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Ernie Nevers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other people named Nevers, see Nevers (disambiguation).

Ernie Nevers
Nevers c. 1930s
Born
Ernest Alonzo Nevers

(1902-06-11)June 11, 1902
Willow River, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedMay 3, 1976(1976-05-03) (aged 73)
Greenbrae, California, U.S.
American football career
No. 4, 11, 44
Position:Fullback
Personal information
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:204 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:Superior Central
(Superior, Wisconsin)
College:Stanford (1923–1925)
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
NFL records
  • Most points scored in a game: 40
  • Most rushing touchdowns in a single game: 6 (tied)[a]
Career NFL statistics
Rushing touchdowns:38
Points scored:301
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Head coaching record
Career:NFL: 12–27–2 (.317)
College: 1–8 (.111)
Record at Pro Football Reference
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
Baseball career
Pitcher
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 26, 1926, for the St. Louis Browns
Last MLB appearance
May 4, 1928, for the St. Louis Browns
MLB statistics
Win–loss record6–12
ERA4.64
Strikeouts39
Saves2
Batting average.200
Hits12
RBI1
Teams

Ernest Alonzo Nevers (June 11, 1902 – May 3, 1976), nicknamed "Big Dog",[2] was an American professional football and baseball player and football coach. Widely regarded as one of the best football players in the first half of the 20th century, he played as a fullback and was a triple-threat man known for his talents in running, passing, and kicking. He was inducted with the inaugural classes of inductees into both the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. He was also named in 1969 to the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team.

Nevers played four sports (football, basketball, baseball, and track and field) for Stanford University from 1923 to 1925 and was a consensus first-team All-American in football in 1925. He played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) for the Duluth Eskimos in 1926 and 1927 and the Chicago Cardinals from 1929 to 1931. In 1929, one week after defeating the Dayton Triangles, who were playing in their final game before moving to Brooklyn to embark on their long and tenuous history through the league, he set an NFL record that still stands by scoring 40 points in a single game. In the same game he subsequently set another NFL record by scoring six rushing touchdowns in a single game against the Chicago Bears, a record that remained unequaled until the 2020 season in which New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara also accomplished the feat, scoring six touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day.[3] Nevers also played professional baseball as a pitcher for the St. Louis Browns of the American League from 1926 to 1928 and the Mission Bells of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) in 1928 and 1929.

Nevers also had a long career as a football coach, including stints with the Stanford Indians (assistant, 1928, 1932–1935), the Chicago Cardinals (head coach, 1930–1931, 1939), Lafayette Leopards (head coach, 1936), Iowa Hawkeyes (assistant, 1937–1938), and the Chicago Rockets (assistant, 1946).

Early life

[edit]

Nevers' parents, George and Mary Ann Nevers, were immigrants to the United States from New Brunswick, Canada. In addition to Ernie, they had five sons (Harry, Frank, John, George, and Arthur) and one daughter (Edith).[4][5][6][7] By the time Nevers was born, the family had moved from New Brunswick to Willow River, Minnesota, where Nevers was born in 1902.[8][9] The family moved again to Superior, Wisconsin, where Nevers grew up and attended Superior Central High School. In 1920, the family moved to a ranch and fruit farm in the Rincon Valley section of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, California.[4][5] Nevers attended Santa Rosa High School for the first half of his senior year. He led the Santa Rosa football team by scoring 108 of the team's 170 points. After starting the basketball season for Santa Rosa, he returned to Superior early in 1921 to play for Central. He graduated from Central that spring.[10]

In 1921, Nevers attended Santa Rosa Junior College and was the star of the school's football team. In a game against Petaluma, he scored four touchdowns and kicked six extra points and a field goal.[11]

Stanford University

[edit]

In 1922, Nevers enrolled at Stanford University. He played for the freshman football team at fullback and halfback in the fall of 1922.[12]

1923–24 academic year

[edit]

As a sophomore, Nevers became a star for the 1923 Stanford varsity football team.[13][14][15] He was described as "a sweet punter and a general all-around backfield star" and "the backbone of the Stanford offense."[16]

In the final game of the 1923 season, the dedication game for California Memorial Stadium, Nevers gained more yards than the entire California team, even though Cal won the Big Game 9–0. After the game, the Los Angeles Times wrote: "The desperate drive of Ernie Nevers . . . will go down in history as one of the greatest individual efforts ever seen on a gridiron."[17][18]

At the end of the 1923 season, Nevers was selected by the United Press as the first-team All-Pacific Coast fullback.[19] He was also selected by Walter Camp as the third-team fullback on the 1923 College Football All-America Team.[20]

