Evening star., 1942-12-06
Mrs. AIonzo Stogg, First Lady Of Football,
Is Husbands Scout, Stotistici0n, Adviser
; Best Cooeh's Assistont
Ever, Declares Dean
Of Comes Mentors
BY RUSS NEWLAND,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

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modest little home on quiet little
street lives the first lady Of Amer
lean football. She is Stella Robert
son Stagg, 81 years old and proud
to admit it.
Mrs. Stagg is slender, retiring,
birdlike in her movements. Because
her husband is one of the most
famed football strategists in history
Amos Alonzo Stagg-she lives in
the background, yet her own career
Is worthy of headliner.
For 40 years. from one century into
another, Mrs. Stagg has followed the
great American college sport. She
has watched it since before most Of
the present-day coaches were born.
The name Stagg is synonymous
with football. At 80 years of age,
Mr.. Stagg is the dean of mentors,
coaching his SD year. He has
played, taught and had a hand in
the development of the sport
through its most important transi-
tions, the flying wedge, the forward
pass, shifts and all of the forma-
tions.
The Yale and All-America end Of
the 1880s still is performing gridiron
trickery in this, his 10th season at
the small College of the Pacific, after
Al notable years at the University
of Chicago and two at Springfield
College. For most Of this span, Mrs.
Stagg has kept apace, unsung and
unknown to hundreds of thousands
who have seen her husbands teams
in action.
Serves in Many Capacities.
The Pacific campus is only a
stones throw from the Stagg home,
where old Double A." white
thatched, stern disciplinarian on the
practice field, treads softly and lis
tens attentively to reports and sug-
gestions from the little lady he calls
"the best assistant any coach ever
had"
Mrs. Stagg serves as scout, statis-
tician, historian, typist and adviser,
as well as one-woman Consolation
Committee when things are break
ing tough.
Often, when the team is on a road
trip, she remains behind to scout
forthcoming rival. Her diagrams of
plays are models of clarity and de-
note an experts touch. She was
drawing them for the Chicago Trib-
une in 1908 She makes detailed
reports of Pacific's weaknesses and
mistakes.
Wit sparkles in the accounts. In
one she noted: Pacific went into
this game in very poor shape :.
Huff had poison oak Klapstein
sprained ankle -. Watson a chronic
glass arm and no practice We
need wailing wall"
Took Football Honeymoon.
When the University of Chicago
opened in 1892 the then Stella Rob-
ertson of Albion, N. Y. enrolled with
the first class. Mr.. Stagg was the
first football coach-in fact, the first
coach OF every sport-athletic direc-
tor and associate professor in physi-
cal education. They met that year
and were married September TO-
1894. Mrs. Stagg, a student in Ian
guages. was graduated in 1896
Family and football are the two
things nearest and dearest to Mrs,
Stagg. She took time out to rear
three children. two boys. now foot
ball coaches, and a girl, who also is
an enthusiast.
Football even favored her wedding
trip. The newlyweds and the Chi
cago team travelled to San Francisco
IN 1894 for a game with Stanford.
1t was the first trip West across the
Rockies for college team. Chicago
won, "a to 6, she recalls, as If Mr.,
Stagg doesn't also. He still can call
the signals for all of the plays.
Asked which part of football she
liked best, Mrs, Stagg replied: THE
winning part"
Hon"red Bv Chicago.
Reluctant to pick the greatest
players she ever saw. Mrs Staop
nevertheless singled out such i'm
mortals as Willie Heston OF Micni-
gan and Walter Eckersall of Chicago
quarterbacking fame A play during
the 1903 season stands out In her
mind. Halfback Heston. returning
punt on snow-covered field.
jumped clear over Eckersall. playing
safety, but the latter regained his
feet and hauled down the Michigan
flash from behind before he could
score. Walter Stefan, an old Chica-
go quarterback, is another of her
favorites.
The first lady of football has been
pretty busy these 40 years, yet she
does her own housekeeping and
cooking-and Mr.. Stagg will take a
second helping. please, of his
favorite dish, chicken, dumplings
and biscuits.
She has been so busy in fact. she
forgot to remember she IVES one of
so recipients of honors awarded by
the University of Chicago Alumni
Association in commemoration of
the 50th anniversary in 1941.
The citation "for public service"
to Stella Robertson Stagg, '96, con-
Guided under the subhead Useful
Citizen" with "homemaker, mother
to thousand men"