Keith W. Piper
Encyclopedia
Keith W. Piper was an American football
coach. He was the head football coach at Denison University
from 1954 to 1992. He compiled a career record of 200 wins, 141 losses, and 18 ties. He gained national fame for perpetuating the single-wing football formation decades after it had been discarded by other programs.
, and played football at Niles McKinley High School
. He was the starting center
for Niles McKinley in 1938 and 1939. He was one of the anchors on the 1939 defense that allowed only 34 points in the entire season. Niles McKinley's rival was Massillon Washington High School
where coach Paul Brown
(later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
) ran a single-wing offense. The precision of Brown's single wing left an imprint on him. Deception was a key element with "fakes, reverses and other sorts of razzle-dazzle." Piper later recalled, "If I could go back and watch any coach, it would be Paul Brown at Massillon. That was the ultimate in single-wing football. I remember one time they had a kid named Pokey Blunt, and he ran a reverse one time and there wasn't an opponent left standing on the field. It was fantastic. I always wanted a team that looked like that."
After graduating from high school, Piper attended Baldwin-Wallace College
, in Berea, Ohio
, but his education was interrupted by four years of military service during World War II
. Piper returned to Baldwin-Wallace after the war and played center
in the school's single-wing offense. He also received a master's degree from Western Reserve University
.
in Granville, Ohio
. He became Denison's head in 1954 and held the position until his retirement after the 1992 season. Piper was also an associate professor of physical education at Denison.
Piper gained fame for perpetuating the single-wing football formation "three decades after it had been discarded by just about everyone else."
When Piper instituted the single wing at Denison in 1962, he was viewed as "bucking the tides and trends of an evolutionary sport." Piper was a student of football history who traced the formation's roots to Glenn Scobey Warner
and Amos Alonzo Stagg
and worked for years on a book on the history of the formation. In Piper's single-wing, the tailback
was the most common recipient of the snap from center, and the quarterback
was principally a blocker (or in Piper's terms, "a retarded guard"). Piper's single wing was "predicated on deception, with the backs crossing paths, the linemen executing traps and the center disguising the target of his snap." With the criss-crossing backs and fake handoffs, one reporter noted that "the football sometimes is as hard to find as a hockey puck."
Piper stopped using the single-wing in 1966, but brought it back after Denison finished 0-8-1 in 1977. Piper believed that by being different, he would have a better chance against opponents with superior talent. Piper told a reporter in 1993, "It was not the formation itself that was so important, but that it was different from what anyone else was using." With the singe-wing offense back in use, Denison went 7-2 in 1979 and won consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference
championships in 1985 and 1986.
The success of the single-wing formation attracted reporters from around the country to the Denison campus. In 1982, Sports Illustrated
ran a feature story on Piper which opened with an imaginary exchange between single-wing legends Knute Rockne
and Glenn Warner:
With Denison's single wing rolling over opponents in 1985, the Chicago Sun-Times
profiled Piper's offense noting:
The Houston Chronicle
also visited Granville for a feature story on Piper that opened as follows: "The preference in this leafy little village is for things that are old. ... Piper, a Civil War buff who lives in an 1810 house furnished with antiques, has done his bit for historic preservation by outfitting the Big Red in the single wing, a pre-World War II offense that features an unbalanced line and, in the Denison version, a quarterback who never touches the ball." In 1990, The Wall Street Journal
profiled Piper:
The Boston Globe ran a story on Piper's offense in 1991, noting:
Piper insisted that the offense was not outdated: "The thing about the single-wing is that no one really figured out a way to stop it. It just went out of fashion. Sort of like men's clothes. There wasn't anything wrong with them. They just weren't fashionable anymore." In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, he compared the single-wing with wide ties, "The Single Wing never stopped working, you know, it just went out of style, like wide ties. Maybe it'll come back some day. I've kept some of my wide ties. I'll bet a lot of men have."
In 39 years as Denison's head coach, Piper had seven one-loss seasons (1957, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1972, 1985 and 1986), compiled a record of 200 wins, 141 losses and 18 ties, and outscored opponents 7,404-5,804.
