There was a memorial service in Minneapolis last week for a caring, very-talented football man.
Frank Gilliam never played in the league, but he knew most of you who did.
Gilliam, who died last April at age 89, was the Vikings’ longtime scouting director and director of player personnel. He was an outstanding receiver at Iowa in the 1960s and his quarterback there was future NFL alum Jerry Reichow. When his NFL playing career (1956-64) ended, the Vikings retained Reichow as a scout. He eventually took over the team’s personnel department and one of his first hires was his old college teammate Frank Gilliam, who was on the coaching staff at Iowa at the time. Gilliam became one of the first Black scouts in the league.
“We were different types of players on the field,” Reichow told Star Tribune columnist Jim Souhan by phone after the memorial. “Frank was so sound, in terms of technique, and I was just the opposite. I played behind him on defense—in those days we played both ways. We worked together in personnel for 37 years with the Vikings, many of them under Bud (Grant) and Jerry Burns. I would look for athletic ability when scouting players, and then I’d call in Frank and have him break down the player’s technique. Frank had a great eye.”
NFL vet Paul Wiggins, who played 11 years (1957-67) at defensive end for the Browns, eventually coached seven seasons in Minnesota.
“I went to the Vikings as an assistant coach and wound up in the personnel department,” Wiggins recalls. “Frank Gilliam became my boss. He was a wonderful person and would be in the Top Five all-time of anybody who ever had anything to do with scouting. He was great for me because when I started to work for Frank, I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. He always set me off in the right direction.”
Pro Football Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton recalls a less complex NFL when he played in Minnesota.
“Frank and Jerry were two guys who knew how to run the draft and knew what we wanted and knew how to find the right players,” says the former Vikings quarterback. “We trusted them.”
NFL and Vikings alum Scott Studwell added to the accolades about Gilliam last week.
“Frank was so dedicated to his craft,” Studwell says. “Working for our organization was so important to him. This was his football family. The way he conducted himself outside and inside the building, he was respectful, and he was respected. Frank was truly a great man.”
We salute the late Frank Gilliam as well as all our Alumni brothers who have worn the Purple & Gold over the decades. Skol!
