Daniel John Devine (December 23, 1924 – May 9, 2002) was an
American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
from 1955 to 1957, the
University of Missouri from 1958 to 1970, and the
University of Notre Dame from 1975 to 1980, compiling a career
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 ...
mark of 173–56–9. Devine was also the head coach of the
National Football League's
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
from 1971 to 1974, tallying a mark of 25–27–4. His
1977 Notre Dame team won a
national championship after beating
Texas in the
Cotton Bowl. Devine was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...
as a coach in 1985.
Early life and military service
Born in
Augusta, Wisconsin, Devine later went to live with an aunt and uncle in
Proctor, Minnesota. As a star at
Proctor High School, Devine started at
quarterback as a freshman and later became known as "The Proctor Flash," a name given to him by his friend
Lute Olson. He also competed in three other sports during his four years at the school, and graduated in 1942.
Devine then enrolled at the Duluth State Teachers College (now the
University of Minnesota Duluth), and was team captain of both the basketball and football teams, playing as a 170 lb. (77 kg) quarterback. His time at the school was interrupted after his enlistment in the
Army Air Corps during
World War II, where he became a
B-29
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fly ...
flight officer. He graduated from college in 1948 with a
bachelor's degree in history.
Early years as a coach at Michigan State
Devine earned his first coaching job as head coach at
East Jordan High School
East Jordan is a city in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,239 at the 2020 census.
The city is at the end of the south arm of Lake Charlevoix at the mouth of the Jordan River. The corporate headquarters of ...
in
Michigan, reaching his interview by a combination of bus travel and hitch-hiking. Following two undefeated seasons at the school, he accepted an assistant position at
Michigan State University
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...
in 1950 under head coach
Clarence Munn. For the next five seasons, he helped the
Spartans achieve success, including winning a
national championship in
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
.
Arizona State
On February 5, 1955, Devine accepted the head coaching position at Arizona State College, now
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
, in
Tempe, Arizona. Joining him as an assistant was
Frank Kush, who would have even greater success at the school after Devine's departure. During his three years with the
Sun Devils, Devine compiled a record of 27–3–1 (.887), including a spotless 10–0 mark during his final campaign. In that last season, Devine's team led the nation in total offense and scoring, averaging just under 40 points per game in the latter category.
Missouri
His success at Arizona State resulted in an offer from the
University of Missouri, which he accepted on December 18, 1957. At first, Devine was reluctant to accept the position; his flight to Missouri had developed engine trouble. In addition, Devine had hot chocolate spilled on him by a
stewardess during the flight, which arrived six hours late.
Over the next 13 years, Devine would turn the once-dormant program into a consistently competitive school that finished with a Top 20 ranking nine times. His record of 93–37–7 (.704) included four bowl game victories, with his winning percentage passing that of his predecessor
Don Faurot. He left Mizzou with the second most number of wins as coach in school history, behind only Faurot. He is now third after
Gary Pinkel passed him in 2013.
After finishing 5–4–1 in his first year in 1958, Devine (with two years left on his contract) gained some job security when a group of Mizzou alumni funded a $150,000
life insurance
Life insurance (or life assurance, especially in the Commonwealth of Nations) is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer or assurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death ...
policy that covered him as long as he remained as head coach of the Tigers. The investment paid off as Missouri never lost more than three games over the next decade.
In 1960, the Tigers began the year unranked, but after shutting out
SMU 20–0, in the season opener, moved up to 16th and continued to head upward in the weekly rankings. Following that win with eight straight victories, Missouri became the top-ranked team in the country following a 41–19 victory over
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
.
Needing only a victory over
Kansas to clinch a national championship, the Tigers (favored by a touchdown) instead were stunned in a 23–7 upset loss. After an
Orange Bowl victory over
Navy on January 1, 1961, Missouri finished the year ranked fifth in a season which saw upwards of four teams claim a share of the national title. Kansas was later forced to forfeit 2 games in a vote by Big 8 schools (3–5) because the Jayhawks'
Bert Coan had received a ticket to a college all-star game by a Kansas booster and was thus voted ineligible by the Conference. The Big 8 chose not to vote on the issue mid-season, though it was known prior to the game. Missouri claims the 1960 game as a win by forfeit—thus making 1960 the only undefeated and untied season in school history.
While never again reaching that level, Missouri maintained its strength throughout the 1960s, with Devine taking on the added duties of
athletic director in 1967 after Faurot stepped down from that post. During his three years in the latter role, he made a key hire when he selected
Norm Stewart to head the fortunes of the school's men's
basketball squad.
After finishing 9–1 in 1969, a season capped off with a massive 69–21 win over KU that saw Jayhawk coach
Pepper Rodgers showing the
peace sign to Devine late in the game and Devine "
return half of it", Missouri faced Penn State in the
1970 Orange Bowl
The 1970 Orange Bowl was the 36th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Thursday, January 1. The final game of the 1969–70 bowl game season, it matched the independent and second-ranked ...
