Among the pantheon of legendary celebrities who once paraded through the Azalea neighborhood playing golf on the Jungle course during the Roaring Twenties, Pop Warner is held in special esteem.
Football was still in its infancy and head coach Warner reshaped the game with his refinement of the forward pass, which had only recently been legalized. He was renowned for his strategic innovations, offensive formations and trick plays. He coached at Pittsburgh, Stanford and Temple. At the time of his retirement, he had the most wins as a college football coach and now ranks 9th in all-time victories.
"Notre Dame made it popular, but Pop Warner is the one who really changed the game."
‒ Heather Dinich speaking about the forward pass on ESPN's College Football 150.
Today, Pop Warner's name is well known from the organization that he helped start, Pop Warner Football, the largest youth football program in the country.
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| St. Petersburg Times, February 3, 1924 |
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| Head coach Warner draws up a play for his Temple scholars. (colorized) |
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| Los Angeles Coliseum Memorial Court of Honor. |
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Pop Warner (head coach, Stanford), Babe Ruth (another Jungle course golfer who has a
youth organization ‒ Babe Ruth League ‒ named for him), Knute Rockne (head coach,
Notre Dame), Christy Walsh (organizer of the event and agent for Babe Ruth and Lou
Gehrig), Yankee star Lou Gehrig, Howard Jones (head coach, University of Southern
California), and Tad Jones (head coach, Yale) appearing at a banquet prior to the 1927
Notre Dame - USC game. Photo colorized by @BSmile. |
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| Pop Warner's football coaching attire would look good on the golf course, too. (colorized) |
Articles from the St. Petersburg Times:
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| January 16, 1925 |
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| December 16, 1928 |
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| October 24, 1926 |
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| December 20, 1928 |
