Buck Shaw (D. 1977) was an American football player and coach. He was the head coach for Santa Clara University, the University of California, Berkeley, the San Francisco 49ers, the United States Air Force Academy, and the Philadelphia Eagles. He attended the University of Notre Dame, where he became a star player on Knute Rockne's first unbeaten team. He started his coaching career with one year as head coach at North Carolina State and four years as a line coach at Nevada in Reno. At Santa Clara, he compiled an impressive 47–10–4 (.803) record; his first two teams posted consecutive Sugar Bowl wins over LSU. After war-time service, his only team at California went 4–5–1 in 1945. In 1946, Shaw became the San Francisco 49ers' first head coach in the old All-America Football Conference and continued through 1954; they entered the National Football League in from 1950. After two seasons as the first Air Force Academy varsity head coach (1956–1957), he returned to the NFL in 1958 with Philadelphia. He stepped down after three seasons, following their win in the championship game over Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers. He is a member of the College Football HOF.
Robert V. Whitlow (November 7, 1918 – July 11, 1997) was an American military officer, football coach, university athletic director, and sports club executive. He served as the first head football coach and athletic director of the United States Air Force Academy in 1955. Whitlow had a twenty-year career in the United States Air Force, and during World War II, saw combat as both a bomber and fighter pilot. After his military service, he worked for the Chicago Cubs baseball franchise as its first "athletic director."
This 10” x 8” photo shows these 2 men together as Buck Shaw is signing his contract to become head coach at the Air Force Academy and Whitlow was the Athletic Director. Signed in steel tipped pen.
Full LOA from PSA/DNA
Item: 12857
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