Warren Giese
Encyclopedia
Warren Giese is an American former South Carolina
state legislator and college football
coach. He served as the head football coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks
for five years at the University of South Carolina
.
At South Carolina, Giese employed a conservative, run-first game strategy, but he enthusiastically adopted the two-point conversion
when it was made legal in 1958. That year, he also correctly predicted the rise of special teams after the NCAA relaxed its player substitution rules.
, where he attended Rufus King High School
. He attended and played football at the Milwaukee State Teachers College for one year before enlisting in the United States Navy
through the V-12 pilot training program
at Central Michigan University
. He played football there as well in 1943, and in the Navy, he also played at stations in Miami
and Jacksonville
, Florida
.
After World War II
, Giese resumed college at the University of Oklahoma
, where he played college football
as an end under head coach Jim Tatum
in 1946
. That season, he was named a first-team All-Big Six Conference player. Giese graduated from Oklahoma in 1947. That year, he returned to Central Michigan to play football for his final year of college eligibility.
in Mount Pleasant, Michigan
, where he coached for one season and compiled a 3–4 record. From 1949 to 1955, Giese served as the ends coach at Maryland
. During that time
, under Jim Tatum, Giese's former mentor at Oklahoma, Maryland was awarded the consensus national championship in 1953 and has been retroactively awarded the 1951
national championship by several selectors. In March 1951, Giese declined the head coaching position at Central Michigan University
, for which he had already been approved by the school administration, after Maryland offered him a pay raise. Giese co-authored a book with Tatum entitled Coaching Football and the Split-T
.
In 1955, University of South Carolina athletic director and head football coach, Rex Enright
, compiled a 3–6 record and his health was in decline. As a result, he resigned as football coach and hired Giese as his own replacement. At the time, Giese was the youngest head football coach in the nation. He remained as South Carolina head coach for five years and compiled a 28–21–1 record, and to date, he holds the record for most wins by a Gamecocks head coach in his first four years at 25.
As head coach, Giese employed a conservative strategy heavily focused on the ground attack
and rarely employed passing. He also relied on long drives to maximize time of possession and said "The other team can't score if it doesn't have the football." When Giese took over in 1956, at least 51 South Carolina players were being paid, in violation of National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) rules. The Gamecocks' star running back, Alex Hawkins
, admitted, "Every school that recruited me had some kind of financial offer." Giese put an immediate end to the payouts and told the players, "Anybody that doesn't like it, submit three teams that you'd like me to recommend you to." Hawkins requested a recommendation for Kentucky
among others, but says, "It never dawned on me he wouldn't call any of them."
In his first season, 1956, Giese coached the Gamecocks to a 7–3 record. In the second game, South Carolina defeated 16th-ranked Duke
led by quarterback Sonny Jurgensen
, 7–0. It was South Carolina's first win over Duke since 1930 and propelled the Gamecocks to a number-17 ranking. South Carolina set the Atlantic Coast Conference
(ACC) record for passing defense, allowing just 476 passing yards (47.6 per game), which still stands to date. In 1957, South Carolina upset the then 20th-ranked Texas team that continued onto the Sugar Bowl
, 27–21. The Gamecocks finished with a 5–5 record. In 1958, Giese's team recorded the only win over arch-rival
Clemson during his tenure, 26–6. Hawkins was named the ACC Player of the Year. That season, the NCAA implemented the two-point conversion
rule, and Giese enthusiastically adopted it as part of his game strategy. He calculated that two-point conversions were successful 40% of the time, while point-after-touchdown kicks succeeded 65% of the time. In 1959, South Carolina recorded 13 two-point conversions, setting a school record that still stands to date.
That season, the NCAA loosened its rules regarding player substitutions, and Giese correctly predicted the future rise of a "third platoon
", distinct from the offensive and defensive units of two-platoon football. Today the third platoon is known as the special teams. In 1959, South Carolina was the only team to beat Georgia. The Gamecocks climbed to a number 11 ranking in mid-season and finished with a 6–4 record. In 1960, Giese's team finished with a 3–6–1 record, and he was replaced by former assistant Marvin Bass
. After his relief as head coach, Giese remained the South Carolina director of athletics for an additional year. In 1962, he became a full-time professor and chairman of the Department of Physical Education.
to the South Carolina state senate
in 1985. He retired in 2004 as the second oldest serving South Carolina senator.
as an undergraduate and for law school
, is the Richland County, South Carolina
solicitor
. Barney Giese unsuccessfully ran for election to his retired father's vacated senate seat. His other son, Keith Giese, served as the assistant solicitor in Lexington County, South Carolina, and currently works as a criminal defense lawyer in Columbia, 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...
state legislator and college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
coach. He served as the head football coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina Gamecocks football
The South Carolina Gamecocks football team represents the University of South Carolina in NCAA Division I college football. The Gamecocks have been a member of the Southeastern Conference since 1992. Steve Spurrier is the current head coach, and the team plays its home games at Williams-Brice...
for five years at the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
.