After the 1923 football season was over, Nevers demonstrated his overall athletic ability by also starring for Stanford's basketball, baseball and track teams.[21][22] He was rated as the Pacific coast's best player in both football and basketball, the best college pitcher, one of the leading track performers, and "a crack swimmer" as well. In April 1924, Stanford's assistant director of physical education, Harry Maloney, called Nevers "a freak genius" who also excelled in the classroom.[21]

1924–25 academic year

[edit]

As a junior, Nevers was sidelined for most of the football season after suffering two broken ankles. Under head coach Pop Warner, the 1925 Stanford football team won the Pacific Coast Conference championship with a 7–0–1 record in the regular season before losing to Notre Dame and the famous Four Horsemen backfield in the 1925 Rose Bowl. Five days after having a cast removed from one of his ankles, Nevers played all 60 minutes of the Rose Bowl, averaged 42 yards on his punts, and carried the ball 34 times for 114 yards, only 13 yards less than all the Four Horsemen combined.[23]

Nevers again proved to be a multi-sport star, competing for Stanford's basketball and baseball teams in the winter and spring of 1925. A newspaper account from February 1925 stated that he was "pressing for honors as the best all around athlete in the annals of the west."[24] During the summer of 1925, Nevers worked for the Starrett Meat Company in Guerneville, California, and pitched for the town's baseball team.[25]

1925 season

[edit]

As a senior, Nevers and Pop Warner led the 1925 Stanford football team to a 7–2 record. At the end of the 1925 season, Nevers was a consensus All-American, receiving first-team honors from, among others, the All-America Board, the Associated Press, Collier's Weekly, the International News Service, Liberty magazine, the Newspaper Enterprise Association, and Athlete & Sportsman magazine.

Professional football and baseball player

[edit]

Jacksonville football team

[edit]

In December 1925, Nevers received between $25,000 and $35,000 to play professional football for a team in Jacksonville, Florida. Nevers' team played two exhibition games against NFL opponents: the Chicago Bears, led by Red Grange, on January 2, and the New York Giants on January 9. However, meager crowds forced the team to fold after only two games.[26][27][28]

1926 St. Louis Browns

[edit]

After his first venture with professional football ended, Nevers joined the St. Louis Browns of Major League Baseball. He appeared in 12 games, 11 as a pitcher, for the 1926 Browns, compiling a 2–4 win–loss record and a 4.46 earned run average (ERA) in 74-2/3 innings pitched. At the plate, he had a .185 batting average in 27 at bats.[29] Nevers threw the ball in an unusual underhand delivery. On August 13, 1926, in the highlight of Nevers' 1926 season, he pitched a complete game victory over the Detroit Tigers, giving up eight hits and two runs against a lineup that included Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Heinie Manush, Charlie Gehringer, and Harry Heilmann, and Bob Fothergill who hit .367 that year.[30]

1926 Duluth Eskimos

[edit]

In September 1926, Nevers left the Browns to play professional football for the Duluth Eskimos of the National Football League (NFL).[31] Nevers' childhood friend Ole Haugsrud owned the Eskimos. The 1926 Eskimos, with a 16-man roster, played a 29-game schedule and compiled a 19–7–3 record. Nevers reportedly played 1,714 minutes out of a possible 1,740 minutes that year.[32] Highlights of Nevers' 1926 season included the following:

  • On September 19, 1926, in Nevers' first game for Duluth, the Eskimos played their only home game, defeating the Kansas City Cowboys, 7–0. Nevers scored the game's only touchdown, kicked the extra point, and was reportedly "here, there and everywhere performing in a triple threat role."[33]
  • On October 10, 1926, Nevers led the Eskimos to a 26–0 victory over the Hammond Pros. Nevers threw a touchdown pass to Joe Rooney and also scored a rushing touchdown.[34]
  • On October 17, 1926, Nevers threw a touchdown pass, scored a rushing touchdown, and kicked three extra points in a 21–0 victory over the Racine Tornadoes.[35]
  • On October 31, 1926, the Eskimos defeated the Milwaukee Badgers, 7–6. The Los Angeles Times described Nevers as "the whole show", noting that he threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Rooney in the final five minutes and then kicked the extra point to give the Eskimos the victory.[36]
  • On November 11, 1926, Nevers scored all 13 Duluth points (two rushing touchdowns and an extra point) in a 14–13 loss to the New York Giants. Nevers' second touchdown was scored in the fourth quarter, but his kick for extra point to tie the game was blocked by Tillie Voss.[37]
  • On November 21, 1926, Nevers scored every point for the Eskimos in a 10–2 over the Canton Bulldogs. Nevers rushed for a touchdown and kicked a field goal and an extra point.[38]
  • On November 27, 1926, Nevers scored every point in a 16–0 victory over the Hartford Blues. He kicked three field goals, including one from placement at the 45-yard line, scored a touchdown, and kicked an extra point. After the game, The Hartford Daily Courant wrote: "The men of Nevers type must be depended upon to build professional football if it is to survive."[39]

