Ernest Alonzo Nevers (June 11, 1902 – May 3, 1976), nicknamed "Big Dog",[2] was an American professionalfootball andbaseball player and football coach. Widely regarded as one of the best football players in the first half of the 20th century, he played as afullback and was atriple-threat man known for his talents in running, passing, and kicking. He was inducted with the inaugural classes of inductees into both theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and thePro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. He was also named in 1969 to theNFL 1920s All-Decade Team.
Nevers played four sports (football,basketball, baseball, andtrack and field) forStanford University from 1923 to 1925 and was a consensus first-team All-American in football in1925. He played professional football in theNational Football League (NFL) for theDuluth Eskimos in 1926 and 1927 and theChicago Cardinals from 1929 to 1931. In 1929, one week after defeating theDayton Triangles, who were playing in their final game before moving to Brooklyn to embark on their long and tenuous history through the league, he set an NFL record that still stands by scoring 40 points in a single game. In the same game, he set another NFL record by scoring six rushing touchdowns in a single game against theChicago Bears, a record that remained unequaled until the 2020 season in whichNew Orleans Saints running backAlvin Kamara also accomplished the feat, scoring six touchdowns against theMinnesota Vikings on Christmas Day.[3] Nevers also played professional baseball as apitcher for theSt. Louis Browns of theAmerican League from 1926 to 1928 and theMission Bells of thePacific Coast League (PCL) in 1928 and 1929.
Nevers' parents, George and Mary Ann Nevers, were immigrants to the United States fromNew Brunswick, Canada. In addition to Ernie, they had five sons (Harry, Frank, John, George, and Arthur) and one daughter (Edith).[4][5][6][7] By the time Nevers was born, the family had moved from New Brunswick toWillow River, Minnesota, where Nevers was born in 1902.[8][9] The family moved again toSuperior, Wisconsin, where Nevers grew up and attended Superior Central High School. In 1920, the family moved to a ranch and fruit farm in the Rincon Valley section ofSanta Rosa inSonoma County, California.[4][5] Nevers attendedSanta Rosa High School for the first half of his senior year. He led the Santa Rosa football team by scoring 108 of the team's 170 points. After starting the basketball season for Santa Rosa, he returned to Superior early in 1921 to play for Central. He graduated from Central that spring.[10]
In 1921, Nevers attendedSanta Rosa Junior College and was the star of the school's football team. In a game against Petaluma, he scored four touchdowns and kicked six extra points and a field goal.[11]
As a sophomore, Nevers became a star for the1923 Stanford varsity football team.[13][14][15] He was described as "a sweet punter and a general all-around backfield star" and "the backbone of the Stanford offense."[16]
In the final game of the 1923 season, the dedication game forCalifornia Memorial Stadium, Nevers gained more yards than the entireCalifornia team, even though Cal won the Big Game 9–0. After the game, theLos Angeles Times wrote: "The desperate drive of Ernie Nevers . . . will go down in history as one of the greatest individual efforts ever seen on a gridiron."[17][18]
After the 1923 football season was over, Nevers demonstrated his overall athletic ability by also starring for Stanford's basketball, baseball and track teams.[21][22] He was rated as the Pacific coast's best player in both football and basketball, the best college pitcher, one of the leading track performers, and "a crack swimmer" as well. In April 1924, Stanford's assistant director of physical education, Harry Maloney, called Nevers "a freak genius" who also excelled in the classroom.[21]
As a junior, Nevers was sidelined for most of the football season after suffering two broken ankles. Under head coachPop Warner, the1925 Stanford football team won thePacific Coast Conference championship with a 7–0–1 record in the regular season before losing toNotre Dame and the famousFour Horsemen backfield in the1925 Rose Bowl. Five days after having a cast removed from one of his ankles, Nevers played all 60 minutes of the Rose Bowl, averaged 42 yards on his punts, and carried the ball 34 times for 114 yards, only 13 yards less than all the Four Horsemen combined.[23]
