Don Miller (American football, born 1902)

Don "Midnight" Miller (March 29, 1902 – July 28, 1979) was an American football player and coach. He was one of the famous "Four Horsemen" of the University of Notre Dame's backfield in 1924, when the Fighting Irish won the 1924 National Title. Miller was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1970.

Don Miller
Miller in 1925
Biographical details
Born(1902-03-29)March 29, 1902
Defiance, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJuly 28, 1979(1979-07-28) (aged 77)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Playing career
1922–1924Notre Dame
1925Providence Steamrollers
Position(s)Halfback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1925–1928Georgia Tech (backfield)
1929–1932Ohio State (backfield)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards
College Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1970 (profile)

College career

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Miller's three brothers attended Notre Dame before he did. The most famous of these being Harry "Red" Miller, captain of the 1908 squad. Notre Dame head coach Knute Rockne called Miller "the greatest open field runner I ever had." Another brother, Ray T. Miller, later had a lengthy career in politics in the Cleveland area.[1]

In 2002, the NCAA published "NCAA Football's Finest," researched and compiled by the NCAA Statistics Service.[2] For Miller they published the following statistics:

Year Carries Rushing
Yards
Average Receptions Receiving
Yards
Average Touchdowns Points
1922 87 472 5.4 6 144 24.0 5 30
1923 89 698 7.8 9 149 16.6 10 60
1924 107 763 7.1 16 297 18.6 7 42
Total 283 1933 6.8 31 590 19.0 22 132

Professional football career

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In 1925, Miller played professional football for the National Football League's Providence Steamrollers[3] and the then-independent Hartford Blues.[4]

After his playing career, Miller coached at several colleges, including Georgia Tech and Ohio State.[5] He became the head football coach of St. Xavier High School of Louisville, Kentucky in 1934.

Law career

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Miller eventually quit coaching and practiced law, in which he was successful in the Cleveland area.[6]

On February 5, 1957, Miller appeared on To Tell the Truth.

References

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  1. ^ "Ray T. Miller Sr. Is Dead at 73". The Plain Dealer. July 14, 1966. pp. 1, 8. Retrieved June 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "NCAA Football's Finest" (PDF). NCAA. 2002. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  3. ^ "POTTSVILLE IS DRILLING". Mount Carmel Item. December 9, 1925. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  4. ^ Hogrogian, John (1982). "The Hartford Blues Part I" (PDF). Coffin Corner. 4 (8). Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 27, 2010.
  5. ^ "Don Miller". National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  6. ^ Don Miller at the College Football Hall of Fame
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