Paul Wiggin

Wiggin was born on November 18, 1934, in Modesto, California, and attended Manteca High School in Manteca, California, where he competed in four sports. When he graduated Manteca High School in 1952, he was named the Most Outstanding Athlete. Wiggin played tackle in football, was on the school's championship football team, and was selected to the All-Central California team in 1951. He received honorable mention twice for the All-Northern-California team, and was selected as an All-Star to play in the California high school North-South Shrine game in 1952. Wiggin also established a shot put record competing in track. He attended Modesto Junior College, where he was a standout in football and track. Wiggin played both offense and defense on the football team. He is a member of the Modesto Junior College Athletics Hall of Fame. The Modesto Bee selected him at offensive tackle to its All-Big Seven Conference team in 1952. == College football ==

Wiggin went on from Modesto Junior College to Stanford University, where he graduated in 1957. He later earned a master's degree from Stanford in 1959. At 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) and 228 pounds (103.4 kg), he played defensive tackle on Stanford's football team from 1954 to 1956. He was a two-time, first-team All-American and All-Pacific Coast Conference (1955–56), and played in the 1956 East-West Shrine Game and the 1957 Hula Bowl. Fans voted him Stanford's defensive player of the century. In 2005, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. == Professional football ==

The Cleveland Browns selected Wiggin in the sixth round of the 1956 NFL draft, 73rd overall. He started three games as a rookie in 1957, under future Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown. The Browns finished first in the NFL's East Division, but lost the 1957 NFL Championship game to the Detroit Lions. Wiggin spent his entire 11-year playing career with Cleveland until his retirement following the 1967 NFL season. He never missed a game, playing in 146 straight games. He started eight games in 1958, all 12 games in 1959 (at right defensive end), and nine games in 1960 (at left defensive end). From 1961 to 1966, he started all 14 games every year (chiefly at left defensive end); and started 11 of 14 games in his final season (1967). Wiggin was a key member of the team's defensive line (consisting of Wiggin at left end, Dick Modzelewski at left tackle, Jim Kanicki at right tackle, and Bill Glass at right end), when it won the 1964 NFL championship with a 27–0 shutout of the Baltimore Colts; including a fumble recovery by Wiggin in the championship game. On the season in 1964, he had 8.5 quarterback sacks, and three fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Over his career, Wiggins had 19 fumble recoveries, including four in 1966, and a league leading four in 1967. He had three interceptions, including a 20-yard touchdown return, and 60.5 sacks. His career high in sacks was nine in 1960. As of 2025, he is tied for second all-time in fumble recoveries for the Browns, sixth in sacks, and 19th in games played. As a professional, he played at 242 pounds (109 kg). == Coaching and personnel career ==

San Francisco 49ers Wiggin was named an assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers on February 14, 1968, spending the next seven seasons with the team. He was defensive line coach from 1968 to 1973, and both defensive coordinator and defensive line coach in 1974, under head coach Dick Nolan each of those years. He coached Pro Bowl defensive end Cedrick Hardman, who had 18 quarterback sacks in his first full (14-game) season (1971). Kansas City Chiefs Wiggin was hired as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs on January 23, 1975, replacing future Hall of Fame coach Hank Stram. After compiling an 11–24 mark in less than three seasons, Wiggin was fired following a 44–7 loss against his old team, the Browns, on October 30, 1977, that left the team 1–6. New Orleans Saints After Dick Nolan was named as head coach of the New Orleans Saints in 1978, he once again hired Wiggin, as the team's defensive coordinator where he spent two years. on the team during his first three years, Wiggin's efforts to reach a bowl game had come agonizingly close in 1982, when his team fell victim to what simply became known as "The Play" on November 20. In an incredible finish against California, the school's arch-rival lateraled five times in the closing seconds to score the winning touchdown. Minnesota Vikings Wiggin's longest football connection was his four decades with the Minnesota Vikings. In 1985, he became the Vikings defensive line coach under Bud Grant, a position he held through 1991; though under head coach Jerry Burns from 1986 to 1991. and John Randle, and Pro Bowl player Henry Thomas. He received the 2022 Bud Grant Distinguished Minnesotan Award by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation. == Personal life and death ==

In 1956, Wiggin married Stanford student Carolynn Curlee Clark, who had been selected a beauty queen a number of times in her native New Mexico. Wiggin was a part of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games Organizing Committee. ==Head coaching record==