Nevers again proved to be a multi-sport star, competing for Stanford's basketball and baseball teams in the winter and spring of 1925. A newspaper account from February 1925 stated that he was "pressing for honors as the best all around athlete in the annals of the west."[24] During the summer of 1925, Nevers worked for the Starrett Meat Company inGuerneville, California, and pitched for the town's baseball team.[25]
In December 1925, Nevers received between $25,000 and $35,000 to play professional football for a team inJacksonville, Florida. Nevers' team played two exhibition games against NFL opponents: theChicago Bears, led byRed Grange, on January 2, and theNew York Giants on January 9. However, meager crowds forced the team to fold after only two games.[26][27][28]
In September 1926, Nevers left the Browns to play professional football for theDuluth Eskimos of theNational Football League (NFL).[31] Nevers' childhood friendOle Haugsrud owned the Eskimos. The1926 Eskimos, with a 16-man roster, played a 29-game schedule and compiled a 19–7–3 record. Nevers reportedly played 1,714 minutes out of a possible 1,740 minutes that year.[32] Highlights of Nevers' 1926 season included the following:
On September 19, 1926, in Nevers' first game for Duluth, the Eskimos played their only home game, defeating theKansas City Cowboys, 7–0. Nevers scored the game's only touchdown, kicked the extra point, and was reportedly "here, there and everywhere performing in a triple threat role."[33]
On October 10, 1926, Nevers led the Eskimos to a 26–0 victory over theHammond Pros. Nevers threw a touchdown pass toJoe Rooney and also scored a rushing touchdown.[34]
On October 17, 1926, Nevers threw a touchdown pass, scored a rushing touchdown, and kicked three extra points in a 21–0 victory over theRacine Tornadoes.[35]
On October 31, 1926, the Eskimos defeated theMilwaukee Badgers, 7–6. TheLos Angeles Times described Nevers as "the whole show", noting that he threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Rooney in the final five minutes and then kicked the extra point to give the Eskimos the victory.[36]
On November 11, 1926, Nevers scored all 13 Duluth points (two rushing touchdowns and an extra point) in a 14–13 loss to theNew York Giants. Nevers' second touchdown was scored in the fourth quarter, but his kick for extra point to tie the game was blocked byTillie Voss.[37]
On November 21, 1926, Nevers scored every point for the Eskimos in a 10–2 over theCanton Bulldogs. Nevers rushed for a touchdown and kicked a field goal and an extra point.[38]
On November 27, 1926, Nevers scored every point in a 16–0 victory over theHartford Blues. He kicked three field goals, including one from placement at the 45-yard line, scored a touchdown, and kicked an extra point. After the game,The Hartford Daily Courant wrote: "The men of Nevers type must be depended upon to build professional football if it is to survive."[39]
Out of the 29 games played by the Eskimos in 1926, 14 are considered official by the NFL; in those games, Nevers scored 71 points on eight touchdowns, 11 extra points, and four field goals.[9] At the end of his rookie season, Nevers was a consensus pick for the fullback position on the1926 All-Pro Team, receiving first-team honors fromCollyer's Eye magazine, theChicago Tribune, and theGreen Bay Press-Gazette.[40][41]
Nevers returned to the St. Louis Browns in 1927. He appeared in 33 games for the team, 27 as a pitcher, and compiled a 3–8 win–loss record and a 4.94 ERA in94+2⁄3 innings pitched and a .219 batting average in 32 at bats.[29] He is often remembered for having given up two home runs toBabe Ruth during the 1927 season in which Ruth broke the major league record with 60 home runs.[42]
In 1927, Nevers became head coach of the Eskimos in addition to his regular position at fullback. The1927 Eskimos compiled a 1–8 record and finished in 11th place in the NFL. Highlights of Nevers 1927 season included the following:
On October 23, 1927, Nevers completed 16 of 20 passes and threw four touchdown passes in a 27–0 victory over thePottsville Maroons.[43][44]
