Elton Wieman
Encyclopedia
Elton Ewart "Tad" Wieman (October 4, 1896 – December 26, 1971) was an American football
player and coach and college athletic director. He played football for the University of Michigan
from 1915 to 1917 and 1920 under head coach Fielding H. Yost. He was a coach and administrator at Michigan from 1921 to 1929, including two years as the school's head football coach. He later served as a football coach at the University of Minnesota
(1930–1932), Princeton University
(1932–1941), and Columbia University
(1944–1945), and as an athletic director at the University of Maine
(1946–1951) and University of Denver
(1951–1962). He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1956.
, and raised in Los Angeles
. His father, William H. Wieman, was a native of Missouri and a Presbyterian minister. Wieman was the seventh of eight children born to William and his wife Alma. At the time of the 1900 United States Census, the family lived in Orosi, California
. By 1910, the family had moved to Los Angeles, California
.
At Los Angeles High School
, Wieman followed in the footsteps of four older brothers, Henry, "Ink," Drury and "Tabby" Wieman. All had been excellent athletes in football, track, baseball and basketball. "Tad" played at "breakaway" in rugby football for Los Angeles High and was heralded as the best athlete in a family regarded as "the greatest athletic one in the history of Southern California athletics." Wieman had been expected to follow his older brothers who had all enrolled at Occidental College
, but he broke the family tradition when he decided to attend the University of Michigan
. When Wieman announced his decision to attend Michigan, the Los Angeles Times
called it "a calamity of almost national importance." The Times reported at length on Wieman's decision, noting:
The expectations for Wieman were so high that Coach Featherstone of Los Angeles High, who reportedly urged Wieman to go to Michigan, said, "Tad Wieman will be one of the greatest athletes this country has ever seen before his college course is over."
Though he had only played rugby football before coming to Michigan, Wieman played on Michigan's freshman football team. Wieman's hometown newspaper, the Los Angeles Times, followed his progress, reporting in October 1915 that he was "making quite a reputation for himself as tackle
on the freshman eleven" and noting that "Coach Yost seems to be quite pleased with his work." As Wieman progressed, the Times ran a feature story reporting that "the big, raw-boned freshman from Southern California" was stopping Michigan's top varsity players, including All-American John Maulbetsch
, and leaving them piled up "in a squirming heap." Coach Yost was reported to have bawled many varsity players for their inability to get past Wieman, with Maulbetsch complaining, "It can't be done, coach." Each night, the varsity players reportedly swore to get Wieman, but never did. Wieman reportedly took the punishment and came up from under the pile each time smiling. Wieman also demonstrated his talent on offense:
.jpg)
In 1917, Michigan was short of backfield talent, and Coach Yost moved Wieman again, this time from tackle to fullback
. With his weight increased to 194 pounds, Wieman played eight games at fullback and one at left tackle, and "starred in each position." An October 1917 newspaper account described Wieman's value to the team as follows:
After a close 17-13 win over Kalamazoo's Western State Normal School
in early October 1917, the headline read "Wieman Saves Day for Wolverines at Close." Wieman kicked a field goal early and scored the winning touchdown
late in the fourth quarter. In a late October 1917 game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers
, Wieman scored a touchdown, kicked two field goal
s and two extra points, and scored 14 of Michigan's 20 points. In all, Wieman scored 125 of Michigan's 304 points in 1917, including 76 successful point after touchdown kicks out of 80 attempts.
Wieman ultimately became a lieutenant in the air service and played tackle on a championship service team. Though he did not play a single game for the University of Michigan
in 1918, the team continued to recognize Wieman as captain of the 1918 team that was undefeated and recognized as a national champion.
Wieman was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and won the Western Conference Medal for excellence in scholarship and athletics.
and the Illinois team in 1925 by a score of 3-0.
leading the effort. In December 1927, Wieman expressed concern about the team's prospects for 1928 without Oosterbaan: "We have been riding on the crest of the wave for some time, and perhaps we are due for a poor season, possibly not; who can tell?"
