Elton Wieman Elton Ewart " Tad " Wieman ( October 4 , 1896 – December 26 , 1971 ) was an American football player and coach and college athletic director . He played football for the University of Michigan from 1915 to 1917 and 1920 under head coach Fielding H . Yost . He was a coach and administrator at Michigan from 1921 to 1929 , including two years as the school ' s head football coach . He later served as a football coach at the University of Minnesota ( 1930 – 1932 ) , Princeton University ( 1932 – 1941 ) , and Columbia University ( 1944 – 1945 ) , and as an athletic director at the University of Maine ( 1946 – 1951 ) and University of Denver ( 1951 – 1962 ) . He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1956 . Youth in California . Wieman was born in Tulare County , California , and raised in Los Angeles . His father , William H . Wieman , was a native of Missouri and a Presbyterian minister . Wieman was the seventh of eight children born to William and his wife Alma . At the time of the 1900 United States Census , the family lived in Orosi , California . By 1910 , the family had moved to Los Angeles , California . At Los Angeles High School , Wieman followed in the footsteps of four older brothers , Henry , " Ink , " Drury and " Tabby " Wieman . All had been excellent athletes in football , track , baseball and basketball . " Tad " played at " breakaway " in rugby football for Los Angeles High and was heralded as the best athlete in a family regarded as " the greatest athletic one in the history of Southern California athletics . " Wieman had been expected to follow his older brothers who had all enrolled at Occidental College , but he broke the family tradition when he decided to attend the University of Michigan . When Wieman announced his decision to attend Michigan , the " Los Angeles Times " called it " a calamity of almost national importance . " The " Times " reported at length on Wieman ' s decision , noting : " The fifth of the Wieman tribe has upset the most ancient tradition of Occidental College . The mighty Tad , terror of all Rugbyites last year , while playing for Los Angeles High , last Sunday quietly folded his tent like the Arab and stole away . . . . Tad promised to be the greatest of them all . . . . What Occidental will do without the great Tad nobody knows . " The expectations for Wieman were so high that Coach Featherstone of Los Angeles High , who reportedly urged Wieman to go to Michigan , said , " Tad Wieman will be one of the greatest athletes this country has ever seen before his college course is over . " University of Michigan athlete and service in World War I . Freshman season . In 1915 , Wieman enrolled at Michigan . Wieman worked nights to pay for his expenses and studied into the morning to keep up with his classes . Though he had only played rugby football before coming to Michigan , Wieman played on Michigan ' s freshman football team . Wieman ' s hometown newspaper , the " Los Angeles Times " , followed his progress , reporting in October 1915 that he was " making quite a reputation for himself as tackle on the freshman eleven " and noting that " Coach Yost seems to be quite pleased with his work . " As Wieman progressed , the " Times " ran a feature story reporting that " the big , raw - boned freshman from Southern California " was stopping Michigan ' s top varsity players , including All - American John Maulbetsch , and leaving them piled up " in a squirming heap . " Coach Yost was reported to have bawled many varsity players for their inability to get past Wieman , with Maulbetsch complaining , " It can ' t be done , coach . " Each night , the varsity players reportedly swore to get Wieman , but never did . Wieman reportedly took the punishment and came up from under the pile each time smiling . Wieman also demonstrated his talent on offense : " He is used by the freshmen on end - around plays . He has a peculiar way of running with a loose hitch in his hips that shakes off tacklers . He also handles the ball well and is the best man at catching forward passes among the freshmen . Wieman gives Rugby ( the English game he played in California ) and basketball the credit for his ability to catch the ball . On punts he is generally waiting for his man to catch the ball . " If it were not for the ban on freshmen play , the " Times " concluded there was no doubt that he would be playing on the varsity team . Sophomore season . As a 183 - pound sophomore in 1916 , Wieman played for the varsity football team and was moved from end to the line , playing seven games at left tackle . Wieman has been called " one of the greatest linemen ever developed " by Yost . Junior season . In 1917 , Michigan was short of backfield talent , and Coach Yost moved Wieman again , this time from tackle to fullback . With his weight increased to 194 pounds , Wieman played eight games at fullback and one at left tackle , and " starred in each position . " An October 1917 newspaper account described Wieman ' s value