Charles A. "Rip" Engle (March 26, 1906 – March 7, 1983) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

player and coach of football and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

. He served as the head football coach at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

from 1944 to 1949 and at

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

from 1950 to 1965, compiling a career

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

record of 132–68–8. Engle was also the head basketball coach at Western Maryland College (now known as McDaniel College) during the 1941–42 season and at Brown from 1942 to 1946, tallying a career

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

mark of 53–55. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1973.

Early life and playing career

Engle was born in

Elk Lick Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania Elk Lick Township is a township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,264 at the 2020 census. Mount Davis, the highest point in Pennsylvania, is located within the township. History Elk Lick Township was form ...

. He played college football as an end at Western Maryland College, now McDaniel College.

Coaching career

Engle's coaching record from 1944 to 1965, including stints at

and Penn State, was 132–68–8. He played football at Western Maryland College, reportedly in the first game he ever saw. Under the leadership of Engle at Brown,

Joe Paterno Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football, Penn ...

developed as a capable

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

and a skillful leader. After graduating in 1950, Paterno joined Engle at Penn State as an assistant coach. Upon Engle's retirement in February 1966, Paterno was named coach of the Nittany Lions for the 1966 season, a position he would hold until 2011. Engle's best season at Penn State was in 1962 when the Lions went 9–2, were ranked ninth in the country, and played in the Gator Bowl. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973. Engle developed a game called Angleball as a way for his players to maintain

physical fitness Physical fitness is a state of health and well-being and, more specifically, the ability to perform aspects of Outline of sports, sports, occupations, and daily activities. Physical fitness is generally achieved through proper nutrition, modera ...

in the off-season.

Death

Engle died on March 7, 1983, at a nursing home in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.

Head coaching record

College football

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Engle, Rip 1906 births 1983 deaths American football ends Brown Bears football coaches Brown Bears men's basketball coaches McDaniel Green Terror men's basketball coaches McDaniel Green Terror football coaches McDaniel Green Terror football players Penn State Nittany Lions football coaches High school football coaches in Pennsylvania College Football Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Somerset County, Pennsylvania Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania Presidents of the American Football Coaches Association