Pop Ivy Frank " Pop " Ivy ( January 25 , 1916 – May 17 , 2003 ) was a football player and coach who holds the unique distinction of being the only person ever to serve as a head coach in the National Football League , the American Football League and the Western Interprovincial Football Union . A native of Skiatook , Oklahoma , Ivy was part Native American and earned his nickname because of premature baldness during his playing days . In three years of college football at the University of Oklahoma beginning in 1937 , Ivy played on both sides of the ball , earning All - America n honors as an outstanding wide receiver , as well as a strong pass rusher on defense . Despite his constant time on the field , Ivy never missed a game with the Sooners because of injury , and showed his clutch ability in a 1939 game against the arch - rival Texas Longhorns . Catching a deflected pass late in the contest , Ivy scored the go - ahead touchdown . Ivy was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1940 NFL draft , but was traded to the Chicago Cardinals on October 17 . He would continue to see action on both sides of the ball throughout the rest of his NFL career , and in 1942 , he had his best season with 27 receptions , second behind the legendary Don Hutson . His time on the gridiron was interrupted for more than two years by his service in World War II , but he closed out his career in 1947 by helping the franchise to its only NFL title . Ivy was on the sidelines for the NFL Championship , having separated his shoulder just weeks earlier . In 1948 , Ivy entered the coaching ranks when he was hired as an assistant to Bud Wilkinson at his alma mater , spending six seasons with the Sooners . During this time , the team popularized the Split - T formation , helping the 1950 squad capture the national championship . Ivy headed north on March 10 , 1954 , to become head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos of the WIFU . Over the next four years , Ivy compiled a record of 50 – 14 , starting off his tenure with three consecutive Grey Cup championships . His most daring move came prior to the 1956 title game , when he moved quarterback Jackie Parker to running back and inserted Canadian Don Getty . The result was a 50 – 27 victory over the Montreal Alouettes . He also became known as an innovator in Canadian football , taking advantage of the more wide - open game by using strategies such as the twin fullback system , the quick snap and the short kickoff . In addition , his formations also included what was known as the " lonesome quarterback " , the precursor to today ' s shotgun formation . Following a 14 – 2 season with the Eskimos in 1957 , Ivy ' s old team , the Cardinals , induced him to accept the head coaching position on January 9 , 1958 . During his first two seasons in Chicago , Ivy struggled with a 4 – 19 – 1 mark , with one rumor in December 1958 having Ivy ready to return to Canada to coach the BC Lions . Following the Cardinals ' relocation to St . Louis after the 1959 NFL season , the team improved to 6 – 5 – 1 in 1960 , but then fell to 5 – 7 before Ivy resigned on December 6 , 1961 . While he publicly stated that he had " not accomplished the desired results , " Ivy ' s decision reportedly stemmed from a growing feud with team owner Walter Wolfner . Ivy was first sought by the AFL ' s Denver Broncos , but instead signed with the two - time AFL champion Houston Oilers on March 5 , 1962 , where he coached the next two seasons . The coaching change completed an odd " trade " of sorts : Oilers coach Wally Lemm resigned to become head coach of the Cardinals . During Ivy ' s first year , the team again won the conference title with an 11 – 3 record , but dropped a classic 20 – 17 double overtime decision in the 1962 AFL Championship to the Dallas Texans . That success resulted in the CFL Alouettes team seeking his services , but on February 14 , 1963 , Ivy signed a two - year deal with the Oilers that gave him complete personnel authority . The team slipped to 6 – 8 that season , the team ' s first - ever losing season , but Ivy ' s job security appeared to be in good shape . He hired Sammy Baugh as an assistant the following May , but was shocked when he was fired on June 1 and replaced by Baugh . Ivy soon found work as a scout for the New York Giants , then was hired as an assistant coach with the team on February 3 , 1965 . After two seasons , the last a disastrous 1 – 12 – 1 campaign , Owner Wellington Mara enacted a new Club rule stating that all coaching staff must live in the New York / New Jersey area year round . A life long resident of Oklahoma , Ivy and his wife Inez did not want to leave Norman , OK for good . Mara asked Ivy to stay on as a scout which Ivy agreed to , but then returned to coaching in 1971 for three more seasons . Following the firing of head coach Alex Webster , Ivy again returned to scouting , where he spent the next decade before announcing his retirement in 1984 .