Henry “Hank” Stram

Hank Stram was an American football coach. He is best known for his 15-year tenure with the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). Stram won three AFL championships, more than any other coach in the league's history. He then won Super Bowl IV with the Chiefs. He also coached the most victories (87), had the most post-season games (7) and the best post-season record in the AFL (5–2). Stram is largely responsible for the introduction of Gatorade to the NFL due to his close association with Ray Graves who coached at the University of Florida during Gatorade's development and infancy. Stram never had an offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, or special teams coach during his career with the Texans and Chiefs. Stram was born in Chicago but later grew up in Gary, Indiana, and graduated from Lew Wallace High School class of 1941. Due to his many accomplishments, the football stadium press box was renamed in his honor. He earned seven letters playing football and baseball at Purdue University in the 1940s, playing in 1942 and again in 1946 and 1947. Stram served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, interrupting his university career. He was an assistant football coach for the Boilermakers from 1948 to 1955 and the head baseball coach from 1951 to 1955. After coaching at Purdue, Stram was an assistant at Notre Dame, Southern Methodist University, and Miami. In 1996, Stram was inducted into the Purdue Athletic Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.