Bill Peterson William E . " Bill " Peterson ( May 15 , 1920 – August 5 , 1993 ) was an American football coach . His career included head coaching stops at Florida State , Rice University and with the Houston Oilers . Considered one of the unique characters in college sports , Peterson is credited with bringing the pro passing game to college football . He is also known as the " Coach of Coaches " , having tutored such coaches as Joe Gibbs , Bill Parcells , Bobby Bowden , Don James , Dan Henning , Ken Meyer and many others . Coach " Pete " , as he was known , is also remembered for his reshaping of the English language . One of his more novel expressions was to have his team " pair off in groups of threes , then line up in a circle . " Beyond his trials with syntax , Peterson is best remembered for bringing the Seminoles to the forefront of college football , using pro - style offenses and a much feared passing game . Youth and family life . Born in Toronto , Ohio , Bill Peterson was the youngest of six children . When his father died at the age of twelve , Peterson thought his dream of coaching had died as well . He recounted those feelings in his book , " Building from the Start " : " Visions of playing and someday coaching football would walk through my mind . I would bite my lip , fight back the tears , and roll my face into the pillow . " Bill Peterson , " I would say , " You have no right to think about such things . They are for other people . " Finally , I would sleep , but the dreams would fill my young mind . I ' m glad they did . " Peterson persevered and ultimately earned a degree from Ohio Northern University in 1946 . Playing end on the football team , Peterson was selected as a team captain . It was there that he met his wife , Marge , with whom he would be married for 52 years . Together , the couple had five sons . His second youngest son , Bill Jr . , is currently the athletics director at Shorter University in Rome , Georgia . Peterson ' s brother , Jack Peterson , was the head football coach at Wofford College from 1971 until 1973 . Coaching career . Peterson began his coaching career as a high school coach in Ohio , recording a 51 – 22 – 3 record before joining Paul Dietzel in 1955 as an assistant coach at LSU . Working as the Tigers offensive line coach , Peterson was considered an integral part of the coaching staff that would lead the Tigers to the 1958 national championship . Peterson ' s work at LSU resulted in his being named the head football coach at Florida State in December 1959 . According to Florida State ' s 2008 football media guide , " Florida State ' s arrival on the national map occurred during Peterson ' s eleven seasons as head coach . " While at FSU , Peterson would be recognized for his offensive innovations as well as a number of significant firsts for that fledging football program . Peterson became the first Seminole coach to beat the University of Florida , a 16 – 7 win at Doak Campbell Stadium . Peterson also coached the Seminoles to their first win ever at Florida Field . Under Peterson , Fred Biletnikoff would become the Seminoles first All - American . Peterson also recruited the Seminoles first black football players , including J . T . Thomas , the first black to ever play varsity football at FSU . In recognition of his many accomplishments at Florida State , " H " style goal posts were added to the field at Doak Campbell Stadium in 2002 and have been named , " Pete ' s Posts " . " ( Peterson ) also developed a high level of discipline on and off the field and an unusual number of pro quarterbacks . His wide - open passing offense was the antithesis of what most SEC and southern teams did and his forward thinking schemes were frequently copied by NFL coaches . Peterson is the one who can be credited with putting Florida State on the national map . He recruited from the talent - rich areas of Pennsylvania ( Fred Biletnikoff ) and Ohio ( Steve Tensi ) as Florida , unlike today , had a smaller population and a limited high school talent base . He brought in three - platoon football mimicking the famous “ Chinese Bandits ” teams he used as an assistant at LSU and gave them the designations of the " Chiefs " , " Renegades " , and " War Party " . Despite the wide - open attack , the LSU influence was obvious and he built his early teams upon a smothering defense . He later augmented this with one of the first truly innovative passing offenses that brought visiting coaches from every corner of the country . He came up with the concept of the " hot receiver " , never before seen , to counter blitzes , and FSU became known as an Independent primed to upset any team at any time . " In 1972 , Peterson joined a select group who have been head coaches in high school , at the major college level and in the National Football League . As has been the case with a number of successful college coaches , Peterson did not fare well as a head coach in the NFL . Peterson coached the Houston Oilers for the entire 1972 season and for five games in the 1973 season . The team finished 1 – 13 in 1972 and 0 – 5 in his five games in 1973 . His career record in the NFL was 1 – 18 , and his . 053 winning percentage is the lowest for any coach after the NFL / AFL merger who coached at least an entire season . After leaving the Oilers , Peterson was the athletic director at the University of Central Florida from 1981 through 1985 . He also served as the athletic director at Rice University . Peterson is a member of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame , the Florida State University Sports Hall of Fame , the Ohio Northern Athletic Hall of Fame , the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame , the Mansfield , Ohio City Schools Hall of Fame and the Toronto , Ohio High School Athletic Hall of Fame . Legacy . Peterson ' s greatest legacy as a coach may be in the number of successful head coaches that got their start working under him . Each of the following worked for Peterson , many getting their first coaching jobs as a member of his staff . Together , these coaches claimed five Super Bowl wins and four major college football national championships .