On October 30, 1927, Nevers scored all 20 Duluth points on three touchdowns and two extra points in a 21–20 loss to theCleveland Bulldogs.[45]
On November 13, 1927, Nevers ran 36 yards for a touchdown and kicked the extra point to account for Duluth's scoring in a 13–7 loss to theProvidence Steam Roller.[46]
On December 11, 1927, Nevers threw two touchdown passes toCobb Rooney and kicked two extra points to account for all 14 Duluth points in a 27–14 loss to theChicago Bears.[47]
After the season, Nevers was again selected by theGreen Bay Press-Gazette, based on the results of a questionnaires sent to the league managers and reporters, as the first-team fullback on the1927 All-Pro Team.[48]
Nevers career in Major League Baseball came to an end in the spring of 1928. In six games for the Browns, he compiled a 1–0 record and 3.00 ERA in nine innings pitched.[29] His final major league appearance was on May 4, 1928, at age 25.[29] Nevers was sold by the Browns for $7,500 to theMission Bells, aPacific Coast League baseball team inSan Francisco, in late May 1928.[49] He appeared in 35 games for the Reds in 1928, compiling a 14–11 record in 206 innings and batting .374 in 91 at bats.[50] Nevers proved a draw for the Mission team, as Stanford fans and locals from Sonoma County flocked to see Nevers pitch.[51]
In March 1928, Nevers announced that he would not return to professional football that fall, opting instead to serve as an assistant coach toPop Warner at Stanford.[52] Nevers said of professional football: "I hurt my back last year and don't care to take any more chances."[53] He returned to Stanford in September 1928 as coach of the reserve football players.[54]
In February 1929, Nevers resigned from his coaching job at Stanford to return to the Mission baseball club in the PCL.[55] He appeared in 41 games during the 1929 season and compiled a 7–8 win–loss record.[50]
In the fall of 1929, Nevers returned to the NFL to play fullback for theChicago Cardinals. Highlights of Nevers' 1929 season include the following:
On November 6, 1929, he led the Cardinals to a 16–0 victory over theProvidence Steam Roller in the first night game in NFL history; in that game, Nevers threw a 45-yard touchdown pass, kicked a 23-yard field goal, and ran for another touchdown.[56][57]
On November 24, 1929, Nevers scored all 19 points (three touchdowns and an extra point) in the Cardinals' 19–0 victory over theDayton Triangles, who were playing in their final game before moving to Brooklyn to embark on their long and erratic history through the league.
Four days later on November 28, 1929, Nevers set an NFL record for points scored by a player in a single game. Nevers scored all 40 points in the Cardinals' 40–6 victory over theChicago Bears; in that game, Nevers scored six rushing touchdowns, which remained an unshared NFL record untilAlvin Kamara also accomplished the feat on Christmas Day, 2020 against theMinnesota Vikings.[3][58] Nevers also kicked four extra points in the same game.[59]
On December 1, 1929, in a narrow loss to theNew York Giants, Nevers threw a touchdown pass, intercepted aBenny Friedman pass and returned it to the Giants' one-yard line, rushed for a touchdown, and kicked an extra point.[60]
On December 8, 1929, Nevers passed for two touchdowns, ran for a touchdown, and kicked two extra points in a 26–0 victory over theOrange Tornadoes.[61]
At the end of the 1929 season, Nevers was a consensus pick as the fullback on the1929 All-Pro Team, receiving first-team honors from theGreen Bay Press-Gazette, based on the return of 16 ballots sent to the team owners, managers, and sports writers of clubs in the NFL,[62]Collyer's Eye magazine,[63] and theChicago Tribune.[64]
In 1930, Nevers returned to the Cardinals as both head coach and fullback. Highlights of his 1930 season included:
On October 25, 1930, Nevers rushed for two touchdowns and kicked four extra points in a 34–7 victory over theFrankford Yellow Jackets.[65]
On October 26, 1930, Nevers accounted for all 23 points in a 23–13 victory over thePortsmouth Spartans. In that game, Nevers threw a 29-yard touchdown pass toCobb Rooney, ran for two touchdowns, and kicked a field goal and two extra points.[66] In a single weekend, with back-to back games against Frankford and Portsmouth, Nevers accounted for four rushing touchdowns, a passing touchdown, a field goal, and six extra points.
