Madigan, "Slip" (Edward P.)
Football
b. Nov. 18, 1896, Ottawa, IL
d. Oct. 10, 1966
A colorful and controversial coach, Madigan was a Knute Rockne disciple. He played center at Notre Dame under Jess Harper in 1916 and was a guard in 1917, when Rockne was Harper's assistant. After spending a year in the Army during World War II, Harper returned to Notre Dame in 1919, when Rockne was in his second season as head coach.
Madigan received a law degree in 1920 and coached high school football that year. He was then named head coach at little St. Mary's College in California. The administration wanted to publicize the school by producing winning football teams, which was not uncommon at the time, and Madigan did the job.
Like Rockne, though in a somewhat smaller way, Madigan developed "suicide schedules," pitting St. Mary's against some of the best teams on the West Coast. His 1924 club went 9-1-0, with a victory over the University of Southern California, and in 1926 St. Mary's was 9-0-1, with a 26-7 win over the University of California.
In 1928, St. Mary's was ranked ninth in the nation after tying California, and beating UCLA, the University of Oregon, and the University of San Francisco to finish with an 8-0-1 mark.
Madigan set out to conquer New York City in 1930, when he scheduled a game against Fordham University at the Polo Grounds. St. Mary's won 20-12 to end Fordham's 15-game unbeaten streak. The game became an annual event and Madigan made it a major media event by having his team roll into the city in luxury railroad cars.
Outgoing and witty like Rockne, Madigan's contract called for him to receive a percentage of the team's gate receipts in addition to his salary. The school withheld that bonus for several years, however, and Madigan took St. Mary's entire $100,000 share of receipts from the 1939 game against Fordham. He was fired as a result, although he wasn't forced to make restitution.
Madigan had a 116-45-12 record in his 19 years at St. Mary's. After leaving the school, he worked for a San Francisco race track for two years and then coached the University of Iowa to a 2-13-1 record in 1943 and 1944. He later became a successful contractor.