Out of the 29 games played by the Eskimos in 1926, 14 are considered official by the NFL; in those games, Nevers scored 71 points on eight touchdowns, 11 extra points, and four field goals.[9] At the end of his rookie season, Nevers was a consensus pick for the fullback position on the 1926 All-Pro Team, receiving first-team honors from Collyer's Eye magazine, the Chicago Tribune, and the Green Bay Press-Gazette.[40][41]

1927 St. Louis Browns

[edit]

Nevers returned to the St. Louis Browns in 1927. He appeared in 33 games for the team, 27 as a pitcher, and compiled a 3–8 win–loss record and a 4.94 ERA in 94+2⁄3 innings pitched and a .219 batting average in 32 at bats.[29] He is often remembered for having given up two home runs to Babe Ruth during the 1927 season in which Ruth broke the major league record with 60 home runs.[42]

1927 Duluth Eskimos

[edit]

In 1927, Nevers became head coach of the Eskimos in addition to his regular position at fullback. The 1927 Eskimos compiled a 1–8 record and finished in 11th place in the NFL. Highlights of Nevers 1927 season included the following:

  • On October 23, 1927, Nevers completed 16 of 20 passes and threw four touchdown passes in a 27–0 victory over the Pottsville Maroons.[43][44]
  • On October 30, 1927, Nevers scored all 20 Duluth points on three touchdowns and two extra points in a 21–20 loss to the Cleveland Bulldogs.[45]
  • On November 13, 1927, Nevers ran 36 yards for a touchdown and kicked the extra point to account for Duluth's scoring in a 13–7 loss to the Providence Steam Roller.[46]
  • On December 11, 1927, Nevers threw two touchdown passes to Cobb Rooney and kicked two extra points to account for all 14 Duluth points in a 27–14 loss to the Chicago Bears.[47]

After the season, Nevers was again selected by the Green Bay Press-Gazette, based on the results of a questionnaires sent to the league managers and reporters, as the first-team fullback on the 1927 All-Pro Team.[48]

Mission Bells and Stanford football

[edit]

Nevers career in Major League Baseball came to an end in the spring of 1928. In six games for the Browns, he compiled a 1–0 record and 3.00 ERA in nine innings pitched.[29] His final major league appearance was on May 4, 1928, at age 25.[29] Nevers was sold by the Browns for $7,500 to the Mission Bells, a Pacific Coast League baseball team in San Francisco, in late May 1928.[49] He appeared in 35 games for the Reds in 1928, compiling a 14–11 record in 206 innings and batting .374 in 91 at bats.[50] Nevers proved a draw for the Mission team, as Stanford fans and locals from Sonoma County flocked to see Nevers pitch.[51]

In March 1928, Nevers announced that he would not return to professional football that fall, opting instead to serve as an assistant coach to Pop Warner at Stanford.[52] Nevers said of professional football: "I hurt my back last year and don't care to take any more chances."[53] He returned to Stanford in September 1928 as coach of the reserve football players.[54]

In February 1929, Nevers resigned from his coaching job at Stanford to return to the Mission baseball club in the PCL.[55] He appeared in 41 games during the 1929 season and compiled a 7–8 win–loss record.[50]

Chicago Cardinals

[edit]

1929 season

[edit]

In the fall of 1929, Nevers returned to the NFL to play fullback for the Chicago Cardinals. Highlights of Nevers' 1929 season include the following:

  • On November 6, 1929, he led the Cardinals to a 16–0 victory over the Providence Steam Roller in the first night game in NFL history; in that game, Nevers threw a 45-yard touchdown pass, kicked a 23-yard field goal, and ran for another touchdown.[56][57]
  • On November 24, 1929, Nevers scored all 19 points (three touchdowns and an extra point) in the Cardinals' 19–0 victory over the Dayton Triangles, who were playing in their final game before moving to Brooklyn to embark on their long and erratic history through the league.
  • Four days later on November 28, 1929, Nevers set an NFL record for points scored by a player in a single game. Nevers scored all 40 points in the Cardinals' 40–6 victory over the Chicago Bears; in that game, Nevers scored six rushing touchdowns, which remained an unshared NFL record until Alvin Kamara also accomplished the feat on Christmas Day, 2020 against the Minnesota Vikings.[3][58] Nevers also kicked four extra points in the same game.[59]
  • On December 1, 1929, in a narrow loss to the New York Giants, Nevers threw a touchdown pass, intercepted a Benny Friedman pass and returned it to the Giants' one-yard line, rushed for a touchdown, and kicked an extra point.[60]
  • On December 8, 1929, Nevers passed for two touchdowns, ran for a touchdown, and kicked two extra points in a 26–0 victory over the Orange Tornadoes.[61]

