Amos Alonzo Stagg rose from humble beginnings to become the most significant coach in history. He lived to be 102, coached until he was 98 and spent 73 seasons in football. He introduced a plethora of innovations. The biggest names in football said, “All football comes from Stagg.”
He was on the very first All-American team. He was also one of the first men inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and the only member of the charter class elected as both a player and a coach. In addition, he was one of the founding fathers of the American Football Coaches Association, the football rules committee, the Big Ten Conference, the game of basketball and America’s Olympic movement.
Beyond all of his achievements in the realm of athletics, Stagg is highly-regarded because he lived an exemplary life. For all his life, he fought against the evils of substance abuse and for the empowerment of women. His relationship with his wife Stella was one of the great love stories of all time. He is the standard by which all coaches, teachers, fathers and leaders should be judged: A role model for everyone.
