Don Coryell - Early Career

Early Career

Don Coryell enlisted in the Army in 1943 and spent 3½ years as a paratrooper. He played defensive back for the University of Washington from 1949 to 1951. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Washington. He was a high school coach in Hawaii where his teams ran a version of the I formation running game. He would also coach at the University of British Columbia (where he compiled a 2 win, 16 loss reord), Wenatchee Valley College, and a military team at Fort Ord. As head coach at Whittier College from 1957 to 1959, Whittier won conference championships in each of Coryell's three years. He would also rely on the I formation at Whittier. In 1960, he was an assistant coach under John McKay for the USC Trojans, where the I formation would be its signature offense for decades. While the origin of the I formation is unclear, Coryell was one of its pioneers.