Slip Madigan

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Madigan played college football for Knute Rockne at the University of Notre Dame, playing center. After his playing days, he took over a floundering football program at Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga, California in 1921. In their final game in 1920, the Gaels lost to California, 127–0. Madigan immediately recruited sixty men and taught them Notre Dame's plays and some tricks of his own, including the "forward fumble."

By 1927, Saint Mary's developed into one of the strongest football programs on the West Coast. They defeated the USC, UCLA, California, and Stanford. The Stanford team they defeated in 1927 went on to play in the Rose Bowl, as did the USC team they defeated in 1931. Although the school's enrollment seldom exceeded 500, the Galloping Gaels became a nationally known football power.

The most notable win came in 1930, when Saint Mary's traveled to New York City to play Fordham. Fordham was a heavy favorite, as the Rams had won 16 straight games going back to 1928. They featured the first version of a defense known as the "Seven Blocks of Granite," a formidable unit that later would include Vince Lombardi. Saint Mary's recovered from a 12–0 halftime deficit to win, 20–12.

The Gaels were known for their flashy style that reflected the personality of their flamboyant coach. Madigan traveled to New York for the Fordham game with 150 fans on a train that was labeled "the world's longest bar." To stir up publicity for the game, he threw a party the night before and invited not only sportswriters but such celebrities as Babe Ruth and New York mayor Jimmy Walker.

After the 1938 season, Saint Mary's was invited to the Cotton Bowl Classic, where they defeated Texas Tech, 20–13. After the 1939 season, however, the successful, but controversial Madigan was fired. He had a 117–45–12 record at the school. Saint Mary's never again came close to the football success they had under Madigan, and in 2004, the school dropped the sport.

Madigan was also the 16th football coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes, in 1943 and 1944. He was an interim coach for Eddie Anderson, who was serving in World War II. The University of Iowa at that time had to share its athletic facilities with a local military academy, and nearly all the able-bodied men in Iowa City found their way into the military school. Madigan's Iowa roster was mostly filled with players with conditions that exempted them from military service.

Nevertheless, he coached some good performances out of the 1943 Hawkeyes. Although they had a record of just 1–6–1, they played respectably in losses. As a result, Madigan was retained in 1944. However, the 1944 season was similar to 1943, except the losses were by greater margins. Madigan suggested that he would be finished with coaching at the end of the year, which may have inspired Iowa to a 27–6 victory over Nebraska, but Iowa ended the season 1–7. Madigan turned down an offer to coach for Iowa again in 1945 and retired for good.

A relative of Alameda County Sheriff Frank Madigan. Slip Madigan died in 1966 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974. He is buried at Saint Mary Cemetery in Oakland.

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