Merton Arthur Dunnigan (January 24, 1894 – March 30, 1937), sometimes known as "Mert" or "Pat", was an American football player. 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 ...

for Minnesota from 1913 to 1915 and professional football for 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 ...

(1922), Minneapolis Marines (1924), and Milwaukee Badgers (1925–1926). He later served as an assistant football coach at Minnesota from 1932 to 1937.

Early years

Dunnigan was born in 1895 in Bay City, Michigan. He attended West High School in Minneapolis.

College athlete

He played college football for the University of Minnesota from 1913 to 1915. As a senior, he was selected by Walter Eckersall as a first-team guard on the 1915 All-America college football team. He was also selected by

Frank G. Menke Frank Grant Menke (October 10, 1885 – May 13, 1954) was an American newspaper reporter, author, and sports historian. He wrote for the Hearst Newspapers from 1912 to 1932 and his articles appeared daily in 300 newspapers across the country. He ...

as a second-team All-American.

Professional football

He played professional football for Duluth (1917), the

(1922), Minneapolis Marines (1924), and Milwaukee Badgers (1925–1926). He appeared in 20 NFL games as an end tackle, and guard.

Coaching career

Dunnigan served three different stints as an assistant coach at Minnesota, first under head coach Henry L. Williams from 1917 to 1919, then under Clarence Spears in the 1920s, and finally under Bernie Bierman in the 1930s.

Death

Dunnigan died in his sleep of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1937 at age 42.

References