At the end of the 1929 season, Nevers was a consensus pick as the fullback on the 1929 All-Pro Team, receiving first-team honors from the Green Bay Press-Gazette, based on the return of 16 ballots sent to the team owners, managers, and sports writers of clubs in the NFL,[62] Collyer's Eye magazine,[63] and the Chicago Tribune.[64]

1930 season

[edit]

In 1930, Nevers returned to the Cardinals as both head coach and fullback. Highlights of his 1930 season included:

  • On October 25, 1930, Nevers rushed for two touchdowns and kicked four extra points in a 34–7 victory over the Frankford Yellow Jackets.[65]
  • On October 26, 1930, Nevers accounted for all 23 points in a 23–13 victory over the Portsmouth Spartans. In that game, Nevers threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Cobb Rooney, ran for two touchdowns, and kicked a field goal and two extra points.[66] In a single weekend, with back-to back games against Frankford and Portsmouth, Nevers accounted for four rushing touchdowns, a passing touchdown, a field goal, and six extra points.
  • On November 16, 1930, Nevers led the Cardinals to a 13–6 victory over the 1930 NFL champion Green Bay Packers. The victory broke the Packers' 22-game winning streak. Nevers threw a touchdown pass to Bunny Belden, ran for a touchdown, and converted one of two extra point attempts to account for all of the Cardinals' points.[67]

At the end of the 1930 season, Nevers was again selected as the consensus first-team fullback on the 1930 All-Pro Team with Bronko Nagurski being picked for the second-team at the position.[68][69]

1931 season

[edit]

Nevers returned to the Cardinals as fullback and head coach in 1931. Highlights of his seasons included:

  • On November 1, 1931, Nevers led the Cardinals to a 14–7 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Nevers averaged 52 yards on his punts in the game, threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Kassell, rushed for a touchdown, and kicked two extra points.[70]
  • On November 15, 1931, the Cardinals defeated the Green Bay Packers, 21–13, giving the Packers their first loss of the year. Nevers threw two touchdown passes and kicked three extra points in the game. The Associated Press called it "one of [Nevers'] greatest exhibitions".[71] The Packers went on to win the 1931 NFL championship.
  • On November 22, 1931, Nevers ran for two touchdowns and kicked two extra points as the Cardinals defeated the Portsmouth Spartans, 20–19.[72]
  • In his final NFL game, played before a crowd of 1,500 at Wrigley Field on November 29, 1931, Nevers led the Cardinals to a 21–0 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Nevers accounted for every point scored in the game with a 44-yard touchdown pass to Malloy, two rushing touchdowns, and three extra points.[73]

At the end of the 1931 season, Nevers was again selected (for the fifth time in five years in the NFL) as the fullback on the All-Pro Team, receiving first-team honors from the Green Bay Press-Gazette based on the returns of ballots sent to each club in the league as well as sports writers and officials,[74] the United Press,[75] and Collyer's Eye.[76]

On January 25, 1932, Nevers broke his wrist on the final play of a charity football game in San Francisco. Afterward, Nevers announced his retirement as a player, stating that he was getting out while he was "still in one piece," and expressing a desire to pursue a career as a coach.[77]

Coaching career

[edit]

In March 1932, Nevers was hired as an assistant coach under Pop Warner at Stanford. His initial assignment was to coach the "goof squad".[78] At the end of the 1932 season, Warner resigned as Stanford's head coach, but Nevers remained as an assistant coach under Tiny Maxwell through the 1935 season. During that time, Stanford won three consecutive Pacific Coast Conference championships and played in the 1934, 1935, and 1936 Rose Bowls.

In January 1936, Nevers resigned his position at Stanford to accept the head coaching job at Lafayette College.[79] Nevers was welcomed to the Easton, Pennsylvania, campus with a parade and street celebration as classes were suspended for the day and Lafayette students anticipated the school's "return to 'Big Time' position" of previous years.[80] The 1936 Lafayette team compiled a 1–8 record.[81]

In March 1937, Nevers resigned his post at Lafayette upon being appointed backfield and ends coach for the University of Iowa under head coach Irl Tubbs. Tubbs had been Nevers' high school football coach in Superior, Wisconsin.[82] Nevers coached at Iowa for two years during which time the team compiled records of 1–7 in 1937 and 1–6–1 in 1938.

