STL All Sports

Elmer C. Henderson was probably the most "feared" coach in football. His opponents never knew what to expect. Known as "Gloomy Gus" because of his persistent refusal to show any signs of pre-game optimism, he just as persistently refused to in any way "tip his hand."

A long list of firsts is either fully or partially credited to Coach Henderson including: the bother block, the cross-block and cross check, the stacked-deck, the two-way spread and the "unstoppable pass." His coaching put University of Southern California on the map and his one-sided victories threatened to break up the conference. He coached professionally for the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Bulldogs after bringing Tulsa to a National Championship.