Don Miller (American football)

• Hartford Blues ( 1925)
• Providence Steam Roller ( 1925)

• College Football Hall of Fame (1970 )
• College football championship (1924, 1928)

Donald Charles " Don " Miller ( born March 29, 1902 in Defiance, Ohio; † July 28, 1979 in Cleveland, Ohio) Nickname: Midnight was an American lawyer and an American football player and coach. He played in college as a halfback at Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the National Football League ( NFL) in the Providence Steam Roller.

Origin

Don Miller came from a football loving family. All five brothers of the Miller family played at the University of Notre Dame Football. His brother Harry was in 1908 captain of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was 1909 All American elected. His second brother Ray played in the years 1911 and 1912 as an end to the team from South Bend and later politician in Ohio, the third brother Walter was played in 1917 as a fullback and his brother Gerry was his future teammates in the college team. His two nephews Tom and Creighton Miller added later continued the family tradition and also played at the University of Notre Dame. Creighton was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1976. Don Miller visited in his hometown high school and played there as early as the football team. As is usual for that time played Miller in both the Defense, as well as on offense his team.

Playing career

College career

Don Miller was awarded in 1922 to study at the University of Notre Dame and studied law there. Coach of the football team of the College, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, was Knute Rockne. Rockne, who had a flair for young players, built by Miller and his three teammates on the fullback Elmer Layden, the quarterback Harry Stuhldreher and Jim Crowley, one of the best college football teams of the time. Don Miller studied until 1925 in South Bend and was used together with Crowley on offense as a right halfback the team. Miller was a fast runner and hard to stop when he had overcome the enemy's defensive line once. Crowley added him as a left halfback, while fullback Layden had the task freizublocken them the way to the opponent's end zone. Miller and his three teammates in the offensive backfield of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish came to national prominence due to their performances. 1924 reported the American sports reporter Grantland Rice nationwide over a game of Fighting Irish and missed the four players due to their way of playing the nickname The Four Horsemen. On a later -made photo the four players were depicted as a rider. Both the product and the photo were included in the American press and sports history.

In 1924, the Fighting Irish were undefeated in the regular season and have won all of their 10 games. On January 1, 1925, the team in front of 53,000 spectators also won the Rose Bowl against Stanford University at 27:10. The team of Don Miller was subsequently appointed by the American press to the national college football champion. The Four Horseman and two other players of the team from 1924 were later incorporated into the College Football Hall of Fame.

On December 12 1925 played the Four Horsemen, after graduation, with other former players together again for the Fighting Irish. They ran up against the Pottsville Maroons, a professional team in the NFL, who had finished the season as runner-up. With this game, the Four Horsemen ( unintentionally ) fell again in the sports history. The Maroons won with almost 9:7 and were subsequently suspended by the NFL. The host of the game in Philadelphia had the territorial rights of another team hurt, which was forbidden by the statutes of the NFL. The impact of this game is still being debated today controversial in American sports world.

Miller won with his team during his studies, 27 of 30 games, with two losses and one draw. He himself, scoring 22 touchdowns and an extra space of 1933 yards by running game. With this performance, he is still in the record books of his colleges. Miller was not only an outstanding athlete, as well as a basketball player, he was honored by his college, in the years 1924 and 1925 he also served as Head Boy at his university.

In 1931 the history of the Fighting Irish in the Hollywood film The Spirit of Notre Dame was presented. The lead role was Lew Ayres. Miller played out here in the movie itself

Professional career

The professional career of Don Miller was short. Professional football was very lucrative at that time. The clubs suffered notoriously lack of money and the players were on their professional salaries not live alone. In 1925 Miller was hired initially to at the Providence Steam Roller, but played only once for the team from Rhode Iceland. Miller then moved to the Hartford Blues, who were not members of the NFL this year. After only one year Don Miller also presented his work as a professional player.

Coaching career

After his studies, Don Miller worked as an attorney in his own practice. In the autumn months, he was also working as an assistant coach at the Georgia Institute of Technology. With the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in 1928 he won the national college football championship. After four years as an assistant coach in Georgia, he moved in the same capacity at the Ohio State University. In 1932 he finished his coaching career there.

Activity as a lawyer

Miller operational after completing his studies successfully, a law firm in Cleveland, making him ultimately compelled to end his coaching career. In 1941 he was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the U.S. District Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. Don Miller is on the All Souls Cemetery in Chardon, Ohio, buried.

Honors

Don Miller was elected during his studies twice to the All American. In 1970 he was taken into the College Football Hall of Fame. In 1998, the Four Horsemen have been honored by the U.S. Postal on a postage stamp.

Source

Jim Lefebvre, Loyal Sons: The Story of the Four Horsemen and Notre Dame Football's 1924 Champions, 2008, ISBN 9780981884103