In December 1938, after the Chicago Cardinals had compiled a 2–9 record during the 1938 season, Nevers was hired as the team's head coach.[83] The 1939 Cardinals compiled a 1–10 record. In February 1940, Nevers resigned from the Cardinals, saying he wished to reside permanently in San Francisco.[84][85]

Awards and honors

[edit]

Nevers received numerous honors and awards during and after his playing career, including the following:

  • In 1925, the football field at Santa Rosa High School was renamed Nevers Field in his honor.
  • After Nevers left Stanford, his jersey (No. 1) was retired by the football program. It was Stanford's only retired number for more than 50 years until Jim Plunkett's number was also retired.[2]
  • In 1931, a committee of 12 leading football coaches led by Pop Warner met to determine the greatest football player of all time. Nevers finished in a tie with Red Grange for second place behind only Jim Thorpe. Warner actually picked Nevers first and noted: "Ernie Nevers played his position by far the best of any player I ever saw. He had a wonderful physique – was big and powerful yet very active. Nevers was the mental type every coach likes to have on his football team. He was a fine punter, a fine forward passer, a great line plunger and a marvel on defense. Ernie Nevers was a football player without fault."[86]
  • In April 1951, Nevers was selected as the fullback on the all-time All-America team selected in a nationwide poll by the Associated Press as part of the process to select nominees for the National Football Hall of Fame.[87]
  • In November 1951, Nevers was selected as one of the inaugural inductees for the National Football Hall of Fame (later renamed the College Football Hall of Fame).[88]
  • In 1962, he was selected by Sports Illustrated as the best college football player of all time.[89]
  • In 1963, Nevers was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its charter class.[90]
  • In 1969, at the time of college football's centennial, Nevers was selected at fullback on college football's all-time All-America teams selected by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and Football News.[91][92] He was also named that same year to the National Football League 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.[93]
  • In 1979, Nevers was selected as one of the inaugural inductees (along with Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio and Bill Russell) into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame.[94]
  • In 2003, he was honored by the United States Postal Service as one of four players (along with Red Grange, Walter Camp, and Bronko Nagurski) to be featured on a postage stamp as early gridiron heroes.[95]
  • In 2010, the NFL Network ranked Nevers 89th on its list of the 100 greatest players of all time.[96]

Family, military service, and later years

[edit]

Nevers was married to Mary Elizabeth "Mae" Heagerty in February 1926 in San Francisco.[97]

On August 20, 1938, Nevers served as an official for a golf match at Duluth, Minnesota, between blind golfers Clinton F. Russell of Duluth and Dr. W. H. I. Oxenham of England, both of whom had been featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!.[98]

In September 1942, Nevers enlisted at age 39 in the United States Marine Corps; he was given the rank of captain.[99] In the spring of 1943, he was stationed at the Olds Gunnery School in Lansing, Michigan.[100] While Nevers was stationed at a Marine base in Santa Barbara, California, his wife became ill with pneumonia; she died in a San Francisco hospital in July 1943.[101] Nevers left for the South Pacific theater of World War II in October 1943.[102] In April 1944, he was reported by the Associated Press to have been stationed for the past several months with a marine amphibious unit in the Pacific.[103] In October 1944, Nevers returned to San Francisco after spending 10 months in charge of ground personnel with a squadron in the South Pacific.[104] In December 1944, while stationed at Naval Station Treasure Island in San Francisco, Nevers was promoted to the rank of major.[105] In February 1945, he became the athletic officer at the Marine Corps base in San Diego.[106]

At the end of February 1945, Nevers agreed to serve as an assistant coach with the Chicago Rockets of the All-America Football Conference upon his discharge from the Marine Corps.[107] As of mid-May 1945, Nevers was awaiting his discharge papers and had become associated with a trucking company pending the commencement of his coaching duties with the Rockets.[108] Nevers ultimately served in the fall of 1946 as the backfield coach for the Rockets.[109]

Nevers was remarried to Margery Luxem Railton of Chicago in February 1947. It was the second marriage for both.[110] They had a daughter, Tina (born May 1948),[111] Ernie Nevers also had a son, Gene Sullivan (born Aug 1947).

After retiring from football, Nevers lived in Strawberry and then Tiburon, both in Marin County, California, and worked in public relations and sales promotion for a wine association and a wholesale liquor company.[42][87][112] In 1950, Nevers and his wife had a television show broadcast on Friday nights on KGO in San Francisco.[113] In September 1954, Nevers began another television show known as "Out on a Limb With Ernie Nevers".[114]

Nevers died in May 1976 at age 73 at Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, California.[42] Press accounts differed as to the cause of his death, one indicating that he had been suffering from a kidney disorder,[115] and another saying he had been under treatment for a heart condition.[116] He was buried at Mount Tamalpais Cemetery in San Rafael, California.

