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, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
coach. He served as an
offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...
and receivers coach in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) and briefly as the interim
head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
during the
1975 season. He assumed the job after the firing of
Charley Winner
Charley Winner (born July 2, 1924) is a former American football player and coach.
Winner was born in Somerville, New Jersey and, during World War II, flew seventeen missions in a B-17 Flying Fortress plane, spending six weeks in a German prison ...
, 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 Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
,
Florida State
Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
,
Tulsa
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
,
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
and
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
before entering the NFL, where he had positions with
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
and
.
Archie Manning
Elisha Archibald Manning III (born May 19, 1949) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New Orleans Saints. He played for the Saints from 1971 to 1982 and al ...
, 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 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight undergraduate colleges as well as a college of graduate studies, together off ...
, 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 from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...
. Shipp had been the team’s offensive coordinator since replacing King Hill
Stuart King Hill (November 8, 1936 – July 14, 2012) was an American football quarterback in the National Football League who played for the Chicago / St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, and Minnesota Vikings.
Football career
After attend ...
in 1977, and he had butted heads with his starting quarterback Dan Pastorini
Dante Anthony Pastorini (born May 26, 1949) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Houston Oilers. He played college football at Santa Clara University and wa ...
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 Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
, 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 player who played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints. Kn ...
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 and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...
on March 5, 2012, aged 83.
References
External links
Ken Shipp at Pro Football Reference
1929 births
2012 deaths
Detroit Lions coaches
Houston Oilers coaches
Miami Hurricanes football coaches
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football players
Montreal Alouettes coaches
National Football League 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
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