1. Clark Shaughnessy is sometimes called the "father of the T formation" and the original founder of the forward pass, although that system had previously been used as early as the 1880s.
76 Facts About Clark Shaughnessy
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Clark Shaughnessy employed his innovations most famously on offense, but on the defensive side of the ball as well, and he earned a reputation as a ceaseless experimenter.
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Clark Shaughnessy held head coaching positions at Tulane University, Loyola University New Orleans, the University of Chicago, Stanford University, the University of Maryland, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Hawaii, and in the National Football League with the Los Angeles Rams.
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Clark Shaughnessy served in advisory capacities with the Chicago Bears and the Washington Redskins.
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Clark Shaughnessy reached the height of his success in 1940, in his first season at Stanford, where he led the Indians to an undefeated season that culminated with a Rose Bowl victory.
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Clark Shaughnessy's successes showcased the effectiveness of the T formation and encouraged its widespread adoption.
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Clark Shaughnessy was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1968.
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Clark Shaughnessy played college football at the University of Minnesota.
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Clark Shaughnessy was born on March 6,1892, in St Cloud, Minnesota, the second son of Lucy Ann and Edward Clark Shaughnessy.
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Clark Shaughnessy attended North St Paul High School, and prior to college, had no athletic experience.
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Clark Shaughnessy considered Williams to be football's greatest teacher, and Williams considered him to be the best passer from the Midwest.
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Clark Shaughnessy handled both the passing and kicking duties for the team.
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Clark Shaughnessy played on the freshman squad in 1910 and on the varsity squad from 1911 to 1913, first as an end, then a tackle in 1912, and finally as a fullback in 1913.
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Clark Shaughnessy played basketball as a guard and ran track in the 440- and 880-yard events.
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Clark Shaughnessy joined the track and field team in similar fashion, and replaced a half-mile runner even though he did not own and had never worn track spikes.
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Clark Shaughnessy was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
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In 1923, Clark Shaughnessy hired his former teammate Bernie Bierman as an assistant coach.
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Clark Shaughnessy was considered for the head job at Northwestern in February 1927 after Clarence Spears turned it down.
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Clark Shaughnessy later received similar offers from Louisiana State and Wisconsin.
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The Milwaukee Journal credited Clark Shaughnessy with building a formidable team at Tulane, and noted that he increased revenue and improved facilities, while he used the available players and did not pay them "a nickel".
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At Loyola, Clark Shaughnessy retained his emphasis on the forward pass.
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Athletic director T Nelson Metcalf hired Shaughnessy to replace Stagg as head coach in 1933.
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Clark Shaughnessy inherited a difficult situation at Chicago, and for the most part, lacked good material.
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Clark Shaughnessy did inherit from Stagg at least one important recruit: inaugural Heisman Trophy winner and future Hall of Fame back Jay Berwanger, whom many Midwest pundits considered the best back of the 1930s.
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At the first practice in 1933, Clark Shaughnessy assessed he would have a good line, but an undersized backfield.
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Clark Shaughnessy told the assembled candidates that they would use an open game and fast passing attack to offset their disadvantages.
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In January 1934, Clark Shaughnessy hired Marchmont Schwartz as an assistant coach.
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Clark Shaughnessy could have remained at Chicago, where he held a "lifetime sinecure" as a physical education professor and earned a comfortable salary of $7,500, but he was intent on continuing to coach.
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In 1935, Clark Shaughnessy described to Halas his vision of the T formation that used "hidden ball stuff, but with power".
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Clark Shaughnessy had not employed it at the University of Chicago because he lacked the players to execute it.
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In 1937, Clark Shaughnessy began to work part-time as a consultant to the Bears for $2,000 per year.
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The Bears continued to experiment with the T, and after Clark Shaughnessy left Chicago, the formation became the club's standard offensive formation in 1940.
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Some believed the Clark Shaughnessy hiring was a ploy to eventually eliminate football at the school, as had happened at both Loyola and Chicago the year prior.
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The Bay Area media mocked the Clark Shaughnessy hiring as comically inept.
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Prescott Sulivan of the San Francisco Examiner and Jack McDonald of the San Francisco Call-Bulletin coined the nickname "Soup" for Clark Shaughnessy, which they sarcastically explained was a diminutive for the word "super".
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Clark Shaughnessy believed the players were good, but unsuited to the single-wing offense that his predecessor had employed.
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Clark Shaughnessy hired former Chicago Bears quarterback Bernie Masterson to mentor Frankie Albert.
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Clark Shaughnessy reportedly drew inspiration for his strategy from the Panzer tactics of Wehrmacht general Heinz Guderian.
