| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 12, 1922 Ashland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | April 16, 1996 (aged 73) Akron, Ohio, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1946–1949 | Ashland |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1950 | Caldwell HS (OH) |
| 1951–1955 | Upper Sandusky HS (OH) |
| 1956–1957 | Shaw HS (OH) |
| 1958–1963 | Massillon Washington HS (OH) |
| 1964–1967 | Kent State |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1958–1964 | Massillon Washington HS (OH) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 16–21–2 (college) 109–26–1 (high school) |
Leo E. Strang (December 12, 1922 – April 16, 1996) was an American football coach. He began his coaching career at the high school football level in the state of Ohio. He served as the head football at Massillon Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio from 1958 to 1963, leading his teams there to two national titles and three consecutive Ohio state championships.[1][2] His career record as a high school coach was 109–26–1 over 14 seasons.[3] Strang was then the head football coach at Kent State University from 1964 to 1967, compiling a record of 16–21–2 in four seasons.
Strang became the second Ohio high school coach, after Paul Brown, to make the direct leap from high school to a major college Ohio football program when he was hired by Kent State in 1963.[4] He was nationally recognized as innovator who pioneered the use of a barefooted soccer-style placekicker, vinyl helmet team logos and helmet awards for outstanding play, white football shoes, a defensive analyzation circuit board to help call offensive plays, a point-based high school playoff system, and an unbalanced line Wing T offense.[5][6][7]
- ^ Seabird, John. "Strang a storyteller coach extraordinaire." The Akron Beacon Journal, 17 April 1996, p. B-5.
- ^ "Coach Leo Strang." Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club, https://massillontigers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/coach_leo_strang.pdf
- ^ "Colorful Leo Strang Named Kent State Grid Coach". Palladium-Item. Richmond, Indiana. Associated Press. January 10, 1964. p. 16. Retrieved August 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com
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- ^ "Strang's Selection Boost for High School Coaches." The Record-Courier (Kent, Ohio), 10 January 1964, p. 16
- ^ Mistrovich, Chuck. "Leo E. Strang: An Adrenaline Junkie." AC'cent, Ashland College, Spring 1985, Vol. 1, No.1, p. 8.
- ^ Beaven, Chris. "Heavy 1980s Influence on New Start County High School Football Hall of Fame Class." The Canton Repository (Canton, Ohio), 1 January 2019, www.cantonrep.com/story/2019/01/27/heavy-1980s-influence-on-mew/6188386007/.
- ^ Strang, Carter. "Leo E. Strang, Football Coach & Innovator Extraordinary." Massillon Tigers Football Booster Club, 31 October 2024, https://massillontigers.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Leo-E.-Strang-Football-Coach-Innovator-Extraordinaire.pdf
