Voting Station

Earl 'Red' Blaik

Please vote to return to collections.

Football Coach

The Resume

    (February 15, 1897-May 6, 1989)
    Born in Detroit, Michigan
    Head coach for Dartmouth (1934-40) and the US Military Academy (1941-58)
    166 wins, 48 losses, 14 ties
    Three NCAA Championships (1944-46)
    Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (1964)
    Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1984)

Why he might be annoying:

    Some of his best seasons occurred in years when most other colleges were losing their best talent to the World War II draft.
    He complained that West Point officials overreacted to a cheating scandal in which 90 cadets, including 37 members of the football team, were expelled, saying that Commandant Paul D. Harkins ‘was a black-and-white man with no shades of grey.’
    His son Robert was one of the expelled players (for knowing about the cheating and not reporting it).

Why he might not be annoying:

    Before signing as head coach for Army, he made West Point drop its restrictive height-to-weight limitations on players.
    He was one of the first college coaches to establish a two platoon system, using players strictly for offense or defense.
    He coached Army to a 32-game unbeaten streak (1944-47).
    He rebuilt the West Point football program after the cheating scandal.
    He wrote a syndicated column during football season, donating the proceeds to a scholarship program.
    Vince Lombardi, who had been one of his assistant coaches, called Blaik the greatest coach he knew.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying