Samuel Doyle Nave (July 12, 1915 – December 10, 1990) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player and coach. He was known for coming off the bench and throwing the game-winning touchdown in the

1939 Rose Bowl The 1939 Rose Bowl was the 25th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Monday, January 2 and concluded the 1938 college football season. The seventh-ranked USC Trojans of the Pacific Co ...

. He was drafted 6th overall by the Detroit Lions but did not play for them. Afterwards he was the head coach of the Hawaii Polar Bears, a minor-league team.

Early life

Doyle Nave was born on July 12, 1915 in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.

College career

Nave went to college at USC. He played on their freshmen team in 1936. From 1937 to 1939, he was one of their backup quarterbacks.

1939 Rose Bowl

In the

, he came off the bench with little time left and threw 4 straight completed passes to tight end Al Krueger. His fourth pass was completed for a touchdown with seconds remaining to beat the

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

7–3. It was the only points Duke allowed all season. Nave and Krueger were named MVPs and later were inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. He later pursued track and high jumping.

Professional career

Detroit Lions

In 1940 Nave was drafted sixth overall by the Detroit Lions but he did not play for them.

Hollywood Bears and Hawaii Polar Bears

After being drafted by the Lions, he became the Head Coach of the Hawaii Polar Bears, a minor league team. He played for them and also played shortly with the Hollywood Bears.

Death

Nave died on December 10, 1990 at the age of 75.