At South Carolina, Giese employed a conservative, run-first game strategy, but he enthusiastically adopted the two-point conversion
Two-point conversion
In American and Canadian football, a two-point conversion is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point convert immediately after it scores a touchdown...
when it was made legal in 1958. That year, he also correctly predicted the rise of special teams after the NCAA relaxed its player substitution rules.
Early life
Giese was born in Milwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, where he attended Rufus King High School
Rufus King High School
Rufus King International School--High School Campus, or Rufus King, is a public magnet high school located on the north side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, part of the Milwaukee Public Schools district. The school has been consecutively ranked the top public high school in the state of Wisconsin by...
. He attended and played football at the Milwaukee State Teachers College for one year before enlisting in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
through the V-12 pilot training program
V-12 Navy College Training Program
The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II...
at Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...
. He played football there as well in 1943, and in the Navy, he also played at stations in Miami
Opa-locka Airport
Opa-locka Airport , also known as Opa-locka Executive Airport, is a general aviation airport and joint civil-military airfield 10 miles north of Downtown Miami, primarily in metropolitan Miami, Florida, United States, with a portion within the city proper of Opa-locka.The airport's control tower...
and Jacksonville
Naval Air Station Jacksonville
Naval Air Station Jacksonville or NAS Jacksonville is a military airport located four miles south of the central business district of Jacksonville...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
After 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...
, Giese resumed college at the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, where he played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
as an end under head coach Jim Tatum
Jim Tatum
James M. "Big Jim" Tatum was an American football and baseball player and coach. Tatum served as the head football coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , the University of Oklahoma , and the University of Maryland, College Park , compiling a career college football record of...
in 1946
1946 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 1946 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in National Collegiate Athletic Association college football. The team was led by Jim Tatum in his first and only season as head coach. Along with first-year backfield coach Bud Wilkinson, who became the head coach...
. That season, he was named a first-team All-Big Six Conference player. Giese graduated from Oklahoma in 1947. That year, he returned to Central Michigan to play football for his final year of college eligibility.
Coaching career
Giese began his coaching career at the Sacred Heart Academy High SchoolSacred Heart Academy High School (Mt. Pleasant, Michigan)
Sacred Heart Academy High School is a parochial parish, Roman Catholic high school in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saginaw. Sacred Heart has a reputation for educating the children of various successful people around town, as well as having a reputation...
in Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Mount Pleasant is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Isabella County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 25,946. The 2008 census estimate places the population at 26,675....
, where he coached for one season and compiled a 3–4 record. From 1949 to 1955, Giese served as the ends coach at Maryland
Maryland Terrapins football
The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
. During that time
Maryland Terrapins football under Jim Tatum (1947–1955)
From 1947 to 1955, Jim Tatum served as the head coach of the Maryland Terrapins football team, which represented the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association college football. Maryland hired Tatum to replace Clark Shaughnessy after the 1946 season...
, under Jim Tatum, Giese's former mentor at Oklahoma, Maryland was awarded the consensus national championship in 1953 and has been retroactively awarded the 1951
1951 Maryland Terrapins football team
The 1951 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association college football in its 31st season as a member of the Southern Conference. Maryland outscored its opponents, 381–74, and finished the season with a 10–0 record, including...
national championship by several selectors. In March 1951, Giese declined the head coaching position at Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...
, for which he had already been approved by the school administration, after Maryland offered him a pay raise. Giese co-authored a book with Tatum entitled Coaching Football and the Split-T
Split-T
The split-T is an offensive formation in American football that was popular in the 1940s and 50s. Developed by Missouri Tigers head coach Don Faurot as a variation on the T formation, the split-T was first used in the 1941 season and allowed the Tigers to win all but their season-opening match...
.
In 1955, University of South Carolina athletic director and head football coach, Rex Enright
Rex Enright
Rex Edward Enright was an American football and basketball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football and college basketball at the University of Notre Dame in the 1920s...
, compiled a 3–6 record and his health was in decline. As a result, he resigned as football coach and hired Giese as his own replacement. At the time, Giese was the youngest head football coach in the nation. He remained as South Carolina head coach for five years and compiled a 28–21–1 record, and to date, he holds the record for most wins by a Gamecocks head coach in his first four years at 25.
As head coach, Giese employed a conservative strategy heavily focused on the ground attack
Rush (American football)
Rushing has two different meanings in gridiron football .-Offense:The first is an action taken by the offensive team that means to advance the ball by running, as opposed to passing. A run is technically any play that does not involve a forward pass...
and rarely employed passing. He also relied on long drives to maximize time of possession and said "The other team can't score if it doesn't have the football." When Giese took over in 1956, at least 51 South Carolina players were being paid, in violation of National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) rules. The Gamecocks' star running back, Alex Hawkins
Alex Hawkins
Clifton Alexander "Alex" Hawkins is a retired American football player who played running back for the Baltimore Colts and Atlanta Falcons. He excelled as a special teams player...
