12 Facts About Sam Willaman

Samuel Stienneck Willaman was an American football player and coach.

At Iowa State, Willaman integrated the team by playing Jack Trice.

In college, Sam Willaman played for Ohio State at end, halfback, and fullback.

Sam Willaman had earlier coached at a high school in Alliance, Ohio, and in 1915 he was hired as head coach at Cleveland's East Technical High School.

In 1917, Sam Willaman joined the Canton Bulldogs, where he played with Jim Thorpe.

In Canton, Sam Willaman moved to end, the position where he had started his college playing career.

World War I disrupted professional football, and Sam Willaman began focusing primarily on coaching.

Sam Willaman was the 13th head football coach for the Iowa State University Cyclones, and held that position for four seasons, from 1922 until 1925.

At the time Sam Willaman came to Iowa State, the school had not had much success in football; they had employed three head coaches in the prior three years.

When Sam Willaman first arrived at Iowa state, he brought with him six of his East Tech players, including an African-American named Jack Trice.

Sam Willaman set up what would be the last matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Western Reserve Red Cats, which was held at League Park.

Sam Willaman's coaching career at Western Reserve was tragically cut short, when he died following an emergency operation on August 18,1935.