In October 1928, newspapers across the country reported that there had been a break between Yost and Wieman. The Detroit News reported, "While no official word of any eruption has been issued, it is well known in inner circles that Wieman is in rebellion and thinking seriously of leaving Ann Arbor." Wieman reportedly contended that he had never really been allowed to take control of the team and felt that he was being used as a scapegoat for the team's poor showing. In late October 1928, the athletic department issued a "joint statement" from Wieman and Yost denying any estrangement and noting that their relationship was too long and intimate to be jeopardized by "any minor misunderstandings." In an apparent compromise over responsibility for the team's poor showing, the statement noted, "For the handling of the football team up to October 5, Mr. Yost assumes full responsibility. Since the above date Mr. Wieman has been in charge as head coach."
, with his wife, Margaret, and their two children Robert A. Wieman and Helen E. Wieman. His occupation was listed as a teacher at the university.
hired Fritz Crisler
as its head football coach, and Wieman was hired as Crisler's first assistant and line coach. Crisler and Wieman remained at Minnesota for two years.
, and Wieman went with him as an assistant coach. In February 1938, Crisler resigned as head coach at Princeton to become the head coach at Michigan. Crisler offered Wieman a spot as an assistant coach at Michigan, but Wieman declined and became Princeton's head football coach in 1938. Wieman was the first Princeton coach to lead the Tigers to four consecutive victories over Yale.
, Wieman was the chief of physical training section of the Army's specialized training program. He was also an assistant football coach at Columbia University
with Lou Little
in 1944 and 1945. From January to April 1946, Wieman was the athletic adviser to the Eighth Army in occupied Japan.
as its dean of men, director of physical education and athletic director. He served in that capacity for five years.
. While at Denver, Wieman was an active participant in the NCAA football rules committee. In 1957, he led the effort to prohibit the practice of grabbing an opposing player's face mask and declaring it a personal foul penalty. Wieman noted at the time: "The use of the protective face mask is becoming quite general, and the practice of players grabbing opponents by the masks is also becoming all too common. Such a procedure is not a part of football. It can't be an accident and the feeling of the committee is to cut down on this type of thing before it leads to worse conditions." Wieman retired from his position at the University of Denver in June 1962, after more than 40 years as a college athlete, coach and athletic administrator.
and Lake Arrowhead, California
. In 1962, he became the first fulltime West Coast director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes
(FCA), and serving as its president for a time. Wieman established the FCA's west coast headquarters in Portland. Wieman chose Portland rather than his hometown of Los Angeles, saying "There are too many people and too much smog down there. In Portland a man can feel good." In a 1963 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Wieman said the FCA sought to "harness hero worship" and use it for evangelism and conversion to Christianity. Wieman died in December 1971 in Portland at age 75.
in 1947. In 1956, he was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame
. In 1962, Wieman received the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award
from the American Football Coaches Association.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach and college athletic director. He played football for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
from 1915 to 1917 and 1920 under head coach Fielding H. Yost. He was a coach and administrator at Michigan from 1921 to 1929, including two years as the school's head football coach. He later served as a football coach at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
(1930–1932), Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
(1932–1941), and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
(1944–1945), and as an athletic director at the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
(1946–1951) and University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
(1951–1962). He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1956.
Youth in California
Wieman was born in Tulare County, CaliforniaTulare County, California
Tulare County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Fresno. Sequoia National Park is located in the county, as are part of Kings Canyon National Park, in its northeast corner , and part of Mount Whitney, on its eastern border...
, and raised in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. His father, William H. Wieman, was a native of Missouri and a Presbyterian minister. Wieman was the seventh of eight children born to William and his wife Alma. At the time of the 1900 United States Census, the family lived in Orosi, California
Orosi, California
Orosi is a census-designated place in Tulare County, California, United States. The population was 8,770 at the 2010 census, up from 7,318 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Orosi is located at ....
. By 1910, the family had moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
At Los Angeles High School
Los Angeles High School
Los Angeles High School is the oldest public high school in the Southern California Region and in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Its colors are blue and white and the teams are called the Romans....
, Wieman followed in the footsteps of four older brothers, Henry, "Ink," Drury and "Tabby" Wieman. All had been excellent athletes in football, track, baseball and basketball. "Tad" played at "breakaway" in rugby football for Los Angeles High and was heralded as the best athlete in a family regarded as "the greatest athletic one in the history of Southern California athletics." Wieman had been expected to follow his older brothers who had all enrolled at Occidental College
Occidental College
Occidental College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887, Occidental College, or "Oxy" as it is called by students and alumni, is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast...
