Dwight Dike Beede
Encyclopedia
Dwight "Dike" V. Beede served as the first head football
coach of Youngstown State University
(then Youngstown College). He served there from 1937 to 1972. In the course of his entire professional coaching career, Beede counted 175 career wins, 146 losses and 20 ties. In 1941, he invented and introduced the penalty flag, now a common fixture of American football.
, United States
, a steel-manufacturing center located near the Pennsylvania
border. He attended the city's South High School, where he was class president and played football. In his senior year, Beede received a football scholarship to Newberry College
, in South Carolina
. He later transferred to Pittsburgh's Carnegie Institute of Technology
(now Carnegie Mellon University
), where he studied structural engineering
and played football.
As a stand-out player with Judge Wally Steffan's Carnegie squad in the 1920s, Beede made football history when he introduced the famous "spinner play." He served as captain of the Carnegie Tech football team in 1925 and also played basketball.
Beede and his wife Irma had two daughters, Gretchen and Susan, and a son, Ruud. Ruud drowned in 1957.
On December 10, 1972, just a month after having retired from Youngstown State University
, Beede died in a drowning accident at Little Beaver Creek
near his farm in Elkton, Ohio
, located in Columbiana County.
and, in 1926 accepted a football coaching position at Westminster College
. He held this position for five years, coaching an outstanding team that tied Duquesne University
for the tri-state championship.
Beede was the 17th head coach for the Geneva College Golden Tornadoes
located in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
and he held that position for missing seasons, from 1934 until 1936. His coaching record at Geneva was 14 wins, 9 losses, and 3 ties. As of completion of the 2007 season, this ranks him 13th at Geneva in total wins and 11th at Geneva in winning percentage (0.596).
After completing his seasons at Geneva, he went to Youngstown College, where he enjoyed several successful decades as football coach.
In 1957, Beede was honored as Coach of the Year by the Football Writers Association of American Small Colleges. In 1966, Beede was named to the Helms Football Foundation Hall of Fame. Beede was an avid tree farmer and served on Ohio
's Forestry Advisory Council. In addition to his coaching duties, Beede was an associate professor of biology at Youngstown State University
.
Beede retired from Youngstown State University on November 18, 1972.
at Youngstown's Rayen Stadium
. Prior to the introduction of the penalty flag, officials used horns and whistles to signal a penalty. This made it difficult for the players, since they would hear the whistle and sometimes stop, even though the infraction was caused by the other team. This would deprive the non-guilty team of the yardage they might rightfully have gained. Also, the fans and media sometimes could not recognize an infraction on the field because they had failed to hear the signal.
At the 1941 contest at Rayen Stadium, Oklahoma City Coach Os Doenges and four game officials–Hugh McFee, Jack McFee, Bill Renner, and Carl Rebele–--agreed to use the flag as an experiment. Jack McFee later employed the penalty flag at the Ohio State-Iowa game, during which league commissioner Major John Griffith was present.
Beede's first wife, Irma, was often jokingly referred to as the "Betsy Ross
of Football," because she sewed the first penalty flag. Beede asked her to fashion a flag that was brightly colored with white stripes. Irma Beede reportedly used pieces of their daughter's Halloween
costume and an old bed sheet for the flag, and curtain weights to add weight and heft. The original flag was 16" square with weight all at one end. The penalty flag has been modified over the years, and today, it is a yellow cloth that is filled with sand at one end.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach of Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University, founded in 1908, is an urban research university located in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. As of fall 2010, there were 15,194 students and a student-faculty ratio of 19:1. It is recognized as being one of the premier schools in the country, comparable to Ivy League...
(then Youngstown College). He served there from 1937 to 1972. In the course of his entire professional coaching career, Beede counted 175 career wins, 146 losses and 20 ties. In 1941, he invented and introduced the penalty flag, now a common fixture of American football.
Formative years
Beede was born in Youngstown, OhioYoungstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a steel-manufacturing center located near the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
border. He attended the city's South High School, where he was class president and played football. In his senior year, Beede received a football scholarship to Newberry College
Newberry College
Newberry College is a liberal-arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located on a historic campus in Newberry, South Carolina.The college has 1,025 students and a 19:1 student-teacher ratio...
, in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. He later transferred to Pittsburgh's Carnegie Institute of Technology
Carnegie Institute of Technology
The Carnegie Institute of Technology , is the name for Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering. It was first called the Carnegie Technical Schools, or Carnegie Tech, when it was founded in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie who intended to build a “first class technical school” in Pittsburgh,...
(now Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
), where he studied structural engineering
Structural engineering
Structural engineering is a field of engineering dealing with the analysis and design of structures that support or resist loads. Structural engineering is usually considered a specialty within civil engineering, but it can also be studied in its own right....
and played football.
As a stand-out player with Judge Wally Steffan's Carnegie squad in the 1920s, Beede made football history when he introduced the famous "spinner play." He served as captain of the Carnegie Tech football team in 1925 and also played basketball.