Piper won his 200th game on October 10, 1992—his 71st birthday. He retired at the end of the 1992 season. He was one of only 18 coaches to win 200 games as a head football coach at one college.
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. He was the head football coach at Denison University
Denison University
Denison University is private, coeducational, and residential college of liberal arts and sciences founded in 1831. It is located in Granville, Ohio, United States, approximately 30 miles east of Columbus, the state capital...
from 1954 to 1992. He compiled a career record of 200 wins, 141 losses, and 18 ties. He gained national fame for perpetuating the single-wing football formation decades after it had been discarded by other programs.
Early years
Piper was raised in Niles, OhioNiles, Ohio
Niles is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. The city's population was 20,932 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, and played football at Niles McKinley High School
Niles McKinley High School
Niles McKinley High School is a four-year public high school in Niles, Ohio.As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 932 students and 46.0 classroom teachers Niles McKinley High School is a four-year public high school in Niles, Ohio.As of the 2005-06 school year, the school...
. He was the starting center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
for Niles McKinley in 1938 and 1939. He was one of the anchors on the 1939 defense that allowed only 34 points in the entire season. Niles McKinley's rival was Massillon Washington High School
Massillon Washington High School
Massillon Washington High School, is a 9 to 12 grade secondary school within the Massillon City School District located in the city of Massillon, Ohio. It serves students within the city of Massillon as well as parts of Tuscarawas Township...
where coach Paul Brown
Paul Brown
Paul Eugene Brown was a coach in American football and a major figure in the development of the National Football League...
(later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
) ran a single-wing offense. The precision of Brown's single wing left an imprint on him. Deception was a key element with "fakes, reverses and other sorts of razzle-dazzle." Piper later recalled, "If I could go back and watch any coach, it would be Paul Brown at Massillon. That was the ultimate in single-wing football. I remember one time they had a kid named Pokey Blunt, and he ran a reverse one time and there wasn't an opponent left standing on the field. It was fantastic. I always wanted a team that looked like that."
After graduating from high school, Piper attended Baldwin-Wallace College
Baldwin-Wallace College
Baldwin–Wallace College is a liberal arts college in Berea, Ohio, founded in 1845. It is home to the Riemenschneider-Bach Institute and the Baldwin–Wallace Conservatory of Music, an internationally renowned music school. The college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Students receive a...
, in Berea, Ohio
Berea, Ohio
- History :The first European settlers were originally from Connecticut. Berea fell within Connecticut's Western Reserve and was surveyed and divided into townships and ranges by one Gideon Granger, a gentleman who served as Postmaster General under President Thomas Jefferson...
, but his education was interrupted by four years of military service during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Piper returned to Baldwin-Wallace after the war and played center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
in the school's single-wing offense. He also received a master's degree from Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
.
Coaching career
Piper began his coaching career as an assistant football coach at Baldwin-Wallace from 1948 to 1950. In 1951, Piper became an assistant coach at Denison UniversityDenison University
Denison University is private, coeducational, and residential college of liberal arts and sciences founded in 1831. It is located in Granville, Ohio, United States, approximately 30 miles east of Columbus, the state capital...
in Granville, Ohio
Granville, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,167 people, 1,309 households, and 888 families residing in the village. The population density was 790.4 people per square mile . There were 1,384 housing units at an average density of 345.4 per square mile...
. He became Denison's head in 1954 and held the position until his retirement after the 1992 season. Piper was also an associate professor of physical education at Denison.
Piper gained fame for perpetuating the single-wing football formation "three decades after it had been discarded by just about everyone else."
When Piper instituted the single wing at Denison in 1962, he was viewed as "bucking the tides and trends of an evolutionary sport." Piper was a student of football history who traced the formation's roots to Glenn Scobey Warner
Glenn Scobey Warner
Glenn Scobey Warner , most commonly known as Pop Warner, was an American football player and coach...
and Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg was an American athlete and pioneering college coach in multiple sports, primarily American football...
and worked for years on a book on the history of the formation. In Piper's single-wing, the tailback
Tailback
Tailback can mean:* Halfback * A line of motor vehicles caught up in traffic congestion; a traffic jam...
was the most common recipient of the snap from center, and the quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
was principally a blocker (or in Piper's terms, "a retarded guard"). Piper's single wing was "predicated on deception, with the backs crossing paths, the linemen executing traps and the center disguising the target of his snap." With the criss-crossing backs and fake handoffs, one reporter noted that "the football sometimes is as hard to find as a hockey puck."