, but he broke the family tradition when he decided to attend the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. When Wieman announced his decision to attend Michigan, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
called it "a calamity of almost national importance." The Times reported at length on Wieman's decision, noting:
"The fifth of the Wieman tribe has upset the most ancient tradition of Occidental College. The mighty Tad, terror of all Rugbyites last year, while playing for Los Angeles High, last Sunday quietly folded his tent like the Arab and stole away. ... Tad promised to be the greatest of them all. ... What Occidental will do without the great Tad nobody knows."
The expectations for Wieman were so high that Coach Featherstone of Los Angeles High, who reportedly urged Wieman to go to Michigan, said, "Tad Wieman will be one of the greatest athletes this country has ever seen before his college course is over."
Freshman season
In 1915, Wieman enrolled at Michigan. Wieman worked nights to pay for his expenses and studied into the morning to keep up with his classes.Though he had only played rugby football before coming to Michigan, Wieman played on Michigan's freshman football team. Wieman's hometown newspaper, the Los Angeles Times, followed his progress, reporting in October 1915 that he was "making quite a reputation for himself as tackle
Tackle (American football)
Tackle is a playing position in American and Canadian football. Historically, in the one-platoon system a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions....
on the freshman eleven" and noting that "Coach Yost seems to be quite pleased with his work." As Wieman progressed, the Times ran a feature story reporting that "the big, raw-boned freshman from Southern California" was stopping Michigan's top varsity players, including All-American John Maulbetsch
John Maulbetsch
John F. "Johnny" Maulbetsch was an All-American football halfback at Adrian College in 1911 and for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1914 to 1916...
, and leaving them piled up "in a squirming heap." Coach Yost was reported to have bawled many varsity players for their inability to get past Wieman, with Maulbetsch complaining, "It can't be done, coach." Each night, the varsity players reportedly swore to get Wieman, but never did. Wieman reportedly took the punishment and came up from under the pile each time smiling. Wieman also demonstrated his talent on offense:
"He is used by the freshmen on end-around plays. He has a peculiar way of running with a loose hitch in his hips that shakes off tacklers. He also handles the ball well and is the best man at catching forward passes among the freshmen. Wieman gives Rugby (the English game he played in California) and basketball the credit for his ability to catch the ball. On punts he is generally waiting for his man to catch the ball."If it were not for the ban on freshmen play, the Times concluded there was no doubt that he would be playing on the varsity team.
Sophomore season
As a 183-pound sophomore in 1916, Wieman played for the varsity football team and was moved from end to the line, playing seven games at left tackle. Wieman has been called "one of the greatest linemen ever developed" by Yost.Junior season
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
. With his weight increased to 194 pounds, Wieman played eight games at fullback and one at left tackle, and "starred in each position." An October 1917 newspaper account described Wieman's value to the team as follows:
"Yost's one lucky move seems to hinge on the recent change of 'Tad' Wieman from tackle to fullback. Wieman is a giant who musters nearly 200 pounds of actual muscle. This is only his third year in the university, but he already was talked of a sure all-American tackle. Shifting him to fullback may have ruined his chances of making CampWalter CampWalter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
's all-American this year, but it undoubtedly will save the Michigan team. The whole Michigan offense will be built around Wieman. He has developed the plunging habit that results in big gains every time he tries it in scrimmage. Wieman also is a lad who can use his head. Nobody knows what Yost would do if Wieman got laid out, but he is not the type of man that is likely to spend any time flat on his back. As a kicker, Wieman is beginning to shine too, scoring from drop and place kicks in scrimmage after only a few days of practice in the toe art."
After a close 17-13 win over Kalamazoo's Western State Normal School
Western Michigan Broncos football
The Western Michigan Broncos football program represents Western Michigan University in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I and the Mid-American Conference . Western Michigan has competed in football since 1906, when they played three games in their inaugural season...
in early October 1917, the headline read "Wieman Saves Day for Wolverines at Close." Wieman kicked a field goal early and scored the winning touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
late in the fourth quarter. In a late October 1917 game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
, Wieman scored a touchdown, kicked two field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
s and two extra points, and scored 14 of Michigan's 20 points. In all, Wieman scored 125 of Michigan's 304 points in 1917, including 76 successful point after touchdown kicks out of 80 attempts.
