Cal Stoll

Cal Stoll
Stoll in 1955
Biographical details
Born(1923-12-12)December 12, 1923
Page, North Dakota, U.S.
DiedAugust 25, 2000(2000-08-25) (aged 76)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Playing career
1948–1949Minnesota
Position(s)End
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1950Mound HS (MN)
1951–1954Utah State (line)
1955–1956Denver (line)
1957–1958Georgia (DL)
1959–1968Michigan State (assistant)
1969–1971Wake Forest
1972–1978Minnesota
1986Warriors Bologna
Head coaching record
Overall54–56 (college)
6–1 (high school)
8–1–1 (AIFA)
Bowls0–1
Tournaments4–0 (AIFA postseason)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 Lake Conference (1950)
1 ACC (1970)
1 AIFA Serie A (1986)
Awards
ACC Coach of the Year (1970)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Navy
Years of service1941–1947
Battles / warsWorld War II

Calvin C. Stoll (December 12, 1923 – August 25, 2000) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Wake Forest University from 1969 to 1971 and his alma mater, the University of Minnesota, from 1972 to 1978, compiling a career college football head coaching record of 54–56.

Early life and playing career

Stoll was born on December 12, 1923, on a farm near Page, North Dakota, and began his football playing career as a fullback for a six-man team at nearby Tower City, North Dakota.[1][2] At age 17, he enlisted in the United States Navy on June 3, 1941.[3]

With the outbreak of World War II, Stoll's tour of duty was extended to 1947.[2] During World War II, he served in the Pacific Theater.[3] Stoll also would play football for the Memphis Navy and Seattle Navy squads during his time in the U.S. Navy.[1] After he was discharged from the U.S. Navy on January 9, 1947,[3] Stoll enrolled in the winter quarter at the University of Minnesota.[2]

Stoll would play end for the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team in the 1948 and 1949 seasons.[4][5] In 1950, Stoll elected to forgo his final year of football eligibility so he could graduate early with a Bachelor of Science degree in education from the University of Minnesota.[1][2]

Coaching career

Before graduating from Minnesota in June 1950, Stoll was named the head coach at Mound High School (later renamed to Mound Westonka High School) on May 10, 1950.[6] At Mound High School, he guided the football team to a 6–1 record and a Lake Conference co-championship.[7][8]

After the 1950 high school football season, Stoll jumped to the college ranks where he served as an assistant coach from 1951 to 1968. Stoll served as an assistant coach at Utah State University from 1951 to 1954, the University of Denver from 1955 to 1956, the University of Georgia from 1957 to 1958, and Michigan State University from 1959 to 1968.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] With the Michigan State Spartans, he helped the team achieve back to back national championships in 1965 and 1966.

Stoll served as the head coach at Wake Forest University from 1969 to 1971 [17] where he led the Demon Deacons to their first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship in 1970. He was named ACC Coach of the Year that season.[18][19] Stoll then served as the head football coach at his alma mater, the University of Minnesota, from 1972 to 1978.[20] Stoll's most notable season at Minnesota was in 1977 when he led the Golden Gophers to a 16–0 shutout victory over top ranked Michigan and a trip to the 1977 Hall of Fame Classic. Stoll finished his college coaching career after the 1978 season, compiling a career college football record of 54–56.

In the spring of 1986, Stoll relocated to Italy to become the head coach of Italian amateur football team Warriors Bologna, and won the Italian Bowl VI at Bologna on July 5, 1986.[21][22] The 1986 Warriors Bologna season was Stoll's last football coaching role as serious health problems forced him into retirement.[23]

Illness, death, and honors

After returning to the United States, Stoll was diagnosed with idiopathic cardiomyopathy, a degeneration of the heart muscle, of unknown origin.[24] Stoll underwent a heart transplant on July 23, 1987.[24]

In 1988, Stoll and other fellow heart transplant recipients, started Second Chance for Life, a support group for heart transplant patients.[25][26][27] Also, in 1988, Stoll was inducted into the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.[28]

After a month long illness due to heart complications, Stoll died on August 25, 2000, 13 years after his heart transplant.[29][27] In 2001, the Minnesota Football Coaches Association (MFCA) established the Cal Stoll Award.[30] The Cal Stoll Award is given annually by MFCA to an individual connected to football in the State of Minnesota who has overcome adversity.[31][32]

Head coaching record

High school

Year School Record Titles
1950 Mound High School 6–1 Lake Conference co-champion
Overall record 6–1 1 Conference title

