Langdon Lea Langdon " Biffy " Lea ( May 11 , 1874 – October 10 , 1937 ) was an American football player and coach . He played college football at Princeton University , where he was selected as a first - team All - American at tackle three consecutive years , in 1893 , 1894 , and 1895 . He later served as head football coach at the University of Michigan in 1900 and at Princeton in 1901 . Lea was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1964 . Biography . Lea graduated from St . Paul ' s School in the 1892 , and entered the scientific department of Princeton University in the fall of 1892 . He first became famous as a football player in 1893 when he played a brilliant game against Winters of Yale on Thanksgiving . He played tackle for Princeton and became recognized as one of the best tackles ever to play the game . He was selected as a first - team All - American in 1894 , 1895 and 1896 . In 1899 , Lea served as the unofficial head coach of the Princeton football team . In 1900 , he was hired by the University of Michigan as its head football coach . A newspaper reported on expectations raised by his hiring at Michigan : " Coach Langdon Lea , the famous Prlncetonian , is expected to revolutionize affairs among the Wolverines and to raise the team to its old standing . The great trouble in the past few years has been the lack of efficient coaching , and it is hoped that Lea will supply that necessary . " Another newspaper reported on the hiring of Lea away from Princeton this way : " Langdon Lea , better known as ' Biffy , ' is to coach the Michigan university team . This practice of putting well known eastern football players in charge of the teams of western universities has certainly improved the standard of play , and in many instances has often wrought havoc with the alma maters of the coaches . Some years ago the big eastern colleges tried to preven their graduates from accepting positions as coaches on other teams , but the fat salaries offered were inducements too great to be cast aside . " Lea led the 1900 Michigan team to a 7 – 2 – 1 . However , the season was a disappointment as the Wolverines finished in fifth place in the Western Conference and lost to their principal rival , the University of Chicago , in the last game of the season . They also lost to the University of Iowa and played to a scoreless tie against Ohio State . In 1901 , Lea was selected to be the first " official " football coach of Princeton . A newspaper reported as follows on Lea ' s return to Princeton : " Last year he took hold of the University of Michigan football team and instilled such a knowledge of the game into the green material he had to work on that he is today acknowledged to be one of the greatest coaches in the country . He could have renewed his contract , said to be worth $ 4 , 000 . for next season , but sacrificed this sum to become head coach at Princeton , a position not worth nearly so much and one which involves harder work and greater responsibility . . . . Lea was appealed to and accepted the position . In his undergraduate days Lea was one of Old Nassau ' s stars . He was captain in 1895 and played the position of left tackle in such a manner as to gain a place on the All America team . " Lea led Princeton to a 9 – 1 – 1 record in 1901 . He was replaced at Michigan by Fielding H . Yost who led the 1901 Michigan team to an 11 – 0 record , outscoring its opponents 550 to 0 . Lea ' s three sons , Gilbert Lea ( Class of 1936 ) , Langdon Lea ( Class of 1932 ) , Jr . , and Francis C . Lea ( Class of 1927 ) all played end for Princeton . Lea died at his home in Paoli , Pennsylvania at age 63 in 1937 . He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1964 .