Nevers, Ernie

Ernie Nevers, byname of Ernest Alonzo Nevers, (born June 11, 1903, Willow River, Minn., U.S.—died May 3, 1976, San Rafael, Calif.), American collegiate and professional football and baseball player, who was considered one of the greatest football players of all time.

Nevers played at tackle for Superior (Wis.) High School, and as a fullback at Stanford University (Calif.) he was called by Pop Warner the greatest player he had ever coached. He was All-America (1925) and won 11 letters at Stanford, in baseball and basketball as well as in football. He played professional football with the National Football League (NFL) Duluth Eskimos (1926–28) and with the NFL Chicago Cardinals as a player-coach (1929–31), after which he retired. During his brief career, he was a brilliant iron-man player. His 40 points (six touchdowns, four conversions) scored in a game against the Chicago Bears in 1929 remained a league record into the 21st century. Nevers also played professional baseball as a pitcher with the American League St. Louis Browns (1926–28). After retirement from football as a player, he was coach at Lafayette College (Easton, Pa.; 1936) and served on the coaching staff at the University of Iowa (Iowa City; 1937). He served in the Marine Corps during World War II and after the war was a businessman in San Francisco. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.