Warren E. Giese (July 14, 1924 – September 12, 2013) was an American state legislator in

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 a

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

coach. He served as the head football coach for the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fighti ...

for five years at the University of South Carolina. He later served in the

South Carolina State Senate The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives. It consists of 46 senators elected from single member districts for four-year terms at the sam ...

. At South Carolina, Giese employed a conservative, run-first game strategy, but he enthusiastically adopted the

two-point conversion In gridiron football, a two-point conversion or two-point convert is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point conversion immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that just scored must run ...

when it was made legal in 1958. That year, he also correctly predicted the rise of

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

after the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

relaxed its player substitution rules.Three Platoons Forecast
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', January 15, 1958.

Early life

Giese was born in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, where he attended

Rufus King High School Rufus King International High School, or Rufus King, is a public magnet high school located on the north side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, part of the Milwaukee Public Schools district. The school is ranked the 1,658th best public high school in the ...

. He attended and played football at the Milwaukee State Teachers College for one year before enlisting in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

through the V-12 pilot training program at

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the private normal school became a state institution and renamed Cen ...

. He played football there as well in 1943, and in the Navy, he also played at stations in

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 ...

and

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, Florida. After World War II, Giese resumed college at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

, where he played

as an

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...

under head coach

Jim Tatum Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James (given name), James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy (given name), Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * Jim (comics), ...

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

. That season, he was named a first-team All-

Big Six Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associatio ...

player. Giese graduated from Oklahoma in 1947. That year, he returned to

Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and Mid Michigan cor ...

to play football for his final year of college eligibility.

Coaching career

Giese began his coaching career at the Sacred Heart Academy High School in

Mount Pleasant, Michigan Mount Pleasant is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in Central Michigan, the city is the county seat of Isabella County. The population was 21,688 as of the 2020 United States census. It is surrounded by Union Township but is politic ...

, where he coached for one season and compiled a 3–4 record. From 1949 to 1955, Giese served as the ends coach at

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. During that time, under Jim Tatum, Giese's former mentor at Oklahoma, Maryland was awarded the consensus national championship in 1953 and has been retroactively awarded the

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

national championship by several selectors. In March 1951, Giese declined the head coaching position at

, for which he had already been approved by the school administration, after Maryland offered him a pay raise.Warren Giese Rejects Central Coaching Job
''Ludington Daily News'', March 24, 1951. Giese co-authored a book with Tatum entitled ''Coaching Football and the

Split-T The split-T is an offensive formation in American football that was popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Developed by Missouri Tigers head coach Don Faurot as a variation on the T formation, the split-T was first used in the 1941 season and allowed the ...

''.''The Terrapin''
University of Maryland yearbook, Class of 1955, p. 195, 1955. In 1955, University of South Carolina athletic director and head football coach,

Rex Enright Rex Edward Enright (March 19, 1901 – April 6, 1960) was an American football and basketball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football and college basketball at the University of Notre Dame in the 1920s. Aft ...

, compiled a 3–6 record and his health was in decline. As a result, he resigned as football coach and hired Giese as his own replacement.Henry H. Lesesne
A History of the University of South Carolina, 1940–2000
p. 116, , University of South Carolina Press, 2001. At the time, Giese was the youngest head football coach in the nation. He remained as South Carolina head coach for five years and compiled a 28–21–1 record. As head coach, Giese employed a conservative strategy heavily focused on the

ground attack In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement ...

and rarely employed passing. He also relied on long drives to maximize time of possession and said "The other team can't score if it doesn't have the football." When Giese took over in 1956, at least 51 South Carolina players were being paid, in violation of

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA) rules. The Gamecocks' star running back,

Alex Hawkins Clifton Alexander Hawkins (July 2, 1937 – September 12, 2017) was an American football player who played professionally as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts and Atlanta Falcons. He excelled as a spe ...