Service in World War I
After the conclusion of the 1917 season, Wieman was unanimously elected to be captain of the 1918 squad by the team's 18 lettermen. However, in December 1917, Wieman announced his intention of enlisting in the Aviation Corps. Wieman returned to Los Angeles for a time in January 1918, while awaiting his call to service. During Wieman's visit to Los Angeles in 1918, the Los Angeles Times reported that although "the strapping celebrity now wears college-cut, tailor-mades instead of whistling corduroy knickerbockers," he was still the same "bashful, moon-faced, good-natured Tad."Wieman ultimately became a lieutenant in the air service and played tackle on a championship service team. Though he did not play a single game for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1918, the team continued to recognize Wieman as captain of the 1918 team that was undefeated and recognized as a national champion.
Senior season
After completing his military service, Wieman returned to Michigan with one year of eligibility remaining. In 1920, the 24-year-old, 177-pound senior was 17 pounds lighter than he was in his junior year and played five games at right tackle. Wieman was "one of the best liked and respected men on the team," and finished his football career playing with a badly injured knee.Wieman was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and won the Western Conference Medal for excellence in scholarship and athletics.
Michigan
Wieman was an assistant football coach at Michigan from 1921–1926 and the head coach from 1927–1928.Assistant coach
As an assistant to Fielding H. Yost, Wieman was responsible for the linemen. Wieman coached several All-American linemen, and the 1924 Michigan yearbook noted that "he has consistently produced lines that have ranked with the best in the country." By 1924, Wieman had also been named Michigan's Assistant Athletic Director under Yost. In a show of his confidence in Wieman, Yost reportedly told Wieman in 1925, "Tad, you take the line as usual and I won't have to worry about that." Wieman's line stopped Red GrangeRed Grange
Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost", was a college and professional American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and for the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League...
and the Illinois team in 1925 by a score of 3-0.
1927 season
At the end of the 1926 season, Yost retired as Michigan's head coach, and Wieman was appointed as the school's new head coach. In Wieman's first year as head coach, Michigan went 6–2 with All-American Bennie OosterbaanBennie Oosterbaan
Benjamin Gaylord "Bennie" Oosterbaan was a three-time first team All-American football end for the Michigan Wolverines football team, two-time All-American basketball player for the basketball team and an All-Big Ten Conference baseball player for the baseball team...
leading the effort. In December 1927, Wieman expressed concern about the team's prospects for 1928 without Oosterbaan: "We have been riding on the crest of the wave for some time, and perhaps we are due for a poor season, possibly not; who can tell?"
1928 season
In 1928, the Michigan football team finished with a record of 3–4–1. The 1928 season also saw conflict between Wieman and Yost. Before the season began, Yost became restless and announced that he would return to his head coaching responsibilities. After taking control from Wieman, Yost then announced to newspapers the night before the season opener that Wieman was once again the head football coach. Wieman told friends that Yost had failed to notify him in advance, and "he was the most surprised man in the country" when Yost made the announcement.In October 1928, newspapers across the country reported that there had been a break between Yost and Wieman. The Detroit News reported, "While no official word of any eruption has been issued, it is well known in inner circles that Wieman is in rebellion and thinking seriously of leaving Ann Arbor." Wieman reportedly contended that he had never really been allowed to take control of the team and felt that he was being used as a scapegoat for the team's poor showing. In late October 1928, the athletic department issued a "joint statement" from Wieman and Yost denying any estrangement and noting that their relationship was too long and intimate to be jeopardized by "any minor misunderstandings." In an apparent compromise over responsibility for the team's poor showing, the statement noted, "For the handling of the football team up to October 5, Mr. Yost assumes full responsibility. Since the above date Mr. Wieman has been in charge as head coach."
