American football player
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| No. 42, 78 | |||||||||
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| Position: | End | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1921-02-21)February 21, 1921 Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | April 19, 2006(2006-04-19) (aged 85) Canfield, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Notre Dame | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1943 / round: 5 / pick: 40 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
As player
As coach
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| College Football Hall of Fame | |||||||||
Robert Leo Patrick "Grandpappy" Dove (February 21, 1921 – April 19, 2006) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame and professionally for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Following his retirement as a player, Dove embarked on a 37-year coaching career at the professional and collegiate levels. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 2001.
Early years
Dove was born in Youngstown, Ohio, a steel-production center located near the Pennsylvania border. Dove was a three-year starter at the city's South High School from 1936 to 1938, and he was selected as an all-city player by the Youngstown Vindicator (the local daily paper) in his final year.
Playing career
Dove went on to greater athletic feats at the University of Notre Dame, where he was a three-year starter at the end, from 1940 to 1942. He was a consensus All-American in his final two seasons. As a freshman in 1939, he caught 15 passes for 87 yards. Dove then became the first sophomore to start for the Notre Dame "Fighting Irish" in 11 seasons. He received the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy in 1942 as the top lineman in the country and also played in the East–West Shrine Game. During his three seasons as a starter, Dove helped the Irish to a 22–4–3 record, including an undefeated (8–0–1) campaign in the first season of legendary coach Frank Leahy.
In 1948, Dove joined the NFL's Chicago Cardinals, where he played for five seasons. In 1953, he was traded to the Detroit Lions and played on their 1953 and 1954 championship teams. He retired in 1955.
Coaching career
In the All-America Football Conference, Dove was a co-coach for the Chicago Rockets in 1946. Dove was an assistant coach at the University of Detroit from 1955 to 1957, and then became an assistant for the Lions from 1958 to 59, and for the Buffalo Bills in 1960 from 1961. He was the head coach at Hiram College for seven seasons, from 1962 to 1968. He joined the Youngstown State University staff in 1969, where he served as an assistant under four coaches, including Jim Tressel. In 1987, Dove was named coach emeritus and served in that position through the 1991 NCAA Division I-AA national championship season.
Death
Following a long illness, Dove died in Canfield, Ohio, on April 19, 2006. His funeral was held at St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Canfield.
Legacy
Beyond his 2001 induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, Dove was also a second-team selection on Street & Smith's All-Time Dream Team, which covered players from the first 50 years of its publication (1941–1990). Dove was chosen at defensive end on the second team, ranked behind Ted Hendricks of Miami and Hugh Green of Pittsburgh, and alongside Bubba Smith of Michigan State.
Earlier, in 1975, Dove was one of 10 players inducted into the Citizens Savings Hall of Fame in Los Angeles. The other nine players were Ron Beagle, Navy; Chuck Bednarik, Pennsylvania: Carl Diehl, Dartmouth; Bill Fisher, Notre Dame; Leroy Keyes, Purdue; Tommy Nobis, Texas; Greg Pruitt, Oklahoma; Joe Romig, Colorado; and Charles "Bubba" Smith, Michigan State.
Head coaching record
College
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hiram Terriers (Ohio Athletic Conference) (1962–1968) | |||||||||
| 1962 | Hiram | 5–3 | 4–2 | 6th | |||||
| 1963 | Hiram | 3–5 | 2–3 | 9th | |||||
| 1964 | Hiram | 3–5 | 2–4 | T–10th | |||||
| 1965 | Hiram | 4–4 | 3–4 | T–8th | |||||
| 1966 | Hiram | 3–5 | 3–4 | 7th | |||||
| 1967 | Hiram | 3–5 | 2–5 | 11th | |||||
| 1968 | Hiram | 1–7 | 0–7 | 14th | |||||
| Hiram: | 22–34 | 16–29 | |||||||
| Total: | 22–34 | ||||||||
References
- "Bob Dove". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
- ^ "Bob Dove, Ex-Notre Dame and Pro Standout, Elected to LA Citizen Savings Hall of Fame". The Youngstown Vindicator. September 21, 1975. p. D-3.
- ^ "Footballers Sinkwich, Dove, Farrar Named in 1969 Curbstone Hall of Fame; Banquet Set Jan. 26". The Youngstown Vindicator. January 12, 1969.
- ^ Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 21, 2006.
- "Bob Dove". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
- ^ "Hall of Famer Bob Dove Dies". Associated Press. April 21, 2006.
- "Bob Dove Obituary". CSTV.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
External links
- Bob Dove at the College Football Hall of Fame
- Career statistics from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- 1921 births
- 2006 deaths
- American football defensive ends
- American football ends
- Player-coaches
- Buffalo Bills coaches
- Chicago Cardinals players
- Chicago Rockets coaches
- Chicago Rockets players
- Detroit Lions coaches
- Detroit Lions players
- Detroit Titans football coaches
- El Toro Flying Marines football players
- Hiram Terriers football coaches
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players
- Youngstown State Penguins football coaches
- All-American college football players
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players
- People from Canfield, Ohio
- Sportspeople from Mahoning County, Ohio
- Coaches of American football from Ohio
- Players of American football from Youngstown, Ohio
- Catholics from Ohio