Earl Putman

Earl Robert "Tiny" Putman (January 10, 1932 – February 19, 2006), surname sometimes misspelled "Putnam", was an American professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Cardinals during the 1957 season. In an era of sub-250-pound linemen, Putman couldn't help but stand out on the field. At 6-foot-6, 300-plus pounds, he was one of the largest and strongest physical specimens of his time.

Putman played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils. After retirement as a player, he became a highly acclaimed high school football coach in the suburban Phoenix area.

Putman was born in 1932 in Cincinnati, where he attended Hughes High School. He was a star tackle for the football team and co-captain for the track team. Putman also was a state champion in the shot put and discus, both in which he set state records.^[1]

Putman enrolled at Arizona State University in the fall of 1951. He again competed in both football as well as the shot put and discus. His college education was interrupted by service in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954 during the Korean War.^[1] He played for the Fort Ord football team in 1953.^[2] He graduated from Arizona State in 1957 and later received a master's degree from Northern Arizona University.^[1]

In the 1954 NFL draft, Putman was selected by the New York Giants at the 52nd overall pick.^[3] At the time, he was the biggest player in club history.^[4] At 6 feet, 6 inches and 310 pounds, he was recognized as the biggest man in professional football in the 1955 season,^[5][6] but he did not participate in a regular season game.^[3]

In 1956, Putman signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and was active for one game as an offensive tackle. One year later, he moved on to the Chicago Cardinals and started 12 games during the 1957 campaign.^[3][7] The 6-foot-6, 308-pounder reclaimed the title of biggest man in pro football that season.^[1]

After his retirement as a player, Putman returned to Arizona, where he was an assistant high school football coach at Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix, Arizona and Glendale High School in the late 1950s and early 1960s.^[8] He went on to serve as Moon Valley High School head coach in Phoenix for 25 years (1965-1989). His teams captured the Skyline League championships in 1981, 1982 and 1986, was AAA Arizona State runner-up in 1986 and claimed the Fiesta Region title three years later.

In December, 1999, Putman was chosen as one of the Top 25 Football Coaches of the 21st Century by the Arizona Republic, which called him "a revered coach". He amassed 167 wins at Moon Valley, where his unbeaten 1982 Rockets team won 14 games and the AAA Arizona State championship. Putman was a two-time High School Coach of the Year (1982, 1986) and three-time Skyline Division Coach of the Year (1974, 1975, 1988). He was a head coach in the 1981 All-Star Game, and the 1985-86 game was dedicated in his honor.

Putman was inducted into the Arizona High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 1985 and the National High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1997. He received the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Outstanding Coaches Award in 1987 and the Arizona Coaches Association Distinguished Service Award in 1993. He succumbed to brain cancer in 2006 at age 74.^[1][9]