. The Nittany Lions entered the game with a 28-game winning streak, and extended the string by intercepting seven Tiger passes in a 10–3 defensive battle.
Green Bay Packers
After suffering his first losing season in 1970, Devine left Missouri on January 14, 1971, to become the head coach and general manager of the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
of the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
, succeeding
Phil Bengtson.
Devine acknowledged the pressure of the position but had the benefit of not immediately following legendary coach
Vince Lombardi. Bengtson had endured three years of unrealistic expectations following Lombardi's brief retirement after
Super Bowl II
The second AFL-NFL World Championship Game (known retroactively as Super Bowl II) was an American football game played on January 14, 1968, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. The National Football League (NFL)'s defending champion Green Bay P ...
.
Devine's career in Green Bay got off to a painful start when he suffered a broken leg following a sideline collision in the season opener, a 42–40 loss to the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
.
After finishing 4–8–2 in
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
, Devine headed a brief resurgence that "The Pack is Back" by dethroning the four-time division champion
Minnesota Vikings in
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
to reach the
playoffs, the Packers' first post-season in five years. The Packers lost 16–3 in the first round to the
Washington Redskins at
RFK Stadium
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the w ...
on
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...
.
The Packers did not reach the postseason for another decade, during the expanded
16-team playoffs of the strike-shortened
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
season. Green Bay would not return to the playoffs in a non-strike year until
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
and would not win another divisional title until 1995. Unable to recapture the success of 1972, Devine's final two seasons at Green Bay were disappointing (5–7–2 in
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
and 6–8 in
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
).
Midway through his last season as Packers head coach in 1974, Devine engineered a memorable trade in which Green Bay exchanged two 1st round picks, two 2nd round picks, and a 3rd round pick for 34-year-old quarterback
John Hadl from the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
. The Packers were 3–3 at the time with lackluster play from quarterback
Jerry Tagge, and Devine apparently believed an experienced quarterback was the last piece of the puzzle.
Hadl, however, would play only two years as a Packer, winning just seven games while throwing 29 interceptions during that span. Meanwhile, the Rams used the picks acquired in the trade to draft players who would help them dominate the
NFC West in the 1970s. To this day, many Packer fans have never forgiven Devine for the trade, which is widely reckoned as the worst trade for a starting quarterback in NFL history.
Devine's wife was diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis
Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...
during the season.
As the Packers' performance declined, Devine's relationship with the fans deteriorated, and his family started to get verbally harassed during games. An incident occurred where one of his dogs was shot by a neighbor. Devine claimed that the shooter was an angry Packers fan, but the farmer who shot the dog said that he shot the dog because it had been constantly straying onto his property, and he had warned Devine in the past that he would shoot Devine's dog if it came near his home again.
After a three-game losing streak knocked the Packers out of the playoffs, Devine resigned on December 16, 1974, to become the head coach at the
University of Notre Dame. His departure was also controversial, as the Packers' board of directors were prepared to buy Devine out of his contract, but Devine told them that he was going to return to coach the team in 1975. Devine asked for his last season's paycheck to come in advance, and after it was given to him, he announced his resignation.
Notre Dame
Devine had been a leading candidate for the head coaching job at
Notre Dame
Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to:
* Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France
* University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States
** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, th ...
in 1964, when
Ara Parseghian was hired. When approached for the job following Parseghian's resignation a decade later, Devine accepted immediately, joking that it was probably the shortest job interview in history.
In his six seasons at Notre Dame, Devine compiled a 53–16–1 mark (.764). His lasting achievement came midway through this run, when the
Fighting Irish won the 1977 national championship, led by junior quarterback
Joe Montana. The regular season was highlighted by the Irish's 21–17 come-from-behind win over Clemson at Death Valley, when Devine repeatedly gave the middle finger salute to the raucous home crowd.
The championship season was completed with a convincing 38–10 win in the
1978 Cotton Bowl Classic
The 1978 Cotton Bowl Classic was the 42nd edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Monday, January 2. Part of the 1977–78 bowl game season, it matched the top-ranked and undefeated Texas L ...
over previously top-ranked
Texas, led by
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
winner
Earl Campbell. The win vaulted the Irish from fifth to first in the polls.
Earlier in the season, before the annual game against
USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
, played at home on October 22, Devine changed the team's jerseys from
navy blue & white to
kelly green & gold, which would remain for the rest of his time at the school.
He also added names to the players' jerseys on a permanent basis when he took over at Notre Dame. Previously, names had been included on jerseys only during bowl games. (The traditional navy blue & white jerseys without names returned in the 1980s under
Lou Holtz
Louis Leo Holtz (born January 6, 1937) is an American former football player, coach, and analyst. He served as the head football coach at The College of William & Mary (1969–1971), North Carolina State University (1972–1975), the New York ...
