Bob Devaney
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Robert S. "Bob" Devaney (13 April 1915 – 9 May 1997) was a college football head coach, most notably for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
He graduated from Alma College, where he played end on the football team, in 1939. Devaney coached high school football at Big Beaver, Keego Harbor, Saginaw, and Alpena, Michigan before joining Michigan State University as an assistant coach under Biggie Munn, then Duffy Daugherty.
Devaney's first college head coaching job was at Wyoming, where he went 35-10-5 (.750) in five seasons (1957-61). He joined Nebraska in 1962 and established the Cornhuskers as a force in Big Eight Conference football. Prior to Devaney's arrival, Nebraska had been on figuratively hard times in football. After a stellar winning tradition up to the early 1940s, Nebraska had just had only two winning records in the past 20 seasons going into Devaney's first season[1].
He engineered an immediate turnaround, with a 9-2 record in 1962 that included a Gotham Bowl victory. He followed this up with an even better 10-1 season the next year, that included wins over rivals Missouri and Oklahoma, and an Orange Bowl victory over Auburn. His seemingly magic touch continued through 1966, with further records of 9-2, 10-1, and 9-2. At this point his Nebraska won-lost record was a combined 47-8 (.854). This had so revived Nebraska football fortunes that Memorial Stadium was enlarged significantly, by enclosing both ends. For the first time, Nebraska was on television once or twice a year, and fans all over the state sat down to watch the Bob Devaney TV show each week, in which he used his folksy manner review the tape of the game for all of the fans who hadn't seen it in person.
However, consecutive 6-4 seasons followed in 1967-68. Allegedly known as a drinker[citation needed], Devaney became subject to a whispering campaign about whether he had peaked. However, he had brought in an innovative offensive thinker as an assistant coach, Tom Osborne. He and Osborne revamped the offensive scheme, and upgraded the recruiting effort.
The effects of this change weren't apparent when Nebraska began the 1969 season with just a 2-2 start, then, in its fifth game, needed a last-minute comeback at home to beat a Kansas team that finished the season 1-9. But the Huskers kept winning and concluded the season with a 9-2 record, including a 45-6 massacre of Georgia in the Sun Bowl. This set the stage for the highlight of Devaney's coaching career.
In 1970, Nebraska returned most of the key offensive starters from the previous year, and added an explosive punt returner and wide receiver named Johnny Rodgers, who later would win the 1972 Heisman Trophy. Nebraska finished the season at 11-0-1 with a 17-12 victory over LSU in the Orange Bowl. This secured the 1970 national championship, after the other two undefeated teams, Texas and Ohio State, lost their bowl games. (The final AP poll, conducted after the bowls, picked Nebraska, while the UPI final poll (released in early December before the bowls) picked Texas [2].
With most of its key players back and its defense vastly improved, Nebraska rolled through its first 10 games of the 1971 season. Then the Huskers defeated unbeaten Oklahoma on Thanksgiving Day 35-31 in the Game of the Century, one of the most celebrated games in college football history. When Nebraska crushed unbeaten Alabama 38-6 in the Orange Bowl to finish 13-0, the Cornhuskers were said by many to be the greatest team in college football history. In fact, the Huskers defeated the teams ranked second, third, and fourth in the final AP poll: Oklahoma, Colorado, and Alabama [3].
Bob Devaney coached one more year in 1972. Although a disappointing loss to UCLA in Los Angeles opened the season, the Huskers finished with a 9-2-1 record. The loss to UCLA ended Nebraska's 32 game unbeaten streak (31-0-1), which dated back nearly three years to October 11, 1969. Although the Cornhuskers would lose to Oklahoma in Lincoln in November, the season ended with a satisfying 40-6 victory over Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, the Huskers' third consecutive victory in that bowl game. Nebraska finished the 1972 season at #4 in the final AP poll [3]. In addition Johnny Rodgers was selected as the winner of the Heisman Trophy.
Devaney's overall record at Nebraska was 101-20-2 (.829) in 11 seasons, with 9 bowl appearances and two national championships. His teams won or shared eight Big 8 titles. His record in his final three seasons was 32-2-2 (.916). His overall college head coaching record (Wyoming & Nebraska) was 136-30-7 (.806) in 16 seasons.
Devaney hired his successor as head coach, offensive coordinator Tom Osborne, who continued his legacy of winning through the 1990s, winning 3 national championships between 1994-97.
Devaney served as athletic director at Nebraska from 1967-93 and as athletic director emeritus until 1996. The university's indoor arena, The Bob Devaney Sports Center, is named for him.
[edit] References
- ^ Nebraska Yearly Totals on cfbdatawarehouse.com
- ^ 1970 UPI college poll on cfbdatawarehouse.com
- ^ a b 1970 College AP Poll on cfbdatawarehouse.com
[edit] External links
- Nebraska bio
- Retrospective article
- College Football Data Warehouse - Bob Devaney - coaching record
| Preceded by Bill Jennings |
Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Coach 1962–1972 |
Succeeded by Tom Osborne |
| Preceded by Alex Agase |
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award 1971 |
Succeeded by John McKay |
| Preceded by Bob Blackman |
Walter Camp Coach of the Year 1971 |
Succeeded by Joe Paterno |
| Preceded by Phil Dickens |
Wyoming Cowboys Football Coach 1957–1961 |
Succeeded by Lloyd Eaton |
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