College

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1969–1971)
1969 Wake Forest 3–7 2–5 7th
1970 Wake Forest 6–5 5–1 1st
1971 Wake Forest 6–5 2–3 T–3rd
Wake Forest: 15–17 9–9
Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big Ten Conference) (1972–1978)
1972 Minnesota 4–7 4–4 5th
1973 Minnesota 7–4 6–2 3rd
1974 Minnesota 4–7 2–6 T–7th
1975 Minnesota 6–5 3–5 T–7th
1976 Minnesota 6–5 4–4 T–3rd
1977 Minnesota 7–5 4–4 5th L Hall of Fame Classic
1978 Minnesota 5–6 4–4 5th
Minnesota: 39–39 27–29
Total: 54–56
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

AIFA Serie A

Team Year Regular season Postseason
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
Warriors Bologna 1986 8 1 1 .850 2nd in Girone Nord 4 0 1.000 Italian Bowl VI champions
Total 8 1 1 .850 4 0 1.000

References

  1. ^ a b c Wake Forest 1969 Football Press Guide. Winston-Salem, NC: Wake Forest Athletic Department. 1969. p. 11.
  2. ^ a b c d University of Minnesota 1978 Media Football Information Guide. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota SID Office. 1978. p. 43.
  3. ^ a b c "Calvin Stoll (1923)". Fold3. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  4. ^ "Gopher Varsity Football Squad". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, MN. August 29, 1948. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  5. ^ "This is the 1949 Minnesota Football squad and coaches". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, MN. November 29, 1949. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  6. ^ Byrne, Jim (May 10, 1950). "Cal Stoll Named Mound Grid Coach". The Minneapolis Star. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  7. ^ "Conference/District Championships". Westonka Football: Home of the White Hawks. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  8. ^ "The Mohian 1951 Yearbook". classmates. Mound, MN: Mound Consolidated High School. 1951. p. 36. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  9. ^ Harrison, Shawn (May 2, 2006). "Dave Kragthorpe loves Utah State". The Herald Journal. Logan, UT. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  10. ^ "Aggie Alumni Welcome Roning". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, UT. May 11, 1951. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  11. ^ "Next DU Eleven May Have More of Oklahoma T Look". Greeley Daily Tribune. Greeley, CO. April 2, 1955. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  12. ^ "Five Coaching Jobs Announced by DU". Greeley Daily Tribune. Greeley, CO. October 24, 1956. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  13. ^ "Stoll Takes Georgia Post". The Minneapolis Star. Minneapolis, MN. February 1, 1957. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  14. ^ "Stoll added to Georgia staff". The Birmingham News. Birmingham, AL. February 2, 1957. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  15. ^ Logue, Mickey (November 18, 1957). "Auburn Runs Into Its Kind: Bulldog Ends Who Hold Fast". The Atlantic Constitution. Atlanta, GA. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  16. ^ "Cal Stoll Can Relax --- He's 'In'". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, MI. February 20, 1959. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  17. ^ "Stoll To Be Wake Coach". Asheville Citizen-Times. Asheville, NC. December 7, 1968. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  18. ^ "Stoll ACC Coach Of Year". The Evening Sun. Baltimore, MD. November 28, 1970. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  19. ^ Sink, Richard (November 23, 1970). "Losing Stigma Gone, Deacs Build On Solid Foundation". The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte, NC. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  20. ^ Byrne, Jim (January 8, 1972). "Stoll up from 'M' ranks". The Minneapolis Star. Minneapolis, MN. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  21. ^ "Enciclopedia del football italiano: 1986 Associazione Italiana Football Americano" (PDF). Warriors Bologna (in Italian). Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  22. ^ "Warriors History 1986". Warriors Historical Site (in Italian). Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  23. ^ "Warriors History 1987". Warriors Historical Site (in Italian). Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  24. ^ a b "Cal Stoll, a former University of Minnesota football coach". UPI Archives. July 23, 1987. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  25. ^ "Second Chance for Life". Second Chance for Life. Archived from the original on February 3, 2001. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  26. ^ "About Us". Second Chance for Life. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  27. ^ a b "Former Gophers football coach Stoll dead at 76". Brainerd Dispatch. Brainerd, MN. August 27, 2000. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  28. ^ "Minnesota Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame Inductees 1985-2003". Minnesota Football Coaches Association. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  29. ^ Rand, Michael (August 27, 2000). "Former Gophers coach dies". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. p. C1. Retrieved July 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "2022 Minneosta Football Coaches Clinic" (PDF). Minnesota Football Coaches Association. March 31, 2022. p. 6. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  31. ^ Shama, David (March 30, 2015). "Dubnyk and Wild Look at Big Stage". David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  32. ^ "Woolworth stories bring back memories of old Broadway in Owatonna". Owatonna People's Press. Faribault, MN. May 11, 2012 [March 20, 2010]. Retrieved March 4, 2023.