. He is also recognized for first putting numbers on football uniforms, inventing the practice tackle dummy, and coming up with several plays still used in the game today, like the fake punt.
He is acknowledged as one of the first coaches to combine his religious beliefs with sports. He felt that it was just as important for his athletes to be spiritually healthy as to be physically sound.
After working as a football coach for 71 years, Stagg was the college football coach with the most years coaching in the sport. He continued coaching football in some capacity until he was 98 years old. He passed away in 1965 at the age of 102.