Head coaching record

[edit]

College

[edit]
Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Lafayette Leopards (Middle Three Conference) (1936)
1936 Lafayette 1–8 0–1 T–2nd
Lafayette: 1–8 0–1
Total: 1–8

NFL

[edit]
Year Team Regular season Postseason
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
1927 DUL 1 8 0 .111 11th in NFL — — — —
1930 CHC 5 6 2 .462 7th in NFL — — — —
1931 CHC 5 3 0 .625 4th in NFL — — — —
1939 CHC 1 10 0 .091 5th in NFL Western — — — —
Total 12 27 2 .317 N/A — — —

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Tied with Alvin Kamara[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 2019 NFL Record and Fact Book (PDF). New York: National Football League. 2019.
  2. ^ a b Liebendorfer, Don E. (1952). "Stanford's Greatest Back ... Ernie Nevers". Scout.com. Daily Polo Alto. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Pickman, JBen (December 25, 2020). "NFL Record With Six Rushing TDs vs. Vikings". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "George Nevers Rites Will Be Held Saturday". Santa Rosa Press Democrat. April 14, 1933. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ a b "Mrs. M. A. Nevers, Grid Star's Mother, Dies". The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, California. December 8, 1937. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ "Frank Nevers". Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, California. March 29, 1953. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ Some family detail is taken from the 1910, 1920, and 1930 U.S. Census entries for George Nevers and family.
  8. ^ "Minnesota Birth Index". Ancestry.com.
  9. ^ a b "Ernie Nevers Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  10. ^ Bush, Anthony (2019). "Ernie Nevers: Duluth Sportsman" (PDF). St. Louis County (Minnesota) Historical Society. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  11. ^ "P.H.S. Defeated by Santa Rosa". Petaluma Daily Courier. October 19, 1921. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  12. ^ "Coach Hunt Has Powerful Frosh Eleven". Oakland Tribune. September 27, 1922. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  13. ^ "Santa Rosa Has Star Footballer At Stanford". Oakland Tribune. September 4, 1923. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  14. ^ "Ernie Nevers Sensation of Stanford Camp". Oakland Tribune. September 27, 1923. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  15. ^ "Nevers Best Kicker". Oakland Tribune. November 6, 1923. p. 31 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  16. ^ "Can This Giant Put the Trojans to Flight?". Oakland Tribune. October 25, 1923. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  17. ^ "Golden Bears Dedicate New Stadium by Crushing Cardinals, 9 to 0". Los Angeles Times. November 25, 1923. p. I-13 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  18. ^ "Sonoma Co. Lad Hero of Stanford". Petaluma Daily Morning Courier. November 25, 1923. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  19. ^ M. D. Tracy (December 1, 1923). "Oregon Captain Selected As Quarterback on Coast All-Star Football Squad". The Eugene Daily Guard. p. 2.
  20. ^ "Camp Recognized These Stars". Oakland Tribune. December 18, 1923. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  21. ^ a b "Stanford Has Most Versatile Athlete: Ernie Nevers "Miracle Man"; Performs on Track, Grid, Diamond and Court". Nevada State Journal. April 13, 1924. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  22. ^ "Nevers Thrives On Hard Tasks In All Sports". Oakland Tribune. April 30, 1924. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  23. ^ Ernie "Big Dog" Nevers at the College Football Hall of Fame
  24. ^ "Ernie Nevers Pressing West Athletes Hard". Great Falls Tribune. February 17, 1925. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  25. ^ "Ernie Nevers Signs With Guerneville". Oakland Tribune. June 7, 1925. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  26. ^ "Jaguars not city's first stars". The Florida Times-Union. January 16, 2000. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  27. ^ ""Pro" Outlook Dims as Ernie Nevers 'Flops'". Oakland Tribune. January 17, 1926. p. 31 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  28. ^ "Nevers Made $35,000 During Florida Venture". Oakland Tribune. February 9, 1926. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  29. ^ a b c d "Ernie Nevers Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  30. ^ "Nevers Stops Tiger Hitters In Pinch". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. August 13, 1926. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  31. ^ "Ernie Nevers Is Footballing Again". Santa Cruz Evening News. September 7, 1926. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  32. ^ "'All new' showplace at HOF". Massillon (OH) Independent. June 5, 1975. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  33. ^ "Duluth 7 Kansas City 0". Green Bay Press-Gazette. September 20, 1926. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  34. ^ "Nevers Pilots His Duluth Eskimos to Win Over Hammond". Hartford Courant. October 11, 1926. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  35. ^ "Duluth Aerial Attack Routs Racine, 21–0". Chicago Tribune. October 18, 1926. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  36. ^ "Nevers Is Whole Show: Former Stanford Fullback Stars as His Duluth Eskimos Take Measure of Rivals by 7 to 6 Score". Los Angeles Times. November 1, 1926. p. 37 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  37. ^ "Nevers Scores Two Touchdowns, Giants Defeat Duluth". The Pittsburgh Post. November 12, 1926. