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| No. 40 | |||||||||
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| Position | End | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1913-01-31)January 31, 1913 Roxbury, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | November 19, 1976(1976-11-19) (aged 63) Arlington, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 189 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Salem (MA) Malvern (Malvern, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||
| College | Notre Dame | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1936: 8th round, 65th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference  | |||||||||
Wayne Vernal Millner (January 31, 1913 – November 19, 1976) was an American professionalfootball player who was anoffensive anddefensive end for theBoston / Washington Redskins of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theNotre Dame Fighting Irish.
Millner grew up inRoxbury, Massachusetts, and was Jewish.[1][2][3] He playedhigh school football atSalem High School,[4] where he earned All-State honors in football during each of his four seasons of play.
Millner later played for three prep schools, includingMalvern Preparatory School,[5] until Notre Dame recruited him in 1933.[4]
Millner attended and playedcollege football at theUniversity of Notre Dame from 1933 through 1935.
While at Notre Dame, Millner was involved in many notable plays. In 1933, Notre Dame was playing unbeatenArmy and trailed 12–6 with one minute to play. Then Millner blocked an Army punt and recovered it for a touchdown and Notre Dame won 13–12.[5]
In 1935, both Notre Dame andOhio State University were unbeaten. Notre Dame trailed 13–0, but then scored two late touchdowns. Millner then caught a touchdown pass fromBill Shakespeare in the closing seconds to beat Ohio State, 18–13 and stayed undefeated.[5]
Millner wasdrafted in the eighth round of the1936 NFL draft by theBoston Redskins, with head coachRay Flaherty seeing him as a major component to winning a league championship.[6] After losing to theGreen Bay Packers in the title game that year, the franchise moved toWashington, D.C. in1937 and defeated theChicago Bears 28–21 to win the title. Millner played a big role in the victory, catchingtouchdown passes of 55 and 78 yards fromSammy Baugh.[7]
Millner entered theUnited States Navy during World War II and after three years away, returned to the Redskins for one final season in1945 before retiring.[4]
During his seven seasons, he caught 124 passes for 1,578 yards, a 12.7 average, and 12 touchdowns.[7]
In 1968, Millner was enshrined in thePro Football Hall of Fame, becoming only the third Notre Dame player (to that point) to earn the honor. A touching moment took place during the induction ceremonies, when the large crowd there to cheer for former teammateCliff Battles, also chose to give Millner a huge ovation. Millner had only been accompanied by his wife, Sara.
While playing for the Redskins, Millner was an assistant coach withThe Catholic University of America'sCardinals, and went with them to the1940 Sun Bowl.[8] After having served as a player-coach in 1945, Millner became a full-time assistant for the team the following year, spending three seasons in that role. In 1949, he moved to theAll-America Football Conference as aChicago Hornets assistant, then spent the next year in the same role with the originalBaltimore Colts.
In 1951, he was hired as an assistant with thePhiladelphia Eagles underBo McMillin, but when McMillin was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, Millner was elevated to interim head coach. He resigned prior to the start of the1952 NFL season, citing health problems. However, just 17 days after his decision, he accepted an assistant coaching position with the Redskins.
Millner stayed as an assistant until 1957, when he accepted an assistant coaching position atHardin–Simmons University, working under his old cohort, Baugh. After just one season, Millner resigned the post and worked as a car salesman until returning to the Redskins as a scout in 1963, the same year he suffered his firstheart attack.
Millner returned to coaching one final time when he served one year as an assistant with theWorld Football League'sFlorida Blazers under former RedskinJack Pardee in 1974. Originally, the team was scheduled to begin play as theVirginia Ambassadors before financial considerations forced the move.
Millner died of aheart attack in 1976. The entire Redskins organization attended his funeral.
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