On November 16, 1930, Nevers led the Cardinals to a 13–6 victory over the 1930 NFL champion Green Bay Packers. The victory broke the Packers' 22-game winning streak. Nevers threw a touchdown pass toBunny Belden, ran for a touchdown, and converted one of two extra point attempts to account for all of the Cardinals' points.[67]
At the end of the 1930 season, Nevers was again selected as the consensus first-team fullback on the1930 All-Pro Team withBronko Nagurski being picked for the second-team at the position.[68][69]
Nevers returned to the Cardinals as fullback and head coach in 1931. Highlights of his seasons included:
On November 1, 1931, Nevers led the Cardinals to a 14–7 victory over theBrooklyn Dodgers. Nevers averaged 52 yards on his punts in the game, threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Kassell, rushed for a touchdown, and kicked two extra points.[70]
On November 15, 1931, the Cardinals defeated theGreen Bay Packers, 21–13, giving the Packers their first loss of the year. Nevers threw two touchdown passes and kicked three extra points in the game. The Associated Press called it "one of [Nevers'] greatest exhibitions".[71] The Packers went on to win the 1931 NFL championship.
On November 22, 1931, Nevers ran for two touchdowns and kicked two extra points as the Cardinals defeated thePortsmouth Spartans, 20–19.[72]
In his final NFL game, played before a crowd of 1,500 atWrigley Field on November 29, 1931, Nevers led the Cardinals to a 21–0 victory over theCleveland Indians. Nevers accounted for every point scored in the game with a 44-yard touchdown pass to Malloy, two rushing touchdowns, and three extra points.[73]
At the end of the 1931 season, Nevers was again selected (for the fifth time in five years in the NFL) as the fullback on theAll-Pro Team, receiving first-team honors from theGreen Bay Press-Gazette based on the returns of ballots sent to each club in the league as well as sports writers and officials,[74] theUnited Press,[75] andCollyer's Eye.[76]
On January 25, 1932, Nevers broke his wrist on the final play of a charity football game in San Francisco. Afterward, Nevers announced his retirement as a player, stating that he was getting out while he was "still in one piece," and expressing a desire to pursue a career as a coach.[77]
In March 1932, Nevers was hired as an assistant coach underPop Warner at Stanford. His initial assignment was to coach the "goof squad".[78] At the end of the 1932 season, Warner resigned as Stanford's head coach, but Nevers remained as an assistant coach underTiny Maxwell through the 1935 season. During that time, Stanford won three consecutivePacific Coast Conference championships and played in the1934,1935, and1936 Rose Bowls.
In January 1936, Nevers resigned his position at Stanford to accept the head coaching job atLafayette College.[79] Nevers was welcomed to theEaston, Pennsylvania, campus with a parade and street celebration as classes were suspended for the day and Lafayette students anticipated the school's "return to 'Big Time' position" of previous years.[80] The 1936 Lafayette team compiled a 1–8 record.[81]
In March 1937, Nevers resigned his post at Lafayette upon being appointed backfield and ends coach for theUniversity of Iowa under head coachIrl Tubbs. Tubbs had been Nevers' high school football coach inSuperior, Wisconsin.[82] Nevers coached at Iowa for two years during which time the team compiled records of 1–7 in1937 and 1–6–1 in1938.
In December 1938, after theChicago Cardinals had compiled a 2–9 record during the 1938 season, Nevers was hired as the team's head coach.[83] The1939 Cardinals compiled a 1–10 record. In February 1940, Nevers resigned from the Cardinals, saying he wished to reside permanently in San Francisco.[84][85]
Nevers received numerous honors and awards during and after his playing career, including the following:
In 1925, the football field at Santa Rosa High School was renamed Nevers Field in his honor.
