Kenneth Allen Shipp (February 3, 1929 – March 5, 2012) was an American college and professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
coach. He served as an
offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator (OC) is a Coach (sport), coach responsible for a gridiron football team's offense (American football), offense. Generally, the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second ...
and receivers coach in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) and briefly as the interim
head coach
A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
of the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
during the
1975 season. He assumed the job after the firing of
Charley Winner, who was 2–7 on the season. The team was 1–4 under Shipp.
Shipp was noted for his sense of humor as an NFL coach. He had stints at
Trinity
The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...
,
Florida State
Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
,
Tulsa
Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...
,
South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
and
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
before entering the NFL, where he had positions with
St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
and
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
.
Archie Manning
Elisha Archibald Manning III (born May 19, 1949) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New Orleans Saints from 1971 to 1982. He also h ...
, whom Shipp coached in New Orleans, describes him as "a smart man and a good coach."
A 1947 graduate of
Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a Public university, public research university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as ...
, he is the namesake of the Ken Shipp Endowed Scholarship at his alma mater
[ as well as the Ken Shipp Scholarship Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
]
1978
Shipp last coached in the NFL in 1978, when he was on the staff of Bum Phillips
Oail Andrew "Bum" Phillips Jr. (September 29, 1923 – October 18, 2013) was an American football coach at the high school, college and professional levels. He served as head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers fro ...
with the Houston Oilers
The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...
. Shipp had been the team’s offensive coordinator since replacing King Hill in 1977, and he had butted heads with his starting quarterback Dan Pastorini during that time. During the Oilers’ Week 4 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
, with the Rams leading 10-6 in the fourth quarter and the Oilers driving to try and take the lead, Shipp sent in a deep passing play to try to move the ball deeper into Rams territory. Despite having running back Earl Campbell
Earl Christian Campbell (born March 29, 1955), nicknamed "the Tyler Rose", is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the Houston Oilers. Known f ...
at his disposal, who Pastorini wanted to keep giving the ball to as he had been producing well, the quarterback chose not to overrule the coach and called the pass. It was intercepted, and the Oilers never got the ball back.
After the game, Shipp blamed Pastorini for the interception, claiming he had been the one to call the play instead of Shipp. Pastorini, infuriated, came to the practice facility the next morning and got into a loud argument with Shipp for blaming him and walked out, telling Phillips he could no longer play with Shipp and asking for a trade. Phillips sided with his quarterback and relieved Shipp of his duties shortly thereafter; in his autobiography, Pastorini cited the removal of Shipp as the turning point for the Oilers as they went 10-6 that season and advanced to the AFC Championship Game.
Death
Ken Shipp died in Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...
on March 5, 2012, aged 83.
References
External links
Ken Shipp at Pro Football Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shipp, Ken
1929 births
2012 deaths
Detroit Lions coaches
Houston Oilers coaches
Miami Hurricanes football coaches
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football players
Montreal Alouettes coaches
NFL offensive coordinators
New Orleans Saints coaches
New York Jets coaches
Sportspeople from Nashville, Tennessee
St. Louis Cardinals (football) coaches
Tulsa Golden Hurricane football coaches
People from Old Hickory, Tennessee
New York Jets head coaches