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Slip Madigan

Madigan, circa 1945
Biographical details
Born	(1896-11-18)November 18, 1896 Ottawa, Illinois, U.S.
Died	October 10, 1966(1966-10-10) (aged 69) Oakland, California, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1916–1917	Notre Dame
1919	Notre Dame
Position(s)	Center
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1920	Columbia (OR)
1921–1939	Saint Mary's
1943–1944	Iowa
Basketball
1921–1927	Saint Mary's
Baseball
1926–1930	Saint Mary's
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1946	Los Angeles Dons (GM)
Head coaching record
Overall	119–58–13 (football) 38–33 (basketball) 30–31 (baseball)
Bowls	1–0
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Football 4FWC (1925–1928)
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1974 (profile)

Edward Patrick "Slip"Madigan (November 18, 1896 – October 10, 1966) was an Americancollege football player and coach of college football,college basketball, andcollege baseball. He served as the head football coach atSaint Mary's College of California from 1921 to 1939 and at theUniversity of Iowa from 1943 to 1944, compiling a career college football head coaching record of 119–58–13. Madigan was also the head basketball coach at Saint Mary's from 1921 to 1927 and the head baseball coach at the school from 1926 to 1930. He played football at theUniversity of Notre Dame as acenter. Madigan was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1974.

Madigan played college football forKnute Rockne at theUniversity of Notre Dame, playingcenter. After his playing days, he took over a floundering football program atSaint Mary's College of California inMoraga, California in 1921. In their final game in 1920, theGaels lost toCalifornia, 127–0. Madigan immediately recruited sixty men and taught them Notre Dame's plays and some tricks of his own, including the "forward fumble."

By 1927, Saint Mary's developed into one of the strongest football programs on theWest Coast. They defeated theUSC,UCLA, California, andStanford. The Stanford team they defeated in 1927 went on to play in theRose Bowl, as did the USC team they defeated in 1931. Although the school's enrollment seldom exceeded 500, the Galloping Gaels became a nationally known football power.

The most notable win came in 1930, when Saint Mary's traveled toNew York City to playFordham. Fordham was a heavy favorite, as the Rams had won 16 straight games going back to 1928. They featured the first version of a defense known as the "Seven Blocks of Granite," a formidable unit that later would includeVince Lombardi. Saint Mary's recovered from a 12–0 halftime deficit to win, 20–12.

The Gaels were known for their flashy style that reflected the personality of their flamboyant coach. Madigan traveled to New York for the Fordham game with 150 fans on a train that was labeled "the world's longest bar." To stir up publicity for the game, he threw a party the night before and invited not only sportswriters but such celebrities asBabe Ruth and New York mayorJimmy Walker.

After the 1938 season, Saint Mary's was invited to theCotton Bowl Classic, where they defeatedTexas Tech, 20–13. After the 1939 season, however, the successful, but controversial Madigan was fired. He had a 117–45–12 record at the school. Saint Mary's never again came close to the football success they had under Madigan, and in 2004, the school dropped the sport.

Madigan was also the 16th football coach of theIowa Hawkeyes, in 1943 and 1944. He was an interim coach forEddie Anderson, who was serving inWorld War II. TheUniversity of Iowa at that time had to share its athletic facilities with a local military academy, and nearly all the able-bodied men inIowa City found their way into the military school. Madigan's Iowa roster was mostly filled with players with conditions that exempted them from military service.

Nevertheless, he coached some good performances out of the 1943 Hawkeyes Although they had a record of just 1–6–1, they played respectably in losses. As a result, Madigan was retained in 1944. However, the 1944 season was similar to 1943, except the losses were by greater margins. Madigan suggested that he would be finished with coaching at the end of the year, which may have inspired Iowa to a 27–6 victory overNebraska, but Iowa ended the season 1–7. Madigan turned down an offer to coach for Iowa again in 1945 and retired from coaching.

Madigan later served as the general manager of theLos Angeles Dons of theAll-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1946.^[1]

Madigan was a relative ofAlameda County SheriffFrank Madigan. Madigan died in 1966 and was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1974. He is buried atSaint Mary Cemetery inOakland, California.

• List of University of Notre Dame alumni

• Slip Madigan at theCollege Football Hall of Fame
• Slip Madigan atFind a Grave

• 1896 births
• 1966 deaths
• American football centers
• Basketball coaches from Illinois
• College Football Hall of Fame inductees
• Iowa Hawkeyes football coaches
• Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players
• Sportspeople from Ottawa, Illinois
• Portland Pilots football coaches
• Saint Mary's Gaels athletic directors
• Saint Mary's Gaels baseball coaches
• Saint Mary's Gaels football coaches
• Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball coaches
• Educators from Illinois

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