USPS Legendary American Football Coaches

U.S. POSTAL SERVICE on 25 July 1997 issued a block set of First Day Cover stamps commemorating four legendary American football coaches: Pop Warner, Vince Lombardi, George Harris and Bear Bryant. The designer was artist Daniel Moore. A total of 90,000,000 stamps were printed by Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. by Sterling Sommer, Tonawanda, New York, using a multicoloured offset print method. The stamps were issued first in Canton, Ohio.

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 wins, 85 losses, and 17 ties broke the record at that time for the most victories.

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.

 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.

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.

Lombardi coached the Greenbay 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.

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.

When he finally retired in 1968, he had coached the Chicago Bears for 40 seasons and had led them to seven league championships.

Source: Mystic Stamps