caption cfbhof_year championships death_date death_place coach_years birth_place overall_record coach_team awards cfbdwid sport cfbhof_id birth_date image article_title name alma_mater
zuppke at illinois , c. 1920 1951 4 1927 -rrb- 7 big ten -lrb- 1914 -- 1915 , national 1918 -- 1919 , 1923 , 1927 -- 1928 -rrb- -lrb- 1914 , 1919 , 1923 , 22 december 1957 champaign , illinois , u.s. 1906 -- 1909 1910 -- 1912 1913 -- 1941 berlin , germany 131 -- 81 -- 12 -lrb- college -rrb- hackley river forest hs illinois manual training -lrb- mi -rrb- oak park and amos alonzo stagg award -lrb- 1948 -rrb- 2618 football 20073 2 july 1879 robert zuppke.jpg robert zuppke
 robert zuppke milwaukee state
robert zuppke

robert carl zuppke -lrb- july 2 , 1879 -- december 22 , 1957 -rrb- was an american football coach .
he served as the head coach at the university of illinois at urbana-champaign from 1913 until 1941 , compiling a career college football record of 131 -- 81 -- 12 .
inducted into the college football hall of fame in 1951 , zuppke coached his teams to national titles in 1914 , 1919 , 1923 , and 1927 .
zuppke 's teams also won seven big ten conference championships .
while at the university of illinois , zuppke was a member of the alpha-gamma chapter of kappa sigma .
among the players that zuppke coached at illinois , was red grange , the most celebrated college football player of the era .
the field at the university of illinois 's memorial stadium is named zuppke field in his honor .
zuppke is credited for many football inventions and traditions , including the huddle and the flea flicker .
prior to coaching at the university of illinois , zuppke coached at muskegon high school in muskegon , michigan and oak park and river forest high school in oak park , illinois , where he tutored future pro football hall of famer george trafton .
zuppke led the team to state championships in 1911 and 1912 .
zuppke also was a writer and a fine art painter .
from 1930 to 1948 , zuppke wrote the syndicated newspaper strip `` ned brant '' , drawn by walt depew .
during the 1930s , zuppke also wrote syndicated sports-related columns .
as a painter , zuppke was known for his rugged western landscapes .