to the team as follows : " Yost ' s one lucky move seems to hinge on the recent change of ' Tad ' Wieman from tackle to fullback . Wieman is a giant who musters nearly 200 pounds of actual muscle . This is only his third year in the university , but he already was talked of a sure all - American tackle . Shifting him to fullback may have ruined his chances of making Camp ' s all - American this year , but it undoubtedly will save the Michigan team . The whole Michigan offense will be built around Wieman . He has developed the plunging habit that results in big gains every time he tries it in scrimmage . Wieman also is a lad who can use his head . Nobody knows what Yost would do if Wieman got laid out , but he is not the type of man that is likely to spend any time flat on his back . As a kicker , Wieman is beginning to shine too , scoring from drop and place kicks in scrimmage after only a few days of practice in the toe art . " After a close 17 - 13 win over Kalamazoo ' s Western State Normal School in early October 1917 , the headline read " Wieman Saves Day for Wolverines at Close . " Wieman kicked a field goal early and scored the winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter . In a late October 1917 game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers , Wieman scored a touchdown , kicked two field goal s and two extra points , and scored 14 of Michigan ' s 20 points . In all , Wieman scored 125 of Michigan ' s 304 points in 1917 , including 76 successful point after touchdown kicks out of 80 attempts . Service in World War I . After the conclusion of the 1917 season , Wieman was unanimously elected to be captain of the 1918 squad by the team ' s 18 lettermen . However , in December 1917 , Wieman announced his intention of enlisting in the Aviation Corps . Wieman returned to Los Angeles for a time in January 1918 , while awaiting his call to service . During Wieman ' s visit to Los Angeles in 1918 , the " Los Angeles Times " reported that although " the strapping celebrity now wears college - cut , tailor - mades instead of whistling corduroy knickerbockers , " he was still the same " bashful , moon - faced , good - natured Tad . " Wieman ultimately became a lieutenant in the air service and played tackle on a championship service team . Though he did not play a single game for the University of Michigan in 1918 , the team continued to recognize Wieman as captain of the 1918 team that was undefeated and recognized as a national champion . Senior season . After completing his military service , Wieman returned to Michigan with one year of eligibility remaining . In 1920 , the 24 - year - old , 177 - pound senior was 17 pounds lighter than he was in his junior year and played five games at right tackle . Wieman was " one of the best liked and respected men on the team , " and finished his football career playing with a badly injured knee . Wieman was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and won the Western Conference Medal for excellence in scholarship and athletics . Coaching career . Michigan . Wieman was an assistant football coach at Michigan from 1921 – 1926 and the head coach from 1927 – 1928 . Assistant coach . As an assistant to Fielding H . Yost , Wieman was responsible for the linemen . Wieman coached several All - American linemen , and the 1924 Michigan yearbook noted that " he has consistently produced lines that have ranked with the best in the country . " By 1924 , Wieman had also been named Michigan ' s Assistant Athletic Director under Yost . In a show of his confidence in Wieman , Yost reportedly told Wieman in 1925 , " Tad , you take the line as usual and I won ' t have to worry about that . " Wieman ' s line stopped Red Grange and the Illinois team in 1925 by a score of 3 - 0 . 1927 season . At the end of the 1926 season , Yost retired as Michigan ' s head coach , and Wieman was appointed as the school ' s new head coach . In Wieman ' s first year as head coach , Michigan went 6 – 2 with All - American Bennie Oosterbaan leading the effort . In December 1927 , Wieman expressed concern about the team ' s prospects for 1928 without Oosterbaan : " We have been riding on the crest of the wave for some time , and perhaps we are due for a poor season , possibly not ; who can tell ? " 1928 season . In 1928 , the Michigan football team finished with a record of 3 – 4 – 1 . The 1928 season also saw conflict between Wieman and Yost . Before the season began , Yost became restless and announced that he would return to his head coaching responsibilities . After taking control from Wieman , Yost then announced to newspapers the night before the season opener that Wieman was once again the head football coach . Wieman told friends that Yost had failed to notify him in advance , and " he was the most surprised man in the country " when Yost made the announcement . In October 1928 , newspapers across the country reported that there had been a break between Yost and Wieman . The " Detroit News " reported , " While no official word of any eruption has been issued , it is well known in inner circles that Wieman is in rebellion and thinking seriously of leaving Ann Arbor . " Wieman reportedly contended that he had never really been allowed to take control of the team and felt that he was being used as a scapegoat for the team ' s poor showing . In late October 1928 , the athletic department issued a " joint statement " from Wieman and Yost denying any estrangement and noting that their relationship was too long and intimate to be jeopardized by " any minor misunderstandings . " In an apparent compromise over responsibility for the team ' s poor showing , the statement noted , " For the handling of the football team up to October 5 , Mr . Yost assumes full responsibility . Since the above date Mr . Wieman has been in charge as head coach . " Removal as head coach . Despite the public denials , the strained relations between Yost and Wieman continued . In May 1929 , an unnamed member of the school ' s board of athletic control told reporters that Wieman and Yost had reached a parting of the ways and that " a reconciliation between the two was impossible . " Wieman was again caught by surprise and told reporters , " I have not resigned from my position and have no desire or intention of resigning . " The next day , Yost again denied any strain in his relationship with Wieman but announced , " Mr . Wieman will not be a member of the coaching staff of next fall ' s football team . " Wieman was replaced as head football coach by Harry Kipke and assigned to other duties for the balance of 1929 . At the time of the 1930 United States Census , Wieman was living in Ann Arbor , Michigan , with his wife , Margaret , and their two children Robert A . Wieman and Helen E . Wieman . His occupation was listed as a teacher at the university . Minnesota . In February 1930 , the University of Minnesota hired Fritz Crisler as its head football coach , and Wieman was hired as Crisler ' s first assistant and line coach . Crisler and Wieman remained at Minnesota for two years . Princeton . In 1932 , Crisler accepted the position of head football coach at Princeton University , and Wieman went with him as an assistant coach . In February 1938 , Crisler resigned as head coach at Princeton to become the head coach at Michigan . Crisler offered Wieman a spot as an assistant coach at Michigan , but Wieman declined and became Princeton ' s head football coach in 1938 . Wieman was the first Princeton coach to lead the Tigers to four consecutive victories over Yale . U . S . Army and Columbia . During World War II , Wieman was the chief of physical training section of the Army ' s specialized training program . He was also an assistant football coach at Columbia University with Lou Little in 1944 and 1945 . From January to April 1946 , Wieman was the athletic adviser to the Eighth Army in occupied Japan . Athletic director career . Maine . In 1946 , Wieman was hired by the University of Maine as its dean of men , director of physical education and athletic director . He served in that capacity for five years . Denver . In August 1951 , Wieman became the athletic director at the University of Denver . While at Denver , Wieman was an active participant in the NCAA football rules committee . In 1957 , he led the effort to prohibit the practice of grabbing an opposing player ' s face mask and declaring it a personal foul penalty . Wieman noted at the time : " The use of the protective face mask is becoming quite general , and the practice of players grabbing opponents by the masks is also becoming all too common . Such a procedure is not a part of football . It can ' t be an accident and the feeling of the committee is to cut down on this type of thing before it leads to worse conditions . " Wieman retired from his position at the University of Denver in June 1962 , after more than 40 years as a college athlete , coach and athletic administrator . Retirement and death . During his retirement years , Wieman lived in Portland , Oregon and Lake Arrowhead , California . In 1962 , he became the first fulltime West Coast director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes ( FCA ) , and serving as its president for a time . Wieman established the FCA ' s west coast headquarters in Portland . Wieman chose Portland rather than his hometown of Los Angeles , saying " There are too many people and too much smog down there . In Portland a man can feel good . " In a 1963 interview with the " Los Angeles Times " , Wieman said the FCA sought to " harness hero worship " and use it for evangelism and conversion to Christianity . Wieman died in December 1971 in Portland at age 75 . Honors . Wieman was elected as the President of the American Football Coaches Association in 1947 . In 1956 , he was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame . In 1962 , Wieman received the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award from the American Football Coaches Association .