Boris Stephan "Babe" Dimancheff (September 6, 1922 – October 17, 2008) was an American football halfback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Boston Yanks (1945–1946), the Chicago Cardinals (1947–1950), and the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

(1952). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Purdue University.

Early years

Dimancheff attended George Washington Community High School, where he lettered in football, basketball and track. He was a captain of both the football and basketball teams. In 1940, he received the Dyer Medal Award for Best Character and Athlete in the City of Indianapolis. As a senior, he was named All-state and All-city in both football and basketball. He moved on to play football at Butler University, where he played left halfback and was named the freshman team captain. In his second year he received All-Conference honors, before military service in World War II interrupted his college career. He returned to play at Purdue University, starting at

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

during the 1943 and 1944 seasons. He starred in a powerful backfield, alongside

Tony Butkovich Anthony J. Butkovich (April 4, 1921 – April 18, 1945) was an American football fullback from the University of Illinois and spent his last year at Purdue. He was drafted by the Cleveland Rams in the first round of the 1944 NFL Draft. Instea ...

. In 1943, he led the Boilermakers to a perfect season, the Big Ten Conference title and a #3 AP ranking. His senior season (1944) was his best year as he was selected as the team captain, named to the International News Service's All-American team, named All-Big Ten (1st team) and was selected as the Most Valuable Player in the Big 9 Conference. He played in the

East–West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

in 1944. In 2007, he was inducted into the

Indiana Football Hall of Fame The Indiana Football Hall of Fame is a sports museum and hall of fame in Richmond, Indiana. It honors persons associated with high school, college and professional American football in Indiana. It also works to establish scholarships and endowments ...

. In 2009, he was inducted into the Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Dimancheff was selected by the Boston Yanks in the third round (27th overall) of the

1944 NFL Draft The 1944 National Football League Draft was held on April 19, 1944, at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Boston Yanks selected quarterback Angelo Bertelli. Player selections Round ...

. He began his playing career in 1945 as a halfback. In 1947, he played for the Chicago Cardinals and led them to win the NFL championship. The next year, he helped the team reach the NFL championship game again, where they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles. At one time he held the franchise records for Most Yardage Gained on Kickoff returns and Longest Kickoff return. He finished his career with the

in 1952.

Coaching career

Following his NFL career he moved into the coaching ranks, In 1951, he became the backfield coach at Butler University. In 1953 he coached at Purdue University. From 1954 to 1956 he coached at Hamtramck High School, in Hamtramck, Michigan. There he led the Maroons to two state titles. His star player was Willie Fleming. After winning his second state title, Dimancheff returned to the NFL, where he spent 12 seasons as a coach and director of player personnel. In 1957, he began as the backfield and receivers coach for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

and was also the team's director of player personnel. He spent the 1957 through 1959 seasons with the Steelers. In 1960, he joined the Dallas Cowboys for their inaugural season, becoming the first backfield coach in franchise history. After two years in Dallas, he accepted the

offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...

position at Wake Forest University. By 1964, he was the head coach and general manager of the Canton Bulldogs of the United Football League. In 1965, he moved with the franchise to Philadelphia and coached the Bulldogs for one season in the

Continental Football League The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football minor league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to beco ...

. By 1966, Dimancheff was back in the NFL as the receivers coach and director of player personnel for

George Halas George Stanley Halas Sr. (; February 2, 1895October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was an American professional football player, coach, and team owner. He was the founder and owner of the National Football League's Chic ...

and the

. Dimancheff spent seven seasons in Chicago before moving on to the

World Football League The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest t ...

(WFL) and a job as the offensive coordinator for the Southern California Sun. When the league folded after the 1975 season, he remained in Southern California.

References

External links

Indiana Football Hall of Fame profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dimancheff, Babe 1922 births 2008 deaths American football halfbacks Boston Yanks players Butler Bulldogs football players Chicago Cardinals players Chicago Bears coaches Chicago Bears executives Chicago Bears players Continental Football League coaches Dallas Cowboys coaches Pittsburgh Steelers coaches Pittsburgh Steelers executives Purdue Boilermakers football players United Football League (1961–1964) coaches Wake Forest Demon Deacons football coaches Southern California Sun coaches High school football coaches in Michigan Players of American football from Indianapolis