, admitted, "Every school that recruited me had some kind of financial offer." Giese put an immediate end to the payouts and told the players, "Anybody that doesn't like it, submit three teams that you'd like me to recommend you to." Hawkins requested a recommendation for

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

among others, but says, "It never dawned on me he wouldn't call any of them."Gamecock Greats: Alex Hawkins
''

The Daily Gamecock ''The Daily Gamecock'' (formerly ''The Gamecock'') is the editorially independent student newspaper, student news organization of the University of South Carolina. It primarily serves the main campus of the University of South Carolina System in ...

'', October 21, 2005, retrieved February 9, 2009. In his first season, 1956, Giese coached the Gamecocks to a 7–3 record. In the second game, South Carolina defeated 16th-ranked

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

led by quarterback

Sonny Jurgensen Christian Adolph "Sonny" Jurgensen III (born August 23, 1934) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. He was inducted int ...

, 7–0. It was South Carolina's first win over Duke since 1930 and propelled the Gamecocks to a number-17 ranking.Year-by-Year, 1953–2007
(PDF), ''2008 ACC Football Media Guide'', Atlantic Coast Conference, 2008. South Carolina set the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

(ACC) record for passing defense, allowing just 476 passing yards (47.6 per game), which still stands to date. In 1957, South Carolina upset the then 20th-ranked

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

team that continued onto the

Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...

, 27–21. The Gamecocks finished with a 5–5 record. In 1958, Giese's team recorded the only win over arch-rival Clemson during his tenure, 26–6. Hawkins was named the ACC Player of the Year. That season, the NCAA implemented the

rule, and Giese enthusiastically adopted it as part of his game strategy. He calculated that two-point conversions were successful 40% of the time, while point-after-touchdown kicks succeeded 65% of the time. In 1959, South Carolina recorded 13 two-point conversions, setting a school record that still stands to date. That season, the

loosened its rules regarding player substitutions, and Giese correctly predicted the future rise of a " third platoon", distinct from the offensive and defensive units of two-platoon football. Today the third platoon is known as the

. In 1959, South Carolina was the only team to beat

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. The Gamecocks climbed to a number 11 ranking in mid-season and finished with a 6–4 record. In 1960, Giese's team finished with a 3–6–1 record, and he was replaced by former assistant

Marvin Bass Marvin Crosby "Moose" Bass (August 28, 1919 – December 3, 2010)Official NFL Record & Fact Book, 2002 Edition, page 150 was the head coach of The College of William & Mary's football team in 1951. He also coached the South Carolina Gamecocks foot ...

. After his relief as head coach, Giese remained the South Carolina director of athletics for an additional year. In 1962, he became a full-time professor and chairman of the Department of Physical Education.Tom Price
Tales from the Gamecocks' Roost
p. 159–161, , Sports Publishing LLC, 2001.

Political career

Giese was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the

in 1985. He retired in 2004 as the second oldest serving South Carolina senator.State Sen. Giese expected to announce retirement
''

'', September 10, 2003, retrieved February 9, 2009.

Personal life

One of his sons, W. Barney Giese, who attended the University of South Carolina as an undergraduate and for

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

, served as the

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

(

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

) for Richland County from 1995 to 2011. Barney Giese unsuccessfully ran for election to his retired father's vacated Senate seat. His other son, Keith Giese, served as an assistant solicitor in

Lexington County, South Carolina Lexington County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 293,991, and the 2021 population estimate was 300,137. Its county seat and largest town is Lexington. The county was chartered ...

, and currently works as a criminal defense lawyer in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

. Warren Giese died September 12, 2013 in Columbia.http://www.gogamecocks.com/2013/09/14/421717/former-usc-football-coach-warren.html.htm

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giese, Warren 1924 births 2013 deaths American football ends Central Michigan Chippewas football players Jacksonville Naval Air Station Fliers football players Maryland Terrapins football coaches Miami Naval Training Center Navaltars football players Milwaukee Panthers football players Oklahoma Sooners football players South Carolina Gamecocks athletic directors South Carolina Gamecocks football coaches Republican Party South Carolina state senators United States Navy personnel of World War II Rufus King International High School alumni Coaches of American football from Wisconsin Players of American football from Milwaukee Military personnel from Milwaukee