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Clark Shaughnessy was voted the Scripps-Howard Coach of the Year by a wide margin, and Albert and Gallarneau were named to All-America first teams.
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Clark Shaughnessy made the "pessimistic" prediction of at least two losses for his 1941 squad, which lost Gallarneau and Standlee to graduation.
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In February 1942, Clark Shaughnessy traveled to Yale University, which was considering three candidates for its vacant head coaching position.
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Clark Shaughnessy expressed disappointment about leaving, but believed the new job would provide a challenge.
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At Maryland, Clark Shaughnessy served as the head football coach, athletic director, and director of physical education, under a "lifetime contract".
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Clark Shaughnessy introduced a red and white color scheme for the Maryland uniforms, which replaced the longstanding combination of black and gold.
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Clark Shaughnessy installed the T formation, and mentored quarterback Tommy Mont, whom he compared favorably with Frankie Albert.
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Clark Shaughnessy praised Terrapins fullback Jack Wright and likened him to Norm Standlee.
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In 1943, Shaughnessy replaced Pittsburgh head coach Charles W Bowser, who had applied for a commission in the United States Navy.
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The University of Pittsburgh had de-emphasized football, a move with which Clark Shaughnessy said he was in accordance.
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Clark Shaughnessy said he would not guarantee any number of wins as coach.
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Clark Shaughnessy mentored new head coach Dudley DeGroot in the T formation, in which quarterback Sammy Baugh excelled.
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In February 1946, Clark Shaughnessy accepted an offer to return to Maryland amidst mounting criticism at Pittsburgh, which included the threat of resignation from assistant coaches Charles Hartwig, Bobby Hoel and Stan Olenn.
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Clark Shaughnessy complained that he was not given a fair chance to succeed at Pittsburgh and that controversy over his role with the Redskins was without basis.
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The Pittsburgh athletic board had recommended Clark Shaughnessy be retained as coach if he resigned from the Redskins, but he refused.
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Clark Shaughnessy reintroduced his preferred red and white uniforms, which again replaced the black and gold scheme and remained the dominant colors until 1987.
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Clark Shaughnessy said he would work full-time for the Redskins for the remaining year on his contract, and might return to coach only college football at the end of his term, possibly with Maryland.
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Clark Shaughnessy was replaced by split T proponent Jim Tatum.
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In 1948, Clark Shaughnessy joined the Los Angeles Rams as a "technical advisor" to head coach Bob Snyder.
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At Los Angeles, Clark Shaughnessy developed the pro set that used a three wide receiver set.
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Clark Shaughnessy made this change to capitalize on running back Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, who he thought would make a better flanker.
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In 1951, Clark Shaughnessy was rumored as a candidate for the vacant Washington Redskins head coaching job, but nothing came of it.
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From 1951 to 1962, Clark Shaughnessy served on the staff of the Chicago Bears as a technical advisor, vice president, and defensive specialist.
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Ironically, Clark Shaughnessy was tasked with developing a defense to counter the T formation.
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Clark Shaughnessy requested game film from Hill's coach, and eventually, the Bears selected him with their 15th round pick in the 1954 NFL draft.
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Clark Shaughnessy mentored middle linebacker Bill George as the defensive play-caller.
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Clark Shaughnessy worked to counter the increasing use of the forward pass.
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Clark Shaughnessy described one incident, during a game against the Cleveland Browns, where Shaughnessy implored Anderson to call an "end run".
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Anderson asked in disgust for Clark Shaughnessy to sit down and watch the rest of the game.
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Clark Shaughnessy explained that the Bears had 28 different end runs to each side for each of the four backs, each of which had numerous blocking schemes.
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Clark Shaughnessy expressed regret in his departure and admiration for Halas, but said that he felt it was time for a change.
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Clark Shaughnessy briefly returned to coaching in 1965 when he took over at Hawaii, where the football program was "in a moribund state" and "close to extinction".
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Clark Shaughnessy was replaced by the school's first full-time coach, Phil Sarboe.
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Clark Shaughnessy met his wife in New Orleans while coaching at Tulane.
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Clark Shaughnessy preferred to devise plays late at night, between midnight and dawn, while his household slept.
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Clark Shaughnessy was a semifinalist in the 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, but was not selected.
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Clark Shaughnessy had been a finalist for induction in 1970,1975, and 1976, but fell short in the voting each time.
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Clark Shaughnessy was inducted into the University of Minnesota "M" Club Hall of Fame in 2010, the Tulane University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1977, and the Stanford University Athletic Hall of Fame.