Russell "Doss" Rebholz (September 11, 1908 – August 1, 2002) was a professional football player for the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fie ...

and later a high school and college football and basketball coach.

College

A native of

Portage, Wisconsin Portage is a city in and the county seat of Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,581 at the 2020 census making it the largest city in Columbia County. The city is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. Po ...

, Rebholz was a letter winner in football from 1929 to 1931 and in basketball from 1930 to 1931 at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

. In 1930, he led the Midwest,

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, and UW in scoring, with 48 points. Rebholz played in the 1932

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Professional football

In 1932, Rebholz played for and coached the Salamander Water Polo Club In Japan. From 1933 to 1938, he was a player/coach for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers football team, which won the 1935 Grey Cup. Nicknamed "The Wisconsin Wraith" while with the Blue Bombers, he wore jersey number 66.Canadian Football Hall of Fame - Russ (Doss) Rebholz
/ref> Rebholz was one of the first two football imports to arrive in Canada from the United States. A versatile halfback, he was known for his passing, running, blocking, and kicking abilities. In a 1934 exhibition game, he threw one of the longest passes ever, 68 yards in the air, to Lynn Patrick for a touchdown. In the 1935 Grey Cup game, he threw two touchdown passes and led the Blue Bombers to a Dominion Championship over the favored

Hamilton Tigers The Hamilton Tigers were a professional ice hockey team based in Hamilton, Ontario. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1920 to 1925. The Tigers were formed by the sale of the Quebec Bulldogs NHL franchise to Hamilton intere ...

from the East. He was elected a charter member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame on November 27, 1963, and the Winnipeg Blue Bomber Hall of Fame in 1984.

Coaching career

During his coaching career, Rebholz served at Stevens Point, Racine Horlick High School and the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscon ...

in a variety of positions, earning six Coach of the Year honors. While at Horlick High School, he led the team to a winning season in men's basketball. The community started calling the team Rebholz's Rebels for their style of play, and the nickname stuck. Rebels is now one of the two official nicknames for the school's athletic teams.The Journal Times Onlin
As team name, Rebels still rule at Horlick High
/ref>The Journal Times Onlin
correction
/ref> Between 1952 and 1963, Rebholz compiled a .539 winning percentage (123-105) while coaching the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee men's basketball team. He was 58-42 in his first 100 games as the coach at UW–Milwaukee, which is second best in the school's history, behind former

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegi ...

coach

Bruce Pearl Bruce Alan Pearl (born March 18, 1960) is an American college basketball coach, and the head coach of the Auburn Tigers men's basketball team. He previously served as the head coach at Tennessee, Milwaukee, and Southern Indiana. Pearl led Southe ...

, who was 66-34 in his first 100 games at the university. In the 1959-1960 season, the team went 18-4 overall and 10-2 in the

Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) is a college athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. In women's gymnastics, it competes alongside Division I and II members, as the NCAA sponsors a single champions ...

(WIAC) and were the NCAA College Division Regional Third Place team. It was the first time the school had made it to the post-season. They lost to Lincoln and beat Augustana College. The Panthers were nicknamed the Cardinals at the time.JS Online: Panthers have been in post-season
/ref> In 2000, Rebholz was inducted into the University of Wisconsin/National W Club Hall of Fame.

Head coaching record

Basketball

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rebholz, Russ 1908 births 2002 deaths American expatriate sportspeople in Canada American football halfbacks American men's basketball coaches American players of Canadian football Basketball coaches from Wisconsin Basketball players from Wisconsin Canadian football running backs College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball coaches Wisconsin Badgers football players Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players People from Portage, Wisconsin Players of American football from Wisconsin Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees American men's basketball players