.)
Devine's teams won three bowl games, including consecutive Cotton Bowl Classics. In the
1979 Cotton Bowl Classic
The 1979 Cotton Bowl Classic was the 43rd edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Monday, January 1. Part of the 1978–79 bowl game season, it matched the tenth-ranked Notre Dame Fig ...
, the Irish trailed 34–12 with 7:27 remaining in the game. They rallied for 23 unanswered points behind ailing senior quarterback
Joe Montana for an incredible 35–34 victory over
Houston. The game, played in an unseasonal storm of freezing sleet and rain, became part of college football folklore, referred to as the
Chicken Soup Game
The 1979 Cotton Bowl Classic was the 43rd edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Monday, January 1. Part of the 1978–79 bowl game season, it matched the tenth-ranked Notre Dame Fig ...
.
Because he had the unenviable task of following a legend, Devine came under heavy scrutiny while at Notre Dame and it was felt that he was never fully embraced by the Notre Dame community, despite winning a national championship. After a 5–2 start in his first season, rumors of incompetence were circulated and that Devine would be dismissed and replaced by
Don Shula
Donald Francis Shula (January 4, 1930 – May 4, 2020) was an American football defensive back and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1963 to 1995. The head coach of the Miami Dolphins for most of his ca ...
or even
Ara Parseghian (who went so far as to say he would not return to coaching under any circumstances). Even on the day of the 1977 USC game, "Dump Devine" bumper stickers were being sold outside Notre Dame Stadium.
He also had the notoriety of losing to his old program, a shocking 3–0 loss to the Tigers at South Bend in 1978. It wasn't until after Devine had left Notre Dame that fans began to appreciate him.
Devine was involved in a game while at Notre Dame whose ending resulted in a rule change still in effect today. On September 15, 1979, the Irish faced the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor in their season opener. With six seconds remaining, Michigan lined up for a game-winning field goal attempt. Notre Dame linebacker Bob Crable ran onto the backs of offensive lineman
Tim Foley and defensive end Scott Zettek and was able to block the kick, preserving a 12–10 Irish victory. A new rule was implemented the following season that prohibited this tactic.
On August 15, 1980, Devine announced that he would be leaving Notre Dame at the end of the 1980 season, saying he wanted to be able to spend more time with his wife. Notre Dame named
Gerry Faust as Devine's successor on November 24, 1980. At the time, Devine's Irish were enjoying a surprisingly
successful season, with a 9–0–1 record and No. 2 ranking in the polls, behind only
Georgia. However, after Faust's hiring was announced, Notre Dame lost its regular season finale at rival
USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
, 20–3, and then lost the
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
to Georgia, 17–10, giving the Bulldogs their first national championship and spoiling Devine's last game as a head football coach.
Later life and death
Devine moved back to
Arizona and became a fundraiser for Arizona State's Sun Devil Foundation. In 1985, he was elected to the
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...
, and then returned to his old school at Missouri seven years later as athletic director to help navigate the school through financial troubles. Devine was inducted into the inaugural class of the University of Minnesota Duluth Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991.
In 2000, Devine's wife died. His own health began to deteriorate in February 2001, when after undergoing
heart surgery, he suffered a ruptured
aorta. Fifteen months later, he died at home.
In popular culture
Devine was portrayed by actor
Chelcie Ross in the film ''
Rudy''. In the film, Devine is portrayed in a somewhat unfavorable light, acting as a hindrance to
Daniel Ruettiger's dream of dressing for Notre Dame or appearing in a game. Devine was reported to be incensed with how he was portrayed in the film, noting that he had planned to allow Rudy to play all along. He also maintained that none of the players laid down their jerseys on his desk as a form of protest and if anyone had, they would have been kicked off the squad. Devine was asked by movie producers to allow his dramatized character to "play the heavy," to provide dramatic plot opportunities. While Devine agreed, he later wrote that he didn't believe Ross's portrayal would be as antagonistic as it turned out in the finished film.
Head coaching record
College
NFL
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devine, Dan
1924 births
2002 deaths
American football quarterbacks
United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
Arizona State Sun Devils football coaches
College Football Hall of Fame inductees
Green Bay Packers general managers
Green Bay Packers head coaches
High school football coaches in Michigan
Michigan State Spartans football coaches
Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs football players
Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs men's basketball players
Missouri Tigers athletic directors
Missouri Tigers football coaches
National Football League general managers
NCAA sanctions
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football coaches
People from Augusta, Wisconsin
People from Proctor, Minnesota
Players of American football from Minnesota
United States Army Air Forces officers
American men's basketball players
Military personnel from Wisconsin
Military personnel from Minnesota