Removal as head coach
Despite the public denials, the strained relations between Yost and Wieman continued. In May 1929, an unnamed member of the school's board of athletic control told reporters that Wieman and Yost had reached a parting of the ways and that "a reconciliation between the two was impossible." Wieman was again caught by surprise and told reporters, "I have not resigned from my position and have no desire or intention of resigning." The next day, Yost again denied any strain in his relationship with Wieman but announced, "Mr. Wieman will not be a member of the coaching staff of next fall's football team." Wieman was replaced as head football coach by Harry Kipke and assigned to other duties for the balance of 1929. At the time of the 1930 United States Census, Wieman was living in Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, with his wife, Margaret, and their two children Robert A. Wieman and Helen E. Wieman. His occupation was listed as a teacher at the university.
Minnesota
In February 1930, the University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
hired Fritz Crisler
Fritz Crisler
Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler was an American football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of...
as its head football coach, and Wieman was hired as Crisler's first assistant and line coach. Crisler and Wieman remained at Minnesota for two years.
Princeton
In 1932, Crisler accepted the position of head football coach at Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, and Wieman went with him as an assistant coach. In February 1938, Crisler resigned as head coach at Princeton to become the head coach at Michigan. Crisler offered Wieman a spot as an assistant coach at Michigan, but Wieman declined and became Princeton's head football coach in 1938. Wieman was the first Princeton coach to lead the Tigers to four consecutive victories over Yale.
U.S. Army and Columbia
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Wieman was the chief of physical training section of the Army's specialized training program. He was also an assistant football coach at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
with Lou Little
Lou Little
Lou "Luigi Piccolo" Little was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Georgetown College, now Georgetown University, from 1924 to 1929 and at Columbia University from 1930 to 1956, compiling a career college football record of 151–128–13...
in 1944 and 1945. From January to April 1946, Wieman was the athletic adviser to the Eighth Army in occupied Japan.
Maine
In 1946, Wieman was hired by the University of MaineUniversity of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
as its dean of men, director of physical education and athletic director. He served in that capacity for five years.
Denver
In August 1951, Wieman became the athletic director at the University of DenverUniversity of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
. While at Denver, Wieman was an active participant in the NCAA football rules committee. In 1957, he led the effort to prohibit the practice of grabbing an opposing player's face mask and declaring it a personal foul penalty. Wieman noted at the time: "The use of the protective face mask is becoming quite general, and the practice of players grabbing opponents by the masks is also becoming all too common. Such a procedure is not a part of football. It can't be an accident and the feeling of the committee is to cut down on this type of thing before it leads to worse conditions." Wieman retired from his position at the University of Denver in June 1962, after more than 40 years as a college athlete, coach and athletic administrator.
Retirement and death
During his retirement years, Wieman lived in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and Lake Arrowhead, California
Lake Arrowhead, California
Lake Arrowhead is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California, within the San Bernardino National Forest, adjacent to Lake Arrowhead Reservoir...
. In 1962, he became the first fulltime West Coast director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a non-profit interdenominational Christian organization founded in 1954 and that has been based in Kansas City, Missouri since 1956. It falls within the tradition of Muscular Christianity. Although established by evangelical Protestants, the concept has...
(FCA), and serving as its president for a time. Wieman established the FCA's west coast headquarters in Portland. Wieman chose Portland rather than his hometown of Los Angeles, saying "There are too many people and too much smog down there. In Portland a man can feel good." In a 1963 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Wieman said the FCA sought to "harness hero worship" and use it for evangelism and conversion to Christianity. Wieman died in December 1971 in Portland at age 75.
Honors
Wieman was elected as the President of the American Football Coaches AssociationAmerican Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
in 1947. In 1956, he was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
. In 1962, Wieman received the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award
Amos Alonzo Stagg Award
The Amos Alonzo Stagg Award is presented annually by the American Football Coaches Association to the “individual, group or institution whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football’’. Recipients receive a plaque which is a replica of the one given to...
from the American Football Coaches Association.
Head coaching record
See also
- List of Michigan Wolverines head football coaches
- 1918 Michigan Wolverines football team1918 Michigan Wolverines football teamThe 1918 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1918 college football season. The team's head football coach was Fielding H. Yost in his 18th season with the program. The 1918 team played in a season shortened by World War I travel restrictions and the 1918...