 Gillman is best known for helping develop the deep downfield pass that helped make football the game it is today.Gillman's teams used that to great avail at Miami, as he led the Redskins to great success in his four seasons as head coach.Among Gillman's players at Miami was Paul Dietzel, who played center at Miami from 1946–1947 and would go on to win a national championship as head football coach at LSU.