Members
Inductee
STRALEY, GORDON
STRALEY, GORDON
Born on January 31, 1917
New Haven, IN
July 4, 1999.
Inducted On
April 30, 1977
Location Inducted
South Bend, IN
Region Number
4
West Lafayette
Coach
Fort Wayne South Side
1935
All-City tackle; captain senior year.
Purdue University 1939; Purdue University MS
1947
Played football 2 years
Head coach USFET HQS (Eisenhower s) football team, going to Championship of Central Germany 1945; longest tenure as head football coach at one high school (32 years) in Indiana (speculation from local papers); played and defeated many schools 2 or 3 times larger; West Lafayette s enrollment was less than 400 prior to 1960; ranked in top ten 3 or 4 times prior to time state football play-offs were initiated in Indiana.
Wife, Virginia; daughters, Carol and Susan.
Coaching Experience: Assistant football coach, West Lafayette HS 1939-1940; head football coach West Lafayette 1940-1976 (32 years); 187-91-15 record; served 4 years in Army (1942-1945), missing 4 football seasons.
Coaching Honors: Won or tied for Hoosier Conference Championship 3 of 4 years after the conference recognized football participation as a conference sport, starting in 1972; assistant coach North All-Star football team 1974.
Coaching Honors: Won or tied for Hoosier Conference Championship 3 of 4 years after the conference recognized football participation as a conference sport, starting in 1972; assistant coach North All-Star football team 1974.