Clarence Munn Clarence Lester " Biggie " Munn ( September 11 , 1908 – March 18 , 1975 ) was an American football player , coach , and college athletics administrator . He was the head football coach at Albright College ( 1935 – 1936 ) , Syracuse University ( 1946 ) , and most notably Michigan State College ( 1947 – 1953 ) , where his 1952 squad won a national championship . Munn retired from coaching in 1953 to assume duties as Michigan State ' s athletic director , a position he held until 1971 . Each year , the Michigan State Spartans football team hands out the " Biggie Munn Award " to the team ' s most motivational player . MSU ' s Munn Ice Arena , built in 1974 , is named in his honor . Munn was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1959 , and , in 1961 , he became Michigan State ' s first inductee into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame . He authored the coaching textbook " Michigan State Multiple Offense " in 1953 . Early life and playing career . Munn was born in the former Grow Township , now known as Andover , Minnesota . A 1932 graduate of the University of Minnesota , he played guard and fullback for the Golden Gophers under head coach Fritz Crisler . Munn was a two - time first - team All - Big Ten Conference selection and during his senior year in 1931 , he served football team captain , was a consensus All - American , and was awarded the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten ' s best player . Many considered Munn as the top collegiate punter in the nation . He stood just under six feet and weighed 215 pounds , but was recorded running 100 yards in 10 seconds . Munn also served as captain of Minnesota ' s track and field team . Early coaching career . Three years after his playing career ended , Munn got his first head coaching job at Albright College in Reading , Pennsylvania , where he stayed for two seasons ( 1935 – 1936 ) , compiling a record of 13 – 2 – 1 . From 1938 to 1945 , he was an assistant football coach at the University of Michigan , once again under Crisler . Munn served as head coach at Syracuse University for one season in 1946 before leaving for Michigan State . One of Munn ' s assistants at Syracuse was former Orangeman standout Duffy Daugherty , who followed Munn to Michigan State and assisted him there for seven seasons before succeeding Munn as head coach . Munn is one of the few people to have coached at both Michigan State and its archrival Michigan . Coaching career at Michigan State . In 1947 , Munn and the Michigan State administration , led by university president John A . Hannah , approached Notre Dame president Father Cavanaugh to have his Fighting Irish play the Spartans for the first time since 1921 . MSU initially offered to let Notre Dame take 80 percent of the gate , but Cavanaugh insisted they split the receipts down the middle . Munn was the only coach to beat Notre Dame head coach Frank Leahy three years in a row ( 1950 – 1952 ) . Munn developed the " Wingback Deep " formation of his formula " Michigan State Multiple Offense . " The play featured a shifting back and forth between a T - formation and a single - wing formation with a direct snap to the tailback between a T - formation quarterback ' s legs . On the Michigan State dressing room wall , Munn hung a statement on fundamentals that his players were required to read before every home game : " Do not cheat your team or your teammates . Know your plays . Block . Protect . Add to what we are trying to do . [ signed ] Biggie . " During the latter part of his coaching career , Munn developed the talents of Willie Thrower , the Big Ten ' s first black quarterback . In 1953 with the Chicago Bears , Thrower became the first black quarterback to play in the National Football League . In 1952 , Munn was named the AFCA Coach of the Year , coaching MSU to 9 – 0 record and a national championship . In 1953 , Michigan State ' s first year of conference play in the Big Ten , the Spartans shared the conference title with Illinois and went to the Rose Bowl , where they beat UCLA , 28 – 20 . Shortly after the Rose Bowl victory , MSU ' s athletic director , Ralph Young retired . Munn stepped down from coaching to assume duties as athletic director and remained in that position until 1971 . Munn named his assistant , Duffy Daugherty , as his to successor to helm the football team . During his tenure as Michigan State ' s head football coach , Munn tutored 17 All - Americans . His teams have retained the school ' s top four season marks for rushing - yards - per - game : 1948 ( 304 . 5 yards / game ) , 1951 ( 293 . 9 yards ) , 1952 ( 272 . 4 ) , and 1950 ( 269 . 3 ) . Munn was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959 . Syracuse University enshrined him in its hall of fame in 1973 . Munn was inducted into Minnesota ' s " M " Club in 1993 . Family and death . Munn married the former Vera Jane Wattles ( January 21 , 1905 – January 4 , 2004 ) in June 1935 . The couple adopted two children : Michael and Jane Austin . Clarence Munn died on March 18 , 1975 in Lansing , Michigan at the age of 66 . Coaching tree . Munn worked as an assistant under only one head coach :