|
|
Sid Gillman was more than a fierce competitor and an inspirational coach when he paced the sidelines of Nippert Stadium from 1949-54. His innovations, particularly his study of film, helped revolutionize the game. |
University of Cincinnati football Hall-of-Famer Jim Kelly Sr., Ed '51, Med '65, says coach Sid Gillman, was a "filmaholic." "He was always watching film," Kelly recalls. "He was an innovator. At his home down there in Clifton behind the hospital, the third floor was all his study room for film."
Esther Gillman joked that her husband was always a bit of a movie buff. "During our honeymoon in 1935, Sid bought a projector for $15 at a pawn shop," she recalls. "He was only going to make $1,800 that year (his first coaching job), and we couldnít afford it. I thought I would kill him."
The fact that Gillman spent nearly half a week's paycheck on a projector proved he would go to excruciating lengths to gain a competitive edge. At times, however, he perhaps went too far. Glenn Sample, Ed '53, remembers his coach using film to such a degree that the NCAA ruled he was affording his team an unfair advantage.
The practice in question? Gillman had the first-quarter game film rushed to a Vine Street studio where it was developed and returned to the locker room by half time for a brief critique. Though modern video technology would make the logistics of half-time films simple, the NCAA still forbids it.
"It was nothing like it is today as far as tapes," Sample says. "They had to actually go over and run it through this big machine to develop it and then thread the projector."
Yet Gillman didn't just use film to win games. He used it to win over fans. When he would speak during Bearcat boosters meetings at one of the posh downtown hotels, he brought his projector. He even started a regular campus attraction at Tangeman University Center to let students watch that week's game film, a personal picture show of the team in action.
"We would have hundreds and hundreds of students," Sample exclaims. "This was before television broadcasted our games. The student body wanted to see this stuff in slow motion. It was great P.R."
After his success at UC, Gillman leaped to the Los Angeles Rams, winning a division title in his first year. He stayed with the Rams from 1955-59 and spent the next decade with the San Diego Chargers. He served as a consultant to teams for much of the '70s and joined the Philadelphia Eagles as their quarterback coach in 1979, helping them to the Super Bowl in '80.
Asked soon after he retired what he considered the biggest change in football, Gillman replied: "Game films. You couldn't coach today without them. Studying films is the most important thing a coach can do."
Links:
Read more about Gillman at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Web Site.
Sid Gillman's obituary
