Paul Dietzel facts for kids
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| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 5, 1924 Fremont, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | September 24, 2013 (aged 89) Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1946–1947 | Miami (OH) |
| Position(s) | Center |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1948 | Army (line) |
| 1949–1950 | Cincinnati (line) |
| 1951–1952 | Kentucky (line) |
| 1953–1954 | Army (line) |
| 1955–1961 | LSU |
| 1962–1965 | Army |
| 1966–1974 | South Carolina |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1966–1974 | South Carolina |
| 1975–1978 | Indiana |
| 1978–1982 | LSU |
| 1985–1987 | Samford |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 109–95–5 |
| Bowls | 2–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 national (1958) 2 SEC (1958, 1961) 1 ACC (1969) |
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| Awards | |
| Second-team Little All-American (1947) AFCA Coach of the Year (1958) FWAA Coach of the Year (1958) SEC Coach of the Year (1958) ACC Coach of the Year (1969) |
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Paul Franklin Dietzel (born September 5, 1924 – died September 24, 2013) was a very important person in American college football. He was a player, a coach, and also managed sports programs at universities. He is best known for leading the LSU Tigers to a national championship in 1958.
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Playing Football
Paul Dietzel started his football journey in high school. His team in Mansfield, Ohio, was undefeated and one of the best in the state. After high school, he earned a scholarship to play football at Duke University.
During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces. Later, he played as a center at Miami University of Ohio. He was even chosen by the Chicago Bears in the 1948 NFL Draft, but he chose a different path.
Becoming a Coach
After finishing college in 1948, Dietzel began his coaching career. He worked as an assistant coach for famous coaches like Red Blaik at Army and Bear Bryant at the University of Kentucky. These experiences helped him learn a lot about the game.
Coaching the LSU Tigers
In 1955, Paul Dietzel became the head coach for Louisiana State University (LSU). For his first three years, his teams didn't have winning seasons. But things were about to change in a big way.
In 1958, Dietzel came up with a clever idea. He created a special "three-team platoon system." This system used three different groups of players. The goal was to keep his players from getting too tired. Back then, many players played both offense and defense.
Instead of just swapping out one player, Dietzel would bring in a whole new group of players.
- The White Team was the main offense and defense.
- The Gold (Go) Team was the second-string offense.
- The Chinese Bandits were the second-string defense.
This system worked incredibly well! The LSU Tigers had an amazing season in 1958. They went undefeated and won the national championship. The Chinese Bandits, even though they weren't the main players, became super popular. They were known for being tough and exciting to watch.
After their amazing 1958 season, Dietzel's LSU teams continued to do well. They had strong seasons in 1959 and 1961. In 1959, they were ranked number one until a close loss to the Tennessee Volunteers. That year, LSU also played Ole Miss in a famous game. LSU won 7-3 thanks to Billy Cannon's incredible 89-yard punt return. This play helped Cannon win the Heisman Trophy.
Dietzel's last game as LSU's coach was the 1962 Orange Bowl. LSU won that game against the Colorado Buffaloes 25-7.
Coaching at Army and South Carolina
After LSU, Dietzel took the head coaching job at Army in 1962. He was the first coach there who hadn't graduated from Army. Leaving LSU was a very tough decision for him. He coached at Army until 1966.
In 1966, he moved to the University of South Carolina. There, he was both the head coach and the athletic director. In 1969, he led South Carolina to their only football conference championship in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He stayed at South Carolina until 1974.
Managing University Sports
As the athletic director at South Carolina, Paul Dietzel made many improvements. He helped make Carolina Stadium much bigger. It grew from 42,000 seats to 54,000 seats during his time.
He also played a big part in South Carolina leaving the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1971. Dietzel believed that the conference's strict academic rules made it hard to get top football players.
Dietzel also left a lasting mark on South Carolina's traditions. In 1968, he heard the school band play a song called "Step to the Rear." He liked it so much that he wrote new words for it. This song became "The Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way," which is still South Carolina's fight song today. He also designed the "Fighting Gamecock" logo that the school still uses.
After South Carolina, Dietzel worked as an athletic director at Indiana University. Then, he returned to LSU as their athletic director from 1978 to 1982. He also led important sports organizations like the American Football Coaches Association. Later, he became the athletic director at Samford University.
Later Life and Legacy
After retiring from college sports, Paul Dietzel became a talented watercolor painter. He lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with his wife, Anne.
In 2005, he was honored as a "Louisiana Legend" by Louisiana Public Broadcasting. This award recognized his important contributions. He also wrote a book about his life in football called Call Me Coach: A Life in College Football.
Paul Dietzel passed away on September 24, 2013, at the age of 89. His grandson, Paul Dietzel, II, later became involved in politics in Louisiana.
Images for kids
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Paul Dietzel in 1958, during his national championship season with LSU.