After Nevers left Stanford, his jersey (No. 1) was retired by the football program. It was Stanford's only retired number for more than 50 years untilJim Plunkett's number was also retired.[2]
In 1931, a committee of 12 leading football coaches led byPop Warner met to determine the greatest football player of all time. Nevers finished in a tie withRed Grange for second place behind onlyJim Thorpe. Warner actually picked Nevers first and noted: "Ernie Nevers played his position by far the best of any player I ever saw. He had a wonderful physique – was big and powerful yet very active. Nevers was the mental type every coach likes to have on his football team. He was a fine punter, a fine forward passer, a great line plunger and a marvel on defense. Ernie Nevers was a football player without fault."[86]
In April 1951, Nevers was selected as the fullback on the all-time All-America team selected in a nationwide poll by the Associated Press as part of the process to select nominees for the National Football Hall of Fame.[87]
In November 1951, Nevers was selected as one of the inaugural inductees for the National Football Hall of Fame (later renamed theCollege Football Hall of Fame).[88]
In 1962, he was selected bySports Illustrated as the best college football player of all time.[89]
In 1969, at the time of college football's centennial, Nevers was selected at fullback on college football's all-time All-America teams selected by theFootball Writers Association of America (FWAA) andFootball News.[91][92] He was also named that same year to the National Football League 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.[93]
In 2003, he was honored by the United States Postal Service as one of four players (along withRed Grange,Walter Camp, andBronko Nagurski) to be featured on a postage stamp as early gridiron heroes.[95]
In 2010, theNFL Network ranked Nevers 89th on its list of the 100 greatest players of all time.[96]
Nevers was married to Mary Elizabeth "Mae" Heagerty in February 1926 inSan Francisco.[97]
On August 20, 1938, Nevers served as an official for a golf match atDuluth, Minnesota, between blind golfers Clinton F. Russell of Duluth and Dr. W. H. I. Oxenham of England, both of whom had been featured inRipley's Believe It or Not!.[98]
In September 1942, Nevers enlisted at age 39 in theUnited States Marine Corps; he was given the rank of captain.[99] In the spring of 1943, he was stationed at the Olds Gunnery School inLansing, Michigan.[100] While Nevers was stationed at a Marine base inSanta Barbara, California, his wife became ill with pneumonia; she died in a San Francisco hospital in July 1943.[101] Nevers left for theSouth Pacific theater of World War II in October 1943.[102] In April 1944, he was reported by theAssociated Press to have been stationed for the past several months with a marine amphibious unit in the Pacific.[103] In October 1944, Nevers returned to San Francisco after spending 10 months in charge of ground personnel with a squadron in the South Pacific.[104] In December 1944, while stationed atNaval Station Treasure Island in San Francisco, Nevers was promoted to the rank of major.[105] In February 1945, he became the athletic officer at the Marine Corps base inSan Diego.[106]
At the end of February 1945, Nevers agreed to serve as an assistant coach with theChicago Rockets of theAll-America Football Conference upon his discharge from the Marine Corps.[107] As of mid-May 1945, Nevers was awaiting his discharge papers and had become associated with a trucking company pending the commencement of his coaching duties with the Rockets.[108] Nevers ultimately served in the fall of 1946 as the backfield coach for the Rockets.[109]
Nevers was remarried to Margery Luxem Railton of Chicago in February 1947. It was the second marriage for both.[110] They had a daughter, Tina (born May 1948),[111] Ernie Nevers also had a son, Gene Sullivan (born Aug 1947).
After retiring from football, Nevers lived inStrawberry and thenTiburon, both inMarin County, California, and worked in public relations and sales promotion for a wine association and a wholesale liquor company.[42][87][112] In 1950, Nevers and his wife had a television show broadcast on Friday nights onKGO inSan Francisco.[113] In September 1954, Nevers began another television show known as "Out on a Limb With Ernie Nevers".[114]
Nevers died in May 1976 at age 73 at Marin General Hospital inGreenbrae, California.[42] Press accounts differed as to the cause of his death, one indicating that he had been suffering from a kidney disorder,[115] and another saying he had been under treatment for a heart condition.[116] He was buried at Mount Tamalpais Cemetery inSan Rafael, California.
