Sam Willaman Samuel Stienneck Willaman ( April 4 , 1891 – August 18 , 1935 ) was an American football player and coach . He served as the head coach at Iowa State University ( 1922 – 1925 ) , Ohio State University ( 1929 – 1933 ) , and Western Reserve University ( 1934 ) , compliling a career college football record of 47 – 26 – 9 . At Iowa State , Willaman integrated the team by playing Jack Trice . Playing career . In college , Willaman played for Ohio State at end , halfback , and fullback . He lettered in 1911 and 1913 . In 1913 he was named All - Ohio . In 1921 he was selected to the Ohio State football all - time team at second - team halfback behind Chic Harley and Pete Stinchcomb . While a student at Ohio State , Willaman was a member of the Sigma Pi Fraternity . After graduating in 1915 , he became a high school football head coach . He had earlier coached at a high school in Alliance , Ohio , and in 1915 he was hired as head coach at Cleveland ' s East Technical High School . At this time he also began playing halfback for Peggy Parratt ' s Akron Indians football team . Playing professional football was not forbidden in Willaman ' s East Tech contract , but playing football for money was frowned upon at the time in academic circles . For this reason , Willaman played professionally under the name " Sam Williams " . In 1917 , Willaman joined the Canton Bulldogs , where he played with Jim Thorpe . In Canton , Willaman moved to end , the position where he had started his college playing career . He was also Thorpe ' s backup at halfback . The Bulldogs finished the season 9 – 1 and won the championship of the " Ohio League " , which was the direct predecessor to the National Football League . Coaching career . World War I disrupted professional football , and Willaman began focusing primarily on coaching . His success at East Tech caught the attention of colleges . Iowa State . In 1922 he took the head coaching position at Iowa State University . Willaman was the 13th head football coach for the Iowa State University Cyclones held that position for four seasons , from 1922 until 1925 . At the time Willaman came to Iowa State , the school had not had much success in football ; they had employed three head coaches in the prior three years . In his first season , Willaman ' s team finished with a 2 – 6 record , but posted a winning record in each of the three years that followed . His career coaching record at Iowa state was 14 – 15 – 3 . This ranks him 16th in total wins and 13th in winning percentage in Iowa State football history . When Willaman first arrived at Iowa state , he brought with him six of his East Tech players , including an African - American named Jack Trice . Trice was the first African - American player at Iowa State , and one of the first to play college football in that region of the country . Trice suffered a severe injury during a game at the University of Minnesota in 1923 , and died from complications . In 1999 , Iowa State University ' s Cyclone Stadium was renamed Jack Trice Stadium in his honor . Ohio State . In 1926 , Willaman ' s former coach at Ohio State , John Wilce , invited him to return to his alma mater as an assistant coach . Wilce designated Willaman as his successor . Following the 1928 season , Wilce resigned . Immediately following , Notre Dame ' s coach Knute Rockne informed Ohio State that he was interested in the position . Rockne was trying to get a better deal at Notre Dame and was using the open Ohio State job as leverage . Willaman waited while Ohio State and Rockne negotiated . Ultimately Rockne stayed at Notre Dame , and Ohio State hired Willaman . Willaman posted a 26 – 10 – 4 record at Ohio State . The Dunkel College Football Index named Willaman ' s 1933 Ohio State team as the best that season in the country . Despite his success , Willaman ' s teams were accused of underperforming . Despite fielding many All - American players , including the legendary Wes Fesler , Ohio State never won a Big Ten Conference title under Willaman . Worse , he held a losing record ( 2 – 3 ) against the Buckeyes ' arch rival , Michigan . Yielding to pressure , Willaman resigned after the 1933 season to take the head coaching position at Western Reserve University . He coached Western Reserve to a 7 – 1 – 1 record in 1934 . Willaman died following an emergency operation on August 18 , 1935 .