Hamp Pool
Encyclopedia
Hampton John "Hamp" Pool (March 11, 1915 – May 26, 2000) was a football
player, coach and scout who was part of two National Football League
championship teams during his playing career and served as head coach for three professional teams.
Pool graduated from Paso Robles High School
in California
in 1933, and played for the University of California, Berkeley
's freshman football team that Fall. After entering the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for one year, he returned to resume his career at Stanford University
, playing both wide receiver and defensive end, and also performing for the school's track team.
In the 1940 NFL Draft
, he was a seventh round draft pick of the Chicago Bears
and played four seasons with the Windy City team. During that stretch, he played at both fullback and wide receiver, catching 35 passes for 840 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns. His efforts helped the team to NFL titles in both 1940 and 1941, with Pool scoring one of the Bears' nine touchdowns in the 73-0 thrashing of the Washington Redskins
in the 1940 title tilt. In 1942, the Bears were undefeated during the regular season, but were upset, 14-6, by those same Redskins in the NFL Championship game.
After his career was ended by a leg injury, Pool served as a player-coach for the Fort Pierce Naval Amphibious Base during the final two years of World War II
, while also working as an underwater demolition officer. His 1943 unit finished undefeated, and in 1944, he made news when he refused to wear jersey number 14 out of respect for Green Bay Packers
' standout Don Hutson
. "No. 14 is Don Hutson's number, and nobody else should have that, certainly not me," said Pool.
When the conflict ended, Pool officially entered the coaching arena in 1946, serving as an assistant for the All-America Football Conference
's Miami Seahawks
under Jack Meagher
. After the team had won just one of six contests during its inaugural campaign, Meagher resigned on October 22, with Pool and fellow assistant Hank Crisp taking over as co-head coaches.
After the Seahawks became the Baltimore Colts
after the season, Pool stayed with the revamped franchise until accepting an assistant's position under Jim Crowley
, who had been named head coach and general manager of the AAFC's Chicago Rockets
. Crowley won only one of 11 games before turning the team over to Pool, who watched the team drop its final three contests.
In 1948, Pool returned to his native California to serve as an assistant under Bill Hubbard at San José State University
. The Spartans finished with a 9-3 record, but Pool departed after the season to enter private business, but stayed connected to the sport as an assistant coach at San Bernardino Valley College
. On March 3, 1950, Pool returned to the professional ranks when his former Bears teammate, Joe Stydahar
, hired him as backfield coach of the Los Angeles Rams
.
Over the next two seasons, Pool handled the team's offense and defense, the former being one of the most potent in league history. During this period, the Rams reached the NFL title game in both seasons, dropping a heartbreaking last-minute decision in 1950 before winning the following year's clash, both games coming against the Cleveland Browns
.
However, when the team was pounded 37-7 by the Browns in the 1952 opener, reports of a simmering feud between Stydahar and Pool surfaced. During the offseason, Stydahar had taken away defensive duties from Pool, then attacked the latter's work ethic. The defeat itself was the fourth consecutive loss for the Rams, who had split into factions in support of each coach.
Further controversy developed when Stydahar resigned on September 30, 1952, and Pool took his place. Pool had told media that "under no circumstances" would he accept the job if Stydahar resigned, then changed his mind. The situation mirrored Pool's earlier stints in Miami and Chicago, where he was accused of undermining the head coach before taking over the position.
Ridding itself of the earlier problems, the Rams rebounded to win nine of their final 11 games, with the New York Daily News
awarding Pool Coach of the Year honors. For the fourth consecutive year, the team reached the postseason, but unlike the previous year, dropped a first round playoff game to the Detroit Lions
.
In 1953, the Rams again finished 9-3, but endured a number of key injuries and had the misfortune of being in the same conference as the defending champion Lions, factors that kept them out of the playoffs. The next year, the team dropped to 6-6, with Pool spending time defending the team against charges of dirty play, while also battling reports of a revolt among his players. After some team members were severely criticized by Pool, team owner Dan Reeves
met privately with a group of players. Reeves stated that he would keep Pool despite the controversy, but after four of the team's five assistant coaches announced they were resigning, Pool quit on December 17, 1954, ending his Rams' head coaching career with a 23-10-2 mark.
Soon after Sid Gillman
was hired as Pool's successor, erroneous reports surfaced that Pool would again be a Rams' assistant. Instead, he served as an assistant coach for the next two years in the annual College All-Star Game
, and also served his first stint as a scout. On December 27, 1956, he headed north when he was hired as head coach of the Canadian Football League
's Toronto Argonauts
, earning the biggest coaching contract in league history.
Despite struggling in his first year, Pool was offered the head coaching position of the Philadelphia Eagles
, but rejected the offer. After another tough year in 1958, and with the team sporting a mark of 2-5, Pool was dismissed on September 21, 1959, in favor of former New York Giants
' head coach Steve Owen
.
