Chicago City Wire

This week in City of Chicago history.

Died July 4, 2005, football coach born in Chicago

Henry Louis Stram died on July 4, 2005. He was born in Chicago in 1923 and later became a professional football coach. Stram is known for leading the Dallas Texans and Kansas City Chiefs in the AFL and NFL. He won three AFL championships and Super Bowl IV. He introduced several innovations, including sideline use of Gatorade and the moving pocket offense. He also used the triple-stack defense. Stram coached many future Hall of Famers and promoted integration in football by recruiting from historically Black colleges. Before his pro career, he played and coached at Purdue University. After coaching, he worked as a broadcaster for nearly 20 years. His recorded comments from Super Bowl IV remain widely quoted. Stram had a long connection to football and began life in Chicago before moving to Indiana. His career had national impact, but his origins remained tied to the city where he was born.