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  38. ^ "Canton Loses To Duluth By 10-to-2 Score". Pittsburgh Gazette Times. November 22, 1926. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  39. ^ "Blonde Ernie Nevers Proves to Hartford Fans His Greatness as Football Star: Scores Every Point As Duluth Beats Blues, 16–0". The Hartford Daily Courant. November 28, 1926. p. 2B – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  40. ^ "Lewellen Is Selected On All American Pro Team". The Green Bay Press-Gazette. December 17, 1926. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  41. ^ "1926 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
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  43. ^ "Nevers Stars In Gridiron Victory Over Pottsville". Times Leader (Wilkes-Barres, PA). October 24, 1927. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  44. ^ "Ernie Nevers: Unforgettable". Independent, Press-Telegram (Long Beach). January 25, 1970. p. 56 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  45. ^ "Nevers' Eleven Drops Game to Cleveland, 21–20". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 31, 1926. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  46. ^ "Nevers' Eleven Defeated, 13–7". The Des Moines Register. November 14, 1927. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  47. ^ "Bears Roll Up 27 to 14 Victory Over Duluth". Chicago Tribune. December 12, 1927. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  48. ^ "Two Packers On All-American '11': Lewellen at Half; Dilweg for End Job". Green Bay Press-Gazette. December 16, 1927. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  49. ^ "Ernie Nevers Goes To Bells For $7,500". Woodland (CA) Daily Democrat. May 24, 1928. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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  51. ^ "Ernie Nevers On Job Again". Santa Cruz Evening News. May 31, 1928. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  52. ^ "Ernie Nevers To Aid 'Pop' Warner". The Capital Times. March 24, 1928. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  53. ^ "Nevers To Quit League Baseball". The Post Crescent, Appleton, WI. October 10, 1928. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  54. ^ "Ernie Nevers to Coach Stanford Reserve Gridmen". Santa Cruz Evening News. September 13, 1928. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  55. ^ "Ernie Nevers Quits Job On Stanford Grid Staff". Los Angeles Times. February 18, 1929. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  56. ^ "Cards Defeat Rollers In Night Grid Tilt". The Morning News (Wilmington, DE). November 8, 1929. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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  60. ^ "Field Goal by Plansky Gives Win to Giants". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 2, 1929. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  61. ^ "Cardinals Give Orange Worst Beating, 26–0". Chicago Tribune. December 9, 1929. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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  65. ^ "Cardinals Romp to 34–7 Triumph Over Frankford". Chicago Tribune. October 26, 1930. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  66. ^ "Portsmouth Routed, 23–13, By Cards' Rally". Chicago Tribune. October 27, 1930. p. 23.
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  68. ^ George Whitney Calhoun (December 20, 1930). "Dilweg, Michalske Named On All-American Pro Team; Grange, Nevers Also Chosen". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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  70. ^ "Cardinals Win 1st Game; Beat Brooklyn, 14–7: Nevers Leads Chicagoans to Victory". Chicago Tribune. November 2, 1931. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  71. ^ "Ernie Nevers and His Cards Defeat Green Bay Eleven". The Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, WI). November 16, 1931. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  72. ^ Wilfrid Smith. "Cards Plow To 20–19 Victory Over Spartans: Nevers Scores Twice in Muddy Battle". Chicago Tribune. pp. 23–24 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  73. ^ "Cards Conquer Cleveland, 21–0, In Charity Game: Only 1,500 See Nevers' Men Triumph". Chicago Tribune. November 30, 1931. pp. 2–4 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  74. ^ George Whitney Calhoun (December 19, 1931). "Four Green Bay Players Chosen On All-American". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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  77. ^ "Ernie Nevers Grid Career At End; Famed Fullback Expects To Become Coach". The Sandusky Register. January 26, 1932. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  78. ^ "Name Nevers On Stanford Coach Staff". Santa Ana Register. March 16, 1932. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  79. ^ "Nevers Named Lafayette Coach, Quits Tribe: Tiny Sorry But Wishes Aid Good Luck". Oakland Tribune. January 17, 1936. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  80. ^ "Lafayette Suspends Classes To Welcome Ernie Nevers As Head Football Coach". Pottstown (PA) Mercury. March 17, 1936. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  81. ^ "2010 Lafayette Football". Lafayette College. 2010. p. 118. Archived from the original on April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