When Bob Waterfield
was named head coach of the Rams in January 1960, he named Pool, who had been running a Toronto
travel agency, as an assistant two months later. The two had worked together a decade earlier in fashioning the team's potent offense, and Waterfield had assisted Pool during the latter's 1957 training camp in Toronto.
Despite the chemistry between the two, the Rams managed only a 4-7-1 record, then followed that with a 4-10 mark. During the latter part of the 1961 NFL season
, another player revolt against Pool began when complaints about his status and coaching methods surfaced. Ram tackle Frank Varrichione
and Joe Marconi
charged that Pool was really running the team, comparing him to a slave-driver, and that the team's offense was dated.
When Waterfield was let go midway through the 1962 NFL season
, having compiled an 9-24-1 record, Pool and the remainder of the staff finished out the season under interim head coach Harland Svare. When Svare was retained after the season, Pool became a scout for the team.
Pool would later help start the league's first scouting combine, Quadra, and serve as a talent scout for the next few decades. In 1964, he moved from Southern California
to a ranch in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. He died of congestive heart failure
in Mariposa, California
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player, coach and scout who was part of two National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
championship teams during his playing career and served as head coach for three professional teams.
Pool graduated from Paso Robles High School
Paso Robles High School
Paso Robles High School is the only comprehensive high school located in the city of Paso Robles, California. The school receives its students from George H. Flamson Middle School and Daniel E...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1933, and played for the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
's freshman football team that Fall. After entering the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for one year, he returned to resume his career at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, playing both wide receiver and defensive end, and also performing for the school's track team.
In the 1940 NFL Draft
1940 NFL Draft
The 1940 National Football League Draft was held on December 9, 1939.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
, he was a seventh round draft pick of the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and played four seasons with the Windy City team. During that stretch, he played at both fullback and wide receiver, catching 35 passes for 840 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns. His efforts helped the team to NFL titles in both 1940 and 1941, with Pool scoring one of the Bears' nine touchdowns in the 73-0 thrashing of the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
in the 1940 title tilt. In 1942, the Bears were undefeated during the regular season, but were upset, 14-6, by those same Redskins in the NFL Championship game.
After his career was ended by a leg injury, Pool served as a player-coach for the Fort Pierce Naval Amphibious Base during the final two years of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, while also working as an underwater demolition officer. His 1943 unit finished undefeated, and in 1944, he made news when he refused to wear jersey number 14 out of respect for Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
' standout Don Hutson
Don Hutson
Donald Montgomery Hutson was the first star wide receiver in National Football League history. He is considered by many to have been the first modern receiver....
. "No. 14 is Don Hutson's number, and nobody else should have that, certainly not me," said Pool.
When the conflict ended, Pool officially entered the coaching arena in 1946, serving as an assistant for the All-America Football Conference
All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...
's Miami Seahawks
Miami Seahawks
The Miami Seahawks were a professional American football team based in Miami, Florida. They played in the All-America Football Conference for one season, 1946, before folding...
under Jack Meagher
Jack Meagher
-External links:...
. After the team had won just one of six contests during its inaugural campaign, Meagher resigned on October 22, with Pool and fellow assistant Hank Crisp taking over as co-head coaches.
After the Seahawks became the Baltimore Colts
Baltimore Colts (1947-50)
The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The first team to bear the name Baltimore Colts, they were members of the All-America Football Conference from 1947–1949, and then joined the National Football League for one season before folding...
after the season, Pool stayed with the revamped franchise until accepting an assistant's position under Jim Crowley
Jim Crowley
James Harold "Jim" Crowley was an American football player and coach. He gained fame as one-fourth of the University of Notre Dame's legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield where he played halfback from 1922 to 1924. After a brief career as a professional football player, Crowley turned to coaching...
, who had been named head coach and general manager of the AAFC's Chicago Rockets
Chicago Rockets
The Chicago Rockets was an American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. During the 1949 season, the team was known as the Chicago Hornets...
. Crowley won only one of 11 games before turning the team over to Pool, who watched the team drop its final three contests.
In 1948, Pool returned to his native California to serve as an assistant under Bill Hubbard at San José State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
. The Spartans finished with a 9-3 record, but Pool departed after the season to enter private business, but stayed connected to the sport as an assistant coach at San Bernardino Valley College
San Bernardino Valley College
San Bernardino Valley College is a community college located in San Bernardino, California. It is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The two-year college has an enrollment of approximately 25,000 students and covers...
. On March 3, 1950, Pool returned to the professional ranks when his former Bears teammate, Joe Stydahar
Joe Stydahar
Joseph "Jumbo Joe" Lee Stydahar was an American football offensive tackle for the Chicago Bears from 1936 to 1942 and 1945 to 1946 and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was born and raised about east of Pittsburgh in the small mining community of Kaylor, Pennsylvania in Armstrong...
, hired him as backfield coach of the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
.
