:Os Doenges
{{Short description|American football player and coach (1905–1987)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Os Doenges
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1905|10|18}}
| birth_place = Whiteside County, Illinois, U.S.
| death_date = March 1987 (aged 81)
| death_place = Guthrie, Oklahoma, U.S.
| alma_mater =
| player_years1 = 1927
| player_team1 = Oklahoma City
| player_positions = Tackle
| coach_years1 = 1938–1941
| coach_team1 = Oklahoma City
| coach_years2 = 1942
| coach_team2 = Northwestern State (OK)
| coach_years3 = 1949–1952
| coach_team3 = Sterling
| admin_years1 = 1949–1953
| admin_team1 = Sterling
| overall_record = 19–59–8
| bowl_record =
| tournament_record =
| championships =
| awards =
| coaching_records =
}}
H. Oswald "Os" Doenges (October 18, 1905 – March 1987) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Oklahoma City University from 1938 to 1941, Northwestern State College—now known as Northwestern Oklahoma State University—in Alva, Oklahoma in 1942, and Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas from 1949 to 1952. Doenges was known for his creativity in the sport with several attempts to improve the game by making it faster and more enjoyable to watch.{{cite web|url=http://newsok.com/coach-brought-creative-touch-to-ocu-football/article/1994457|work=The Daily Oklahoman|title=Coach Brought Creative Touch To OCU Football|first=Ray|last=Soldan|date=August 29, 1982|access-date=May 28, 2013}}
Playing career
Doenges played at Oklahoma City University.
Coaching career
=Oklahoma City=
After playing at Oklahoma City, Doenges was named head coach at his alma mater. While at Oklahoma City, he was involved in several creative steps toward growth in college football. The first was a success—as he worked with Dike Beede to test the use of the penalty flag by officials in the 1941 Oklahoma City vs. Youngstown football game.
{{cite news
| first = John
| last = Bassetti
| title = First penalty flag has its roots in YSU football
| work = The Youngstown Vindicator
| date =August 1, 1999}}
His second innovation was an unsuccessful venture to allow a coach to be on the field with the offense to help call plays and provide additional coaching as time allows.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19401107&id=6TRPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Y00DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4090,1946291|work=St. Petersburg Times|date=November 7, 1940|title=Coaches to Call Signals in Grid Game Saturday|access-date=March 24, 2013}} Doenges proposed tests with opposing coaches and at least two agreed to test the idea.{{cite web|url=http://cjonline.com/stories/121800/opi_snider18.shtml|work=Topeka Capital-Journal|access-date=March 24, 2013|date=December 18, 2000|title=12th man for Okie football team is coach in the huddle|first=Dick|last=Snider|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312080020/http://cjonline.com/stories/121800/opi_snider18.shtml|archive-date=March 12, 2016|url-status=dead}} However, the concept itself was considered a success and rules changes eventually allowed coaches on the sidelines to call plays and send plays in with a substitute.
Doenges is credited with inventing the offensive V formation, nicknamed "Three dots and a dash" (Morse code for the letter "v"). His Oklahoma City program presented the new offensive formation to great fanfare before losing to the Southwestern Moundbuilders by a score of 7–0.{{cite web|url=http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%2011/New%20York%20Evening%20Post/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post%201941%20Grayscale/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post%201941%20Grayscale%20-%204438.pdf|title=V Formation Makes Debut|work=New York Evening Post|date=September 14, 1941|access-date=May 28, 2013}}
Doenges was able to achieve a national ranking for his football team at Oklahoma City.
=Sterling=
Doenges was the head football coach at Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas for four seasons, from 1949 until 1952. His coaching record at Sterling was 5–30–2.{{Cite web
|last=DeLassus
|first=David
|title=Sterling College Records By Year (incomplete data)
|work=College Football Data Warehouse
|url=http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/incomplete_data/year_by_year_current.php?teamid=3102
|access-date=March 19, 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.scwarriors.com/d/2011-12/2011_SC_Football_Media_Guide.pdf|publisher=Sterling Warriors|title=Football Media Guide|access-date=March 19, 2013}} While at Sterling, he helped organize a charity basketball game for a former athlete who had polio.{{cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/hutchinson-news-herald/1950-01-21/page-3|title=Cash to Polio Victim|access-date=May 28, 2013|work=Hutchinson Daily News|date=January 21, 1950}}
Politics
While a high school civics teacher and football coach at Hugo High School in 1935, Doenges taught his classes that then-United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal were just an introduction to Communism. After finishing his coaching work, Doenges ran for the United States Senate.{{cite web|url=http://www.swrc.com/pdf/November%202008%20PO.pdf|work=PROPHETIC OBSERVER|date=November 2008|access-date=August 18, 2014|title=The Coming Greater Depression?|first=Noah|last=Hutchings}}
Head coaching record
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Oklahoma City Goldbugs
| conf = Independent
| startyear = 1938
| endyear = 1940
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1938
| name = Oklahoma City
| overall = 2–8
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1939
| name = Oklahoma City
| overall = 4–4–2
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1940
| name = Oklahoma City
| overall = 1–7–3
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Oklahoma City Goldbugs
| conf = Oklahoma Collegiate Conference
| startyear = 1941
| endyear = single
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1941
| name = Oklahoma City
| overall = 5–7
| conference = 2–3
| confstanding = T–4th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Oklahoma City
| overall = 12–27–5
| confrecord = 2–3
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Northwestern State Rangers
| conf = Oklahoma Collegiate Conference
| startyear = 1942
| endyear = single
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1942
| name = Northwestern State
| overall = 2–2–1
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Northwestern State
| overall = 2–2–1
| confrecord =
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Sterling Warriors
| conf = Independent
| startyear = 1949
| endyear = 1952
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1949
| name = Sterling
| overall = 1–8
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1950
| name = Sterling
| overall = 2–8
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1951
| name = Sterling
| overall = 1–8–1
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1952
| name = Sterling
| overall = 1–6–1
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Sterling
| overall = 5–30–2
| confrecord =
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
| overall = 19–59–8
| bowls = no
| poll = no
| polltype =
| legend = no
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Find a Grave|127369093}}
{{Oklahoma City Chiefs football coach navbox}}
{{Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers football coach navbox}}
{{Sterling Warriors football coach navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doenges, Os}}
Category:American football tackles
Category:Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers football coaches
Category:Oklahoma City Chiefs football coaches
Category:Oklahoma City Chiefs football players
Category:Sterling Warriors athletic directors
Category:Sterling Warriors football coaches
Category:Sterling Warriors men's basketball coaches
Category:High school football coaches in Oklahoma
Category:People from Whiteside County, Illinois
Category:Players of American football from Whiteside County, Illinois