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  83. ^ George Strickler (December 2, 1938). "Nevers Returns To Pro Ranks As Coach of Cards". Chicago Tribune. pp. 27, 39 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  84. ^ "Nevers Mails Resignation as Cards' Coach". Chicago Tribune. February 20, 1940. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  85. ^ "Ernie Nevers Quits as Cardinal Coach". Los Angeles Times. February 20, 1940. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  86. ^ "Who Is Football's Greatest Players?". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 22, 1931. p. 95 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  87. ^ a b Russ Newland (April 12, 1951). "Nevers Named All Time All America Back". Santa Cruz Sentinel. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  88. ^ "53 Men Honored In Hall of Fame: Hutson, Nevers Go In on First Ballot". News-Herald (Marshfield, WI). November 5, 1951. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  89. ^ Wright, Alfred. "The Best College Player of All-Time". Sports Illustrated Vault. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
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  91. ^ "Grange, Nagurski Top Modern All-Time Team In College Football". The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, CA). September 18, 1969. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  92. ^ "Simpson, Nobis Named All-Time All-Americans". The Cumberland News. September 9, 1969. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  93. ^ "Unitas, Brown, Sayers on All-Time NFL Team". Great Falls Tribune. September 7, 1969. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  94. ^ "Baseball Greats Join Inductees In Bay Area Hall of Fame". Santa Cruz Sentinel. October 12, 1979. p. 43 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  95. ^ Doug Zellmer (September 16, 2003). "Football legend honored on postage stamp: Ernie Nevers recognized as an early gridiron hero". The Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  96. ^ "Top 100 Players of All Time". The Hartford Courant. November 7, 2010. p. E7 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  97. ^ "Ernie Nevers and Wife Mix Signals, Dodge Rice Play". Oakland Tribune. February 17, 1926. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  98. ^ "Blind Golfers Match Strokes in City Today". Duluth News-Tribune. August 20, 1938. p. 1.
  99. ^ "Ernie Nevers Gets Marine Captaincy". Santa Ana Register. September 17, 1942. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  100. ^ "City Is Host To Grid Great". Lansing State Journal. April 4, 1943. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  101. ^ "Mrs. Ernie Nevers Claimed By Death in S.F. Hospital". The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California). July 14, 1943. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  102. ^ Russ Newland (October 23, 1943). "Captain Ernie Nevers of Marine Corps Finally Gets His Oveseas Assignment". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  103. ^ "Nevers, Former Star, to Seek Post-War Pro Grid Franchise". Decatur Herald and Review. April 9, 1944. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  104. ^ "Ernie Nevers Back From Pacific Area Reports On Athletics and Snakes". Reno Gazette-Journal. October 5, 1933. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  105. ^ "Nevers Becomes Major". The Fresno Bee. December 22, 1944. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  106. ^ "Ernie Nevers Joins San Diego Marines". The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California). February 9, 1945. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  107. ^ "Dick Hanley To Coach Chicago All-America". Chicago Tribune. March 1, 1945. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  108. ^ "Nevers To Leave Marine Service". Petaluma Argus-Courier. May 23, 1945. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  109. ^ "Pat Boland Named Rockets Coach". The Honolulu Advertiser. October 30, 1946. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  110. ^ "Ernie Nevers Will Wed Chicago Woman Today". Chicago Tribune. February 1, 1947. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  111. ^ "Ernie Nevers A Proud Father". Petaluma Argus-Courier. May 26, 1948. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  112. ^ ""Why Big Hubbub?" Ernie Nevers Asks". The Cincinnati Enquirer. July 22, 1956. p. 55 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  113. ^ Ward, Alan (July 23, 1950). "On Second Thought". Oakland Tribune. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  114. ^ "Ernie Nevers To Start TV Series". Independent-Journal (San Rafael, Calif.). September 17, 1954. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  115. ^ "Grid great Nevers dies". Chicago Tribune. May 4, 1976. p. 4-1 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  116. ^ "Death Stops Greatest 60-Minute Football Player in Ernie Nevers". Palladium-Item, Richmond, Indiana. May 4, 1976. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon

Further reading

[edit]
  • Sullivan, George (1972). The Great Running Backs. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. pp. 31–36. ISBN 0-399-11026-7.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ernie Nevers.
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