Hall of Fame
Eben Gillespie, Class of 1925, came to Coe after a year at Carleton College, and in his three years at Coe he made athletic history in both football and track. He was a leading character in the classic drama that unfolded in Camp Randall Stadium in that most memorable of Coe football games, the 7-7 tie with the Wisconsin Badgers in 1924. In the flowery language of sports stories in that era, one account of the game reported, "Horatius at the bridge had nothing on the Coe athletes as they trotted down the field." Coe had upset all predictions by scoring first and holding Wisconsin to a 7-7 tie late in the game. As the Badgers struggled to score and regain their lost prestige, Eben Gillespie played his role as hero. The story continued, "Wisconsin opened up with a passing game to which Gillespie put an immediate end by intercepting a long pass on his own 20-yard line." He was named to All-State and All-Conference honors as a tackle and was named to Coach Moray Eby's All-Time Team. He was a second-team tackle on Walter Camp's All-American Team when Camp's team was the only recognized All-American selection. Knute Rockne, the legend of Notre Dame, selected Eben to demonstrate blocking techniques at his coaching clinics in 1923 and 1924. But, fans remembered Eben Gillespie for his track exploits also. He regularly placed high in the discus, javelin, shot put, and high-jump. In his senior year, he set a new Midwest Conference discus record, and his Coe discus record at 144 feet 4 3/4 inches, a prodigious throw in those days, held up for years. He also won the Conference javelin throw that year. He was captain of the track team for two years, and his senior year totaled more points than any other Coe trackman. After graduation, Eben Gillespie coached at Albia and Ottumwa, and served as a U.S. Air Force officer for 22 years. He had been ROTC Cadet Commander at Coe. He was a businessman in Pine City, Minnesota, and Waupaca, Wisconsin. He died in 1970. Because he carved his own special niche in the Coe football tradition, and because he had the strength and determination to be a record-setting track and field performer, it is appropriate that we induct Eben S. Gillespie, posthumously, into the Kohawk Athletic Hall of Fame.
