University of Minnesota Athletics
Clarence 'Biggie' Munn - M Club Hall of Fame
Clarence 'Biggie' Munn
Football, 1929-31
Men’s Track & Field, 1929-31
HOF Class of 1993
Biggie Munn was a tough guard, earning Big Ten MVP and All-American honors with the Golden Gophers in 1931. He was also the team punter.
He played fullback, too, where he became known as a swift ball-carrier. That should have come as no surprise: He was also a sprinter on the Minnesota track team.
His nickname came naturally; just under six feet tall, he weighed 215 pounds, which was huge for the times.
After graduation, the Minneapolis native became a coach at Albright, Syracuse and, finally, Michigan State. As MSU head coach from 1947 to 1953 he led the Spartans to a 54-9-2 record that included back-to-back NCAA national championships with undefeated teams in 1951 and 1952. That led to his 1952 Coach of the Year honors from the American Football Coaches Association. On his 1953 retirement, with a 28-game winning streak intact, he became MSU’s athletic director.
Munn was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959.