, admitted, "Every school that recruited me had some kind of financial offer." Giese put an immediate end to the payouts and told the players, "Anybody that doesn't like it, submit three teams that you'd like me to recommend you to." Hawkins requested a recommendation for Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats football
The Kentucky Wildcats football team is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the East Division of the Southeastern Conference.-History:Paul "Bear" Bryant Era...
among others, but says, "It never dawned on me he wouldn't call any of them."
In his first season, 1956, Giese coached the Gamecocks to a 7–3 record. In the second game, South Carolina defeated 16th-ranked Duke
Duke Blue Devils football
The Duke Blue Devils football program is a college football team that represents Duke University . The team is currently a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference , which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association . The Blue Devils compete in the Coastal...
led by quarterback Sonny Jurgensen
Sonny Jurgensen
Christian Adolph "Sonny" Jurgensen III is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983....
, 7–0. It was South Carolina's first win over Duke since 1930 and propelled the Gamecocks to a number-17 ranking. South Carolina set the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
(ACC) record for passing defense, allowing just 476 passing yards (47.6 per game), which still stands to date. In 1957, South Carolina upset the then 20th-ranked Texas team that continued onto the Sugar Bowl
1958 Sugar Bowl
The 1958 edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the seventh ranked Ole Miss Rebels and the eleventh ranked Texas Longhorns.In the first quarter, Ole Miss running back Raymond Brown scored on a 1 yard touchdown run as the Rebels took a 6-0 lead. He would finish the game with 157 yards rushing on 15...
, 27–21. The Gamecocks finished with a 5–5 record. In 1958, Giese's team recorded the only win over arch-rival
Carolina-Clemson rivalry
The South Carolina–Clemson Rivalry is an American college rivalry between the South Carolina Gamecocks sports teams of the University of South Carolina and the Clemson Tigers sports teams of Clemson University. Both institution are public universities supported by the state of South...
Clemson during his tenure, 26–6. Hawkins was named the ACC Player of the Year. That season, the NCAA implemented the two-point conversion
Two-point conversion
In American and Canadian football, a two-point conversion is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point convert immediately after it scores a touchdown...
rule, and Giese enthusiastically adopted it as part of his game strategy. He calculated that two-point conversions were successful 40% of the time, while point-after-touchdown kicks succeeded 65% of the time. In 1959, South Carolina recorded 13 two-point conversions, setting a school record that still stands to date.
That season, the NCAA loosened its rules regarding player substitutions, and Giese correctly predicted the future rise of a "third platoon
One-platoon system
The one-platoon system, also known as iron man football, was a system in American football where players played on both offense and defense. It was the result of rules that limited player substitutions. The alternative system is known as the "two-platoon system", or simply the "platoon system",...
", distinct from the offensive and defensive units of two-platoon football. Today the third platoon is known as the special teams. In 1959, South Carolina was the only team to beat Georgia. The Gamecocks climbed to a number 11 ranking in mid-season and finished with a 6–4 record. In 1960, Giese's team finished with a 3–6–1 record, and he was replaced by former assistant Marvin Bass
Marvin Bass
Marvin Crosby Bass was the head coach of The College of William & Mary's football team in 1951 and 1952. He compiled an 11–8 overall record. He also coached the South Carolina Gamecocks football team for five seasons....
. After his relief as head coach, Giese remained the South Carolina director of athletics for an additional year. In 1962, he became a full-time professor and chairman of the Department of Physical Education.
Political career
Giese was elected as a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
to the South Carolina state senate
South Carolina Senate
The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives...
in 1985. He retired in 2004 as the second oldest serving South Carolina senator.
Personal life
One of his sons, W. Barney Giese, who attended the University of South CarolinaUniversity of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
as an undergraduate and for law school
University of South Carolina School of Law
The University of South Carolina School of Law, also known as South Carolina Law or SC Law, is one of the professional schools of the University of South Carolina. South Carolina Law was founded in 1867 in Columbia, South Carolina and is the only public and non-profit law school in the state of...
, is the Richland County, South Carolina
Richland County, South Carolina
Richland County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The 2000 U.S. census recorded its population to be 320,677. In 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau recorded that its population had reached 384,504. It is the second most populous county in South Carolina, behind only Greenville...
solicitor
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. Barney Giese unsuccessfully ran for election to his retired father's vacated senate seat. His other son, Keith Giese, served as the assistant solicitor in Lexington County, South Carolina, and currently works as a criminal defense lawyer in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
.