 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1899-03-26)March 26, 1899 Lansing, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | September 14, 1972(1972-09-14) (aged 73) Port Huron, Michigan, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1920–1923 | Michigan |
| Basketball | |
| 1921–1924 | Michigan |
| Baseball | |
| 1922–1924 | Michigan |
| Positions | Halfback,punter (football) Forward,guard (basketball) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1924–1927 | Missouri (assistant) |
| 1928 | Michigan State |
| 1929–1937 | Michigan |
| Baseball | |
| 1925 | Missouri |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 49–30–5 (football) 9–8 (baseball) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| As coach: As player: | |
| Awards | |
| Basketball: Football:
| |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1958 (profile) | |
Harry George Kipke (/ˈkɪp.kiː/; March 26, 1899 – September 14, 1972) was an Americanfootball,basketball, andbaseball player and coach. He was the head football coach atMichigan State College in 1928 and at theUniversity of Michigan from 1929 to 1937, compiling a career record of 49–30–5. During his nine-year tenure as head coach at Michigan, Kipke's teams compiled a 46–26–4 record, won four conference titles, and captured twonational championships in1932 and1933. He is one of only three coaches, along withFielding H. Yost andBo Schembechler, inMichigan football history to direct teams to four consecutive conference championships. Kipke was also the head baseball coach at theUniversity of Missouri for one season 1925 while he was an assistant football coach at the school. He was inducted into of theCollege Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1958.
Kipke was born inLansing, Michigan, in March 1899. His father, Charles W. Kipke, emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1872. His mother, Minnie Kipke, emigrated from Germany in 1888. Kipke had two older sisters (Lena and Marie), an older brother (William), and three younger brothers (Herbert, Walter, and Ray).[1] At the time of the1910 United States census, the family was living in Lansing, and the father was working as an assembler in a motor works.[2] Kipke attended Lansing High School.[3] By 1920, Kipke's father had died, and he was living with his mother and siblings in Lansing.[4]
.jpg)
Kipke attended the University of Michigan. He is one of the few individuals inMichigan Wolverines history to have been a letterman nine times, doing so in football, basketball, and baseball. Kipke playedhalfback andpunter for the football team under head coachFielding H. Yost. He was named anAll-American in 1922 and is regarded as one of the school's all-time greats as a punter. His ability to punt out of bounds near the opposition's goal line helped Michigan to a 19–1–2 record from 1921 through 1923. Kipke was also the captain of the1923 Michigan team that went 8–0 and won a national title. Kipke wore number 6 and weighed 158 pounds.
After serving as an assistant coach at theUniversity of Missouri for four years, Kipke was named the head football coach atMichigan State University in 1928. Michigan State had a 3–4–1 record in 1928. The following year, Kipke was hired to take over as head football coach for the Michigan Wolverines.
In his first year as head coach in 1929, the Wolverines struggled, finishing in an eight place tie inBig Ten Conference with a 5–3–1 record. But Kipke quickly turned things around, leading the Wolverines to four straight conference championships and two national titles between 1930 and 1933. The 1932 and 1933 national championships teams did not lose any games, and featured All-AmericansHarry Newman,Charles T. Bernard,Ted Petoskey, andFrancis Wistert.
Kipke called his system "a punt, a pass, and a prayer" in a 1933 article forThe Saturday Evening Post. He also reportedly coined the phrase, "A great defense is a great offense."[5]
In 1934, Kipke's Wolverines fell from national champions to a tenth-place finish in the conference with a 1–7 record. The one bright spot in the Wolverines 1934 season was the play of the team's most valuable player,center and futurePresident of the United States,Gerald Ford. Ford lacked the money to attend the university, but Kipke's assistance helped him to do so. The principal of Ford's high school wrote to Kipke and invited him toGrand Rapids to meet Ford. Kipke accepted the invitation and met with Ford and his family. Though there were no opportunities to obtain scholarships on the basis of playing football at the time, Kipke helped Ford find a job at the university hospital waiting on tables to earn his meals. Ford later called the opportunity to go to U of M "the luckiest break I ever had."[6] In a 1975 speech, Ford recalled losing seven out of eight games in 1934, including a 34–0 loss toOhio State. Ford joked that "what really hurt me the most was when my teammates voted me their most valuable player. I didn't know whether to smile or sue."[7]
Between 1934 and 1937, Kipke's team accumulated a 10–22 record. Kipke resigned after the 1937 season and was replaced byFritz Crisler. Before resigning, Kipke recruitedTom Harmon to play at Michigan and advised the futureHeisman Trophy winner to stay with Michigan despite the coaching change.
From 1940 to 1947, Kipke was a member of theBoard of Regents of the University of Michigan. In 1942, he joined theUnited States Navy and later became president of the Coca-Cola Company of Chicago.[8] Kipke was inducted into of theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1958 and theMichigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1968.[9] In September 1972, Kipke died at a hospital inPort Huron, Michigan, where he had lived for several years. Two days after he died, the crowd atMichigan Stadium stood in a moment of silence during halftime in honor of Kipke.[10] Students, alumni, and fans can continue to remember Kipke's impact and achievements at Michigan as they walk past Kipke Drive, named after him, just outside Michigan Stadium ("The Big House").[11]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State Spartans(Independent)(1928) | |||||||||
| 1928 | Michigan State | 3–4–1 | |||||||
| Michigan State: | 3–4–1 | ||||||||
| Michigan Wolverines(Big Ten Conference)(1929–1937) | |||||||||
| 1929 | Michigan | 5–3–1 | 1–3–1 | T–8th | |||||
| 1930 | Michigan | 8–0–1 | 5–0 | T–1st | |||||
| 1931 | Michigan | 8–1–1 | 5–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1932 | Michigan | 8–0 | 6–0 | T–1st | |||||
| 1933 | Michigan | 7–0–1 | 5–0–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1934 | Michigan | 1–7 | 0–6 | 10th | |||||
| 1935 | Michigan | 4–4 | 2–3 | T–5th | |||||
| 1936 | Michigan | 1–7 | 0–5 | T–8th | |||||
| 1937 | Michigan | 4–4 | 3–3 | T–4th | |||||
| Michigan: | 46–26–4 | 27–21–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 49–30–5 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