Over the next two seasons, Pool handled the team's offense and defense, the former being one of the most potent in league history. During this period, the Rams reached the NFL title game in both seasons, dropping a heartbreaking last-minute decision in 1950 before winning the following year's clash, both games coming against the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
However, when the team was pounded 37-7 by the Browns in the 1952 opener, reports of a simmering feud between Stydahar and Pool surfaced. During the offseason, Stydahar had taken away defensive duties from Pool, then attacked the latter's work ethic. The defeat itself was the fourth consecutive loss for the Rams, who had split into factions in support of each coach.
Further controversy developed when Stydahar resigned on September 30, 1952, and Pool took his place. Pool had told media that "under no circumstances" would he accept the job if Stydahar resigned, then changed his mind. The situation mirrored Pool's earlier stints in Miami and Chicago, where he was accused of undermining the head coach before taking over the position.
Ridding itself of the earlier problems, the Rams rebounded to win nine of their final 11 games, with the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
awarding Pool Coach of the Year honors. For the fourth consecutive year, the team reached the postseason, but unlike the previous year, dropped a first round playoff game to the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
.
In 1953, the Rams again finished 9-3, but endured a number of key injuries and had the misfortune of being in the same conference as the defending champion Lions, factors that kept them out of the playoffs. The next year, the team dropped to 6-6, with Pool spending time defending the team against charges of dirty play, while also battling reports of a revolt among his players. After some team members were severely criticized by Pool, team owner Dan Reeves
Dan Reeves (NFL owner)
Daniel "Dan" Reeves was the owner of the Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams from 1941 to his death in 1971.In addition to the controversial move of the Rams from Cleveland to Los Angeles, Reeves is remembered for being the first NFL owner to sign an African-American player in the post World War II era...
met privately with a group of players. Reeves stated that he would keep Pool despite the controversy, but after four of the team's five assistant coaches announced they were resigning, Pool quit on December 17, 1954, ending his Rams' head coaching career with a 23-10-2 mark.
Soon after Sid Gillman
Sid Gillman
Sidney "Sid" Gillman was an American football player, coach, executive, and innovator. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or wide receivers at the sides of the line of scrimmage, was instrumental in...
was hired as Pool's successor, erroneous reports surfaced that Pool would again be a Rams' assistant. Instead, he served as an assistant coach for the next two years in the annual College All-Star Game
College All-Star Game
The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played annually from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year...
, and also served his first stint as a scout. On December 27, 1956, he headed north when he was hired as head coach of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
's Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
, earning the biggest coaching contract in league history.
Despite struggling in his first year, Pool was offered the head coaching position of the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, but rejected the offer. After another tough year in 1958, and with the team sporting a mark of 2-5, Pool was dismissed on September 21, 1959, in favor of former New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
' head coach Steve Owen
Steve Owen (football)
Stephen Joseph Owen was an American football player and coach who earned a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as head coach of the National Football League's New York Giants from 1930 to 1953...
.
When Bob Waterfield
Bob Waterfield
Robert "Bob" Stanton Waterfield was an American football player.Waterfield attended Van Nuys High School, in Van Nuys, California and went on to play college football for UCLA. In 1943 he led the Bruins to the Pacific Coast Conference football championship...
was named head coach of the Rams in January 1960, he named Pool, who had been running a Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
travel agency, as an assistant two months later. The two had worked together a decade earlier in fashioning the team's potent offense, and Waterfield had assisted Pool during the latter's 1957 training camp in Toronto.
Despite the chemistry between the two, the Rams managed only a 4-7-1 record, then followed that with a 4-10 mark. During the latter part of the 1961 NFL season
1961 NFL season
The 1961 NFL season was the 42nd regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 14 teams with the addition of the Minnesota Vikings, after the team's owners declined to be charter members of the new American Football League. The schedule was also expanded from 12 games per...
, another player revolt against Pool began when complaints about his status and coaching methods surfaced. Ram tackle Frank Varrichione
Frank Varrichione
Frank Varrichione is a former American football tackle. He played eleven seasons in the National Football League: six for the Pittsburgh Steelers and five for the Los Angeles Rams.-See also:...
and Joe Marconi
Joe Marconi
Joseph George "Joe" Marconi was an American football fullback who played professionally for the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears in the National Football League....
charged that Pool was really running the team, comparing him to a slave-driver, and that the team's offense was dated.
When Waterfield was let go midway through the 1962 NFL season
1962 NFL season
The 1962 NFL season was the 43rd regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, CBS signed a contract with the league to televise all regular-season games for a $4.65 million annual fee....
, having compiled an 9-24-1 record, Pool and the remainder of the staff finished out the season under interim head coach Harland Svare. When Svare was retained after the season, Pool became a scout for the team.
Pool would later help start the league's first scouting combine, Quadra, and serve as a talent scout for the next few decades. In 1964, he moved from Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
to a ranch in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. He died of congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
in Mariposa, California
Mariposa, California
Mariposa is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Mariposa County, California, United States. The population was 2,173 at the 2010 census, up from 1,373 at the 2000 census. Its name is Spanish for "butterfly", after the flocks of Monarchs seen overwintering there by early...
.