# 3143-46 - 1997 32c Football Coaches

US #3143-46
1997 Legendary Football Coaches

• Honors some of the greatest US football coaches of all time
• Also issued in panes of 20 with single stamp designs

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Value:  32¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue:  July 25, 1997
First Day City:  Canton, Ohio
Quantity Issued:  90,000,000
Printed by:  Printed for Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. by Sterling Sommer, Tonawanda, New York
Printing Method:  Offset
Format:  Panes of 20 (4 designs) (Horizontal, 4 across, 5 down)
Perforations:  11.1
Tagging:  Large tagging block over all 20 stamps.  Block extends beyond the vignette but does not completely cover all areas of all 20 stamps.

Why the stamps were issued:  To commemorate four of the greatest US football coaches in history:  Paul “Bear” Bryant, Glenn “Pop” Warner, Vince Lombardi, and George Halas.

About the stamp designs:  The stamps picture designs by artist Daniel Moore.  It’s said he spent around 2 months on each painting.  The stamps picture each coach in a different setting based on reference photographs and other sources.  Moore said, “I did comprehensive research on each of the four Legendary Football Coaches far in advance of applying oil pigments to my panels.  This research included studying both written and visual documentation on the subjects.  When possible, I prefer to have actual items in my studio for reference while painting.”

Special design details:  The pane of 20 includes a header with the words “Football Coaches” appearing in a type suggesting letters on a chalkboard written by a coach drawing out plays in the locker room.

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

History the stamp represents: 

Bear Bryant
Paul Bryant has been described as one of the top coaches in the history of American college football.  Coaching at several notable universities, he achieved his greatest success a the University of Alabama where his impressive record of 323 regular season wings, 85 losses, and 17 ties broke the record at that time for the most victories.

Bryant began his football career at the University of Alabama where he played blocking end from 1932 to 1936.  He then went to serve as the assistant coach at Alabama (1936-40) and Vanderbilt University (1940-41).  After serving in the Navy during World War II, Bryant returned to coaching in 1945 as head coach for the University of Maryland.

A year later, he moved to the University of Kentucky where he coached for eight years.  In 1954, Bryant moved to Texas A&M University, where he remained until he became head coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide in 1958.

Nicknamed “Bear” because of his large size and gruff manner, Bryant was a demanding coach and strict disciplinarian.  But his sense of fair play and his active interest in the players’ lives outside of football inspired his teams to do their best.

Pop Warner
Remembered by sportswriter Red Smith as “one of the truly original minds in football,” Pop Warner was one of the most influential coaches in the history of American college football.  Coaching at such prominent universities as Georgia, Cornell, Carlisle, Pittsburgh, Stanford, and Temple, he sported an impressive 319-106-32 record during his 43-year coaching career.

Known simply as “Pop,” Warner was born Glenn Scobey Warner in Springville, NY.  As captain of the 1894 football team at Cornell University, he acquired the nickname “Pop” because he was older than the average student.  After briefly practicing law, he began his coaching career at the University of Georgia in 1895.

During the 43 years he spent coaching, football changed enormously, eventually becoming the game we know today.  An innovative coach, Warner did much to improve the game.  He originated the single- and double-wing offense formations, and is credited with developing the three-point stance, the screen pass, the spiral punt,t he unbalanced line, the shifting defense, and the rolling body block.  He was also the first coach to number players’ jerseys, and to use thigh and shoulder pads.

Pop Warner died in 1954, but his memory lives on today through the youth football program that carries his name.

Vince Lombardi
One of the most successful coaches in NFL history, Vince Lombardi became a national symbol of single-minded determination to win.  Believing that “winning isn’t everything… but wanting to win is,” he embodied the ideals of honest-to-goodness hard work and reward.

Born in New York City, Lombardi graduated in 1936 from Fordham University where he was one of a group of linemen known as the “Seven Blocks of Granite.”  He went on to study law, briefly played minor league professional football, and coached high school football before returning in 1947 to Fordham where he served as an assistant football coach until 1948.  From 1949 to 1954, Lombardi served as coach for the US Military Academy, and from 1954 to 1958, he coached offense for the New York Giants.

In 1959, he was hired as head coach for the Green Bay Packers – a team well acquainted with defeat.  But his striking character aroused confidence in his players and reinforced a belief in the power to overcome obstacles.  Lombardi coached the Packers from 1959 to 1968, during which time he led the team to six divisional championships, five NFL championships, and victories in the first and second Super Bowls.  In 1971, he was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame.

George Halas
George Halas’ contributions to the game of football are truly legendary.  A major force in the development of the professional football league, he helped transform the modern game.  In fact, his 1942 team is considered by some to be the greatest team in the history of US professional football.

Born in Chicago, Halas began his professional football career in 1920 with the Decatur Staleys – a team he formed under the American Professional Football Association.  An exceptional defensive end, he played for the team, as well as coached it.  In 1921, he moved the team to Chicago, and the following year they were renamed the Chicago Bears.

During the 1930s, Halas revolutionized football strategy with his wide-open offensive style.  Not only did he revive the T-formation, but he also added a man in motion which allowed for a quick-opening attack and placed a tremendous burden on the defense.  He was also one of the first coaches to use film sessions and daily practices to prepare the team for games.

On several occasions, he left coaching, but later returned.  When he finally retired in 1968, he had coached the Chicago Bears for 40 seasons and had led them to seven league championships.