Duffy Daugherty

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Duffy Daugherty

Title Head coach
College Michigan State University
Sport Football
Born September 8, 1915
Place of birth Flag of the United States Emeigh, Pennsylvania
Died September 25, 1987 (aged 72)
Place of death Santa Barbara, California
Career highlights
Overall 109-65-5
Bowls 1-1
Championships
1965 National Championship (UPI)
Awards
1965 Paul "Bear" Bryant Award
Playing career
1935-1939 Syracuse University
Position Guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1940, 1946
1947-1953
1954-1972
Syracuse assistant
Michigan State assistant
Michigan State
College Football Hall of Fame, 1984

Hugh "Duffy" Daugherty (born September 8, 1915 in Emeigh, Pennsylvania; died September 25, 1987 in Santa Barbara, California) was the head coach of the Michigan State University Spartans football team from 1954 to 1972, where he compiled a career record of 109-65-5. He was best known for his wit, good humor, and wisdom. His 19 seasons at the helm of Spartan football are still the longest of any head coach in the program's history.

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[edit] Early career

Duffy Daugherty began his football career playing at Syracuse University, and was named captain of the football team in his senior year. He joined the U.S. Army during World War II, earning the Bronze Star.

Upon his return from the war, he became an assistant coach at Syracuse under Clarence L. "Biggie" Munn. When Munn was hired to become the new head coach of MSU football for the 1947 season, Daugherty came with him. Munn's teams had a great deal of success, winning the AP National Championship in 1952, and the 1954 Rose Bowl in Michigan State's first season in the Big Ten Conference. Daugherty continued to serve as an assistant coach until Munn retired to become Michigan State's athletic director after the 1953 season, at which point Daugherty became the new head coach, the 15th in the history of Michigan State football.

[edit] Michigan State Head Coach

It is at Michigan State where Daugherty developed his reputation as one of the greatest college football coaches of all time.

After finishing his first season in 1954 with a disappointing 3-6 record, his team was much better the following season. Though the Spartans finished second in the Big Ten in 1955 with an 8-1 record behind Ohio State, they received the invitation to the Rose Bowl instead of the Buckeyes, thanks to the conference's prohibition against repeat trips to the Rose Bowl in addition to the prohibition against appearing in any other bowl game. At the game, the Spartans defeated UCLA 17-14, the second bowl win in school history.

From 1956 to 1964, Daugherty's teams were usually good, but not quite good enough to win the Big Ten. They did, however, managed to beat Notre Dame eight straight times, a feat duplicated only by Michigan. The 1965 and 1966 seasons were the high points in Daugherty's coaching tenure, if not in the history of Michigan State football. The 1965 team finished the regular season 10-0, ranked first in the country. However, they were upset by UCLA in the 1966 Rose Bowl, 14-12, although they did win the UPI and National Football Foundation polls for the national championship. Their defensive unit, known as the Wall of Steel, was the best in school history and arguably one of best of all time. In 1966, the team began 9-0 with convincing wins over its opponents headed into a matchup between #2 Michigan State and #1 Notre Dame at Spartan Stadium on November 19, 1966. In what many people have called "The Game of the Century", the game ended in a 10-10 tie. MSU won a share of the National Football Foundation national championship with Notre Dame. The Spartans did not play in a bowl game following the 1966 due to Big 10 rules in place at the time that did not allow a team to represent the conference in consecutive seasons in the Rose Bowl, and allowed no teams other than the one playing in the Rose Bowl to participate in post-season play.

Beginning with the 1967 season, there was a significant decline in the football program. Daugherty's teams were consistently hovering around the .500 mark, with his 1971 squad the only one above that mark (6-5). Under pressure from MSU's administration, he retired after the 1972 season.

During Daugherty's time in East Lansing, he recruited and coached some of the best players in Michigan State's history. Those include Herb Adderley, Brad Van Pelt, Bubba Smith, George Webster, and Joe DeLamielleure. He was one of the first coaches to field an integrated team.

To honor his accomplisments at Michigan State, the university named the football team's practice facility the Duffy Daugherty Football Building. The Duffy Daugherty Memorial Award is presented annually to a person for lifetime achievement and outstanding contribution to amateur football. He was also elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1975.

Raised as a Presbyterian, Daugherty converted to Catholicism in 1964.

[edit] Head coaching record

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl Coaches# AP°
Michigan State Spartans (Big Ten Conference) (1954 – 1972)
1954 Michigan State 3-6 1-5 T-8th
1955 Michigan State 9-1 5-1 2nd W 17-14 Rose Bowl 2 2
1956 Michigan State 7-2 4-2 T-4th 10 9
1957 Michigan State 8-1 5-1 2nd 3 3
1958 Michigan State 3-5-1 0-5-1 10th
1959 Michigan State 5-4 4-2 2nd 16
1960 Michigan State 6-2-1 4-2 4th 11 15
1961 Michigan State 7-2 5-2 3rd 9 8
1962 Michigan State 5-4 3-3 T-5th
1963 Michigan State 6-2-1 4-1-1 T-2nd 10 10
1964 Michigan State 4-5 3-3 6th 20
1965 Michigan State 10-1 7-0 1st L 12-14 Rose Bowl 1 2
1966 Michigan State 9-0-1 7-0 1st 2 2
1967 Michigan State 3-7 3-4 T-5th
1968 Michigan State 5-5 2-5 7th
1969 Michigan State 4-6 2-5 9th
1970 Michigan State 4-6 3-4 T-5th
1971 Michigan State 6-5 5-3 T-3rd
1972 Michigan State 5-5-1 5-2-1 4th
Michigan State: 109-69-5
Total: 109-69-5 (.609)
      National Championship         Conference Title         Conference Division Title
Indicates BCS bowl game. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll of the season.
°Rankings from final AP Poll of the season.

[edit] Quotes

  • "Football isn't a contact sport, it's a collision sport. Dancing is a contact sport."
  • "A tie is like kissing your sister."
  • "When your are playing for the national championship, it's not a matter of life or death. It's more important than that."

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Clarence L. "Biggie" Munn
Michigan State University Head Football Coach
1954-1972
Succeeded by
Denny Stolz
Preceded by
Ara Parseghian
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award
1965
Succeeded by
Tom Cahill