Long before “My Name is Earl’’ became a popular TV show, there was Earl Putman.

Putman was a star athlete at Arizona State (track and field and football), served his country in the Korean War and played briefly in the NFL and in Canada.

His greatest calling was as a high school football coach.

From 1964-1989, Putman became one of Arizona’s most respected coaches at Phoenix Moon Valley. He won a state championship in 1982 and earned a state runner-up trophy in 1986. He received numerous accolades and was president of the Arizona Coaches Association from 1970-73.

Perhaps his greatest tribute will come at Moon Valley’s homecoming on Friday night (Sept. 30), when the Rockets’ football field will be named in his honor – Putman Field – five years after he died of brain cancer at age 74.

Because of his size – 6-feet-6 inches tall and 310 pounds – Putman was affectionately known to his coaching colleagues and many others as “Tiny.’’

But he wasn’t particularly fond of that designation.

“My name’s Earl,’’ he would say.

If all of the players and students he influenced were to stand in a line, it would stretch from here to his native Cincinnati and back, probably a few times. Several of his players followed him into the coaching ranks, and I’m sure many successful men in other fields owe at least a part of that success to the discipline that Putman taught them. Former assistant coaches, too, guys like Mel Harms and Tim Sanford.

When the field dedication was first announced and then approved by the Glendale Union High School District board, here is some information about Putman that appeared on the Moon Valley Web site . . .

Here is why the board gave overwhelming approval . . . Coach Putman often said and lived by this motto: “Winning was a bonus, character building was my reason for coaching.’’

He firmly held to this concept . . . “Win or lose, always play your best.’’

Coach Putman believed . . . “Football teams were not about great players, but about teams that played great.’’

Putman had a great love for his family, particularly his wife, Vivian. They met at ASU and he once told me one of the reasons why he became enamored by her. She worked in the school cafeteria “and she gave me a second helping. It was love at first sight.’’

The man could eat, all right. In the early 1980s, when I covered high schools for The Phoenix Gazette and Bob Young for The Arizona Republic (he’s now Mr. Heat Index), we would attend weekly meetings of the coaches from the old Skyline Region at a pizza joint near MetroCenter.

It was more of a social time than anything and offered the writers a chance to get to know the coaches and perhaps grab an interesting note or two. There were a lot of good one-liners and Putman often had a dry, witty perspective on things.

After a long day of teaching and coaching, he would pile his plate high with pizza slices. Young and I would look at each other and marvel in amazement. Hey, the guy had to fill those size 16 EEE black industrial shop shoes somehow. Coach, we’re not making fun of you, so if you’re reading this from somewhere up there, please don’t reach down and bonk me on the head.

I’m sure Young would agree when I say that Putman was one of the classiest coaches around, and having the field named after him is a wonderful idea.

You deserve it . . . Earl.