Piper stopped using the single-wing in 1966, but brought it back after Denison finished 0-8-1 in 1977. Piper believed that by being different, he would have a better chance against opponents with superior talent. Piper told a reporter in 1993, "It was not the formation itself that was so important, but that it was different from what anyone else was using." With the singe-wing offense back in use, Denison went 7-2 in 1979 and won consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference
North Coast Athletic Conference
The North Coast Athletic Conference is an NCAA Division III athletic conference composed of schools located in the Midwestern United States. When founded in 1984, the NCAC was a pioneer in gender equality, offering competition in a then-unprecedented ten women's sports...
championships in 1985 and 1986.
The success of the single-wing formation attracted reporters from around the country to the Denison campus. In 1982, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
ran a feature story on Piper which opened with an imaginary exchange between single-wing legends Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
and Glenn Warner:
"Hiya Rock, thanks for accepting the call. It's me, Glenn Warner.... But listen, the reason I called is to tell you that there's this fellow at a college in Ohio who's got his boys running the single wing.... Of course I'm sure. Denison University, 2,200 students, nice wooded place up on a hill in a little town called Granville, 30 miles east of Columbus. If you ever look down, you'll see for yourself. Fullback spinners, buck laterals, unbalanced line, the whole bit. Coach's name is Keith Piper. He's only 60, but he knows stuff from way back ..."
With Denison's single wing rolling over opponents in 1985, the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
profiled Piper's offense noting:
"You have to go a long way to find a college football team that still uses the single-wing offense. You have to find a place with a sense of history and a certain broad-mindedness, and a coach old enough to have been schooled in the single wing who possesses the courage of convictions others consider long outdated. The place is Granville, Ohio."
The Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
also visited Granville for a feature story on Piper that opened as follows: "The preference in this leafy little village is for things that are old. ... Piper, a Civil War buff who lives in an 1810 house furnished with antiques, has done his bit for historic preservation by outfitting the Big Red in the single wing, a pre-World War II offense that features an unbalanced line and, in the Denison version, a quarterback who never touches the ball." In 1990, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
profiled Piper:
"When Keith Piper closes his eyes, he can see back to the 1920s, when he was a boy in football-mad Niles, Ohio. There, coming out of the huddle, are his heroes, the red-jersied Red Dragons of Niles McKinley High School, and they are lining up in the Single Wing formation. When Piper opens his eyes, he can see the red-jersied team he coaches, the Denison University Big Red, coming out of the huddle. They, too, are lining up in the Single Wing. ... And so the Single Wing, the formation-of-choice during football's leather-helmet era, lives on at Denison ..."
The Boston Globe ran a story on Piper's offense in 1991, noting:
"In this era of MTV and fax machines, Keith Piper is an anachronism, ... a man who lines his team up each week to play single-wing football, a formation used by Rockne, Stagg and Warner rather than Paterno, Bowden and Osborne. Almost no one plays single-wing football anymore. ... But Piper clearly is the keeper of the single-wing flame."
Piper insisted that the offense was not outdated: "The thing about the single-wing is that no one really figured out a way to stop it. It just went out of fashion. Sort of like men's clothes. There wasn't anything wrong with them. They just weren't fashionable anymore." In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, he compared the single-wing with wide ties, "The Single Wing never stopped working, you know, it just went out of style, like wide ties. Maybe it'll come back some day. I've kept some of my wide ties. I'll bet a lot of men have."
In 39 years as Denison's head coach, Piper had seven one-loss seasons (1957, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1972, 1985 and 1986), compiled a record of 200 wins, 141 losses and 18 ties, and outscored opponents 7,404-5,804.
Piper won his 200th game on October 10, 1992—his 71st birthday. He retired at the end of the 1992 season. He was one of only 18 coaches to win 200 games as a head football coach at one college.