Hall of Champions


Paul Dietzel

Coach Dietzel used his influence as one of the most recognized names in college sports to help pioneer FCA in its infancy as a board member, national speaker, donor, volunteer and coach. He played football at Duke University until enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a B-29 Bomber Pilot for WWII. After the war, he continued to play at Miami of Ohio until 1947. He attended his first summer camp in Estes Park in 1958 and returned as a speaker for the next five years, continuing to inspire athletes for decades.

Dietzel’s head coaching career includes LSU, Army and South Carolina. He was the recipient of numerous football coaching awards, such as SEC Coach of the Year and AFCA National Coach of the Year with LSU’s national championship in 1958, and the inaugural FCA Christian Coach of the Year in 1971. Coach Dietzel spoke with passion and conviction at hundreds of FCA events throughout his lifetime and served as FCA Board of Trustees Chairman from 1963-1967, and Vice President from 1961-1962. He commanded respect, and though he passed away in 2013, Dietzel’s influence lives on in service to the ministry to which he dedicated himself.

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