Munn, "Biggie" (Clarence L.)
Football
b. Sept 11, 1908, Crow Township, MN
d. March 18, 1975
An All-American guard and captain at the University of Minnesota in 1931, Munn served as an assistant coach at the school under Bernie Bierman for three years before becoming head coach at Albright College in Pennsylvania in 1935. He had a 13-2-1 record there in 2 seasons.
Munn then served as an assistant at Syracuse University in 1937 and at the University of Michigan from 1938 through 1944. He returned to Syracuse as head coach, winning 4 games and losing 5, before taking over at Michigan State in 1946.
While other major colleges were adopting the T formation, Munn installed a multiple offense at Michigan State. His teams used the single wing along with the winged T and split T formations, keeping defenses constantly off balance.
Michigan State won all 9 of its games in both 1951 and 1952, and the winning streak stretched to 28 in 1953 before a 6-0 upset by Purdue. Munn was voted coach of the year in 1952, when his team was ranked first in the country.
The school had joined the Big Ten Conference in 1949 but wasn't allowed to contend for the championship until 1953, when Michigan State and Illinois tied for the title. The conference voted to send Munn's team to the Rose Bowl, where it beat UCLA 28-20.
Munn was named athletic director in 1954 and he resigned his coaching job. His record in 7 seasons was 54-9-2.