Harry Kipke Harry George Kipke ( March 26 , 1899 – September 14 , 1972 ) was an American football , basketball , and baseball player and coach . He was the head football coach at Michigan State College in 1928 and at the University of Michigan from 1929 to 1937 , compiling a career record of 49 – 30 – 5 . During his nine - year tenure as head coach at Michigan , Kipke ' s teams compiled a 46 – 26 – 4 record , won four conference titles , and captured two national championships in 1932 and 1933 . He is one of only three coaches , along with Fielding H . Yost and Bo Schembechler , in Michigan football history to direct teams to four consecutive conference championships . Kipke was also the head baseball coach at the University of Missouri for one season 1925 while he was an assistant football coach at the school . He was inducted into of the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1958 . Early years . Kipke was born in Lansing , Michigan , in March 1899 . His father , Charles W . Kipke , emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1872 . His mother , Minnie Kipke , emigrated from Germany in 1888 . Kipke had two older sisters , an older brother , and three younger brothers . At the time of the 1910 United States Census , the family was living in Lansing , and the father was working as an assembler in a motor works . Kipke attended Lansing High School . By 1920 , Kipke ' s father had died , and he was living with his mother and siblings in Lansing . University of Michigan . Kipke attended the University of Michigan . He is one of the few individuals in Michigan Wolverines history to have been a letterman nine times , doing so in football , basketball , and baseball . Kipke played halfback and punter for the football team under head coach Fielding H . Yost . He was named an All - American in 1922 and is regarded as one of the school ' s all time greats as a punter . His ability to punt out of bounds near the opposition ' s goal line helped Michigan to a 19 – 1 – 2 record from 1921 through 1923 . Kipke was also the captain of the 1923 Michigan team that went 8 – 0 and won a national title . Coaching career . After serving as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri for four years , Kipke was named the head football coach at Michigan State University in 1928 . Michigan State had a 3 – 4 – 1 record in 1928 . The following year , Kipke was hired to take over as head football coach for the Michigan Wolverines . In his first year as head coach in 1929 , the Wolverines struggled , finishing in an eight place tie in Big Ten Conference with a 5 – 3 – 1 record . But Kipke quickly turned things around , leading the Wolverines to four straight conference championships and two national titles between 1930 and 1933 . The 1932 and 1933 national championships teams did not lose any games , and featured All - Americans Harry Newman , Charles T . Bernard , Ted Petoskey , and Francis Wistert . Kipke called his system " a punt , a pass , and a prayer " in a 1933 article for " The Saturday Evening Post " . He also reportedly coined the phrase , " A great defense is a great offense . " In 1934 , Kipke ’ s Wolverines fell from national champions to a tenth place finish in the conference with a 1 – 7 record . The one bright spot in the Wolverines 1934 season was the play of the team ’ s most valuable player , center and future President of the United States , Gerald Ford . Ford lacked the money to attend the university , but Kipke ' s assistance helped him to do so . The principal of Ford ' s high school wrote to Kipke and invited him to Grand Rapids to meet Ford . Kipke accepted the invitation and met with Ford and his family . Though there were no opportunities to obtain scholarships on the basis of playing football at the time , Kipke helped Ford find a job at the university hospital waiting on tables to earn his meals . Ford later called the opportunity to go to U of M " the luckiest break I ever had . " In a 1975 speech , Ford recalled losing seven out of eight games in 1934 , including a 34 – 0 loss to Ohio State . Ford joked that " what really hurt me the most was when my teammates voted me their most valuable player . I didn ' t know whether to smile or sue . " Between 1934 and 1937 , Kipke ’ s team accumulated a 12 – 22 record . Kipke resigned after the 1937 season and was replaced by Fritz Crisler . Before resigning , Kipke recruited Tom Harmon to play at Michigan and advised the future Heisman Trophy winner to stay with Michigan despite the coaching change . After coaching . From 1940 – 1947 , Kipke was a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan . In 1942 , he joined the United States Navy and later became president of the Coca - Cola Company of Chicago . Kipke was inducted into of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1958 and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1968 . In September 1972 , Kipke died at a hospital in Port Huron , Michigan , where he had lived for several years . Two days after he died , the crowd at Michigan Stadium stood in a moment of silence during halftime in honor of Kipke .