Beede and his wife Irma had two daughters, Gretchen and Susan, and a son, Ruud. Ruud drowned in 1957.
On December 10, 1972, just a month after having retired from Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University, founded in 1908, is an urban research university located in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. As of fall 2010, there were 15,194 students and a student-faculty ratio of 19:1. It is recognized as being one of the premier schools in the country, comparable to Ivy League...
, Beede died in a drowning accident at Little Beaver Creek
Little Beaver Creek
The Little Beaver Creek is a wild and scenic area in Ohio. The Little Beaver Creek watershed is located primarily in Columbiana County in northeast Ohio, and in portions of Carroll County, Mahoning County, and western Pennsylvania, draining approximately 605 mi² , of which 503 mi² are in Ohio...
near his farm in Elkton, Ohio
Elkton, Ohio
Elkton is an unincorporated place located in central Elkrun Township, Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. It is located at latitude 40°45'43" north, longitude 80°41'56" west. The United States Postal Service has assigned Elkton the ZIP code 44415...
, located in Columbiana County.
Coaching and professional success
Upon graduation, Beede turned down an offer to teach mathematics at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Institute of TechnologyCarnegie Institute of Technology
The Carnegie Institute of Technology , is the name for Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering. It was first called the Carnegie Technical Schools, or Carnegie Tech, when it was founded in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie who intended to build a “first class technical school” in Pittsburgh,...
and, in 1926 accepted a football coaching position at Westminster College
Westminster College, Pennsylvania
Westminster College is a liberal arts college located in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1852, it is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church...
. He held this position for five years, coaching an outstanding team that tied Duquesne University
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...
for the tri-state championship.
Beede was the 17th head coach for the Geneva College Golden Tornadoes
Geneva College
Geneva College is a Christian liberal arts college in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, United States, north of Pittsburgh. Founded in 1848, in Northwood, Ohio, the college moved to its present location in 1880, where it continues to educate a student body of about 1400 traditional undergraduates in...
located in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
Beaver Falls is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,987 at the 2010 census. It is located 31 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, and on the Beaver River, six miles from its confluence with the Ohio River...
and he held that position for missing seasons, from 1934 until 1936. His coaching record at Geneva was 14 wins, 9 losses, and 3 ties. As of completion of the 2007 season, this ranks him 13th at Geneva in total wins and 11th at Geneva in winning percentage (0.596).
After completing his seasons at Geneva, he went to Youngstown College, where he enjoyed several successful decades as football coach.
In 1957, Beede was honored as Coach of the Year by the Football Writers Association of American Small Colleges. In 1966, Beede was named to the Helms Football Foundation Hall of Fame. Beede was an avid tree farmer and served on Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
's Forestry Advisory Council. In addition to his coaching duties, Beede was an associate professor of biology at Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University, founded in 1908, is an urban research university located in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. As of fall 2010, there were 15,194 students and a student-faculty ratio of 19:1. It is recognized as being one of the premier schools in the country, comparable to Ivy League...
.
Beede retired from Youngstown State University on November 18, 1972.
Father of penalty flag
Beede was an important influence on football not only regionally, but nationally. His most celebrated innovation was the penalty flag, which he created and introduced on October 17, 1941. The flag was first used in a game against Oklahoma City UniversityOklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University, often referred to as OCU, is a coeducational, urban, private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church...
at Youngstown's Rayen Stadium
Rayen High School (Youngstown, Ohio)
Rayen High School was a public high school in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. At the time it was closed in 2007, it was of the three oldest high schools in the city...
. Prior to the introduction of the penalty flag, officials used horns and whistles to signal a penalty. This made it difficult for the players, since they would hear the whistle and sometimes stop, even though the infraction was caused by the other team. This would deprive the non-guilty team of the yardage they might rightfully have gained. Also, the fans and media sometimes could not recognize an infraction on the field because they had failed to hear the signal.
At the 1941 contest at Rayen Stadium, Oklahoma City Coach Os Doenges and four game officials–Hugh McFee, Jack McFee, Bill Renner, and Carl Rebele–--agreed to use the flag as an experiment. Jack McFee later employed the penalty flag at the Ohio State-Iowa game, during which league commissioner Major John Griffith was present.
Beede's first wife, Irma, was often jokingly referred to as the "Betsy Ross
Betsy Ross
Betsy Ross is widely credited with making the first American flag. There is, however, no credible historical evidence that the story is true.-Early life:...
of Football," because she sewed the first penalty flag. Beede asked her to fashion a flag that was brightly colored with white stripes. Irma Beede reportedly used pieces of their daughter's Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
costume and an old bed sheet for the flag, and curtain weights to add weight and heft. The original flag was 16" square with weight all at one end. The penalty flag has been modified over the years, and today, it is a yellow cloth that is filled with sand at one end.