Ernie Nevers Explained

Ernie Nevers
Birth Name:Ernest Alonzo Nevers
Birth Date:June 11, 1902
Birth Place:Willow River, Minnesota, U.S.
Death Place:Greenbrae, California, U.S.
Module:
Embed:yes
Ernie Nevers
Number:4, 11, 44
Position:Fullback
Height Ft:6
Height In:0
Weight Lb:204
High School:Superior Central
(Superior, Wisconsin)
College:Stanford (1923–1925)
Pastteams:
Pastcoaching:
  • Duluth Eskimos
    Head coach
  • Chicago Cardinals
    Head coach
  • Stanford (1928, 1932–1935)
    Assistant coach
  • Lafayette (1936)
    Head coach
  • Iowa (1937–1938)
    Backfield & ends coach
  • Chicago Cardinals
    Head coach
  • Chicago Rockets (1946)
    Backfield coach
Highlights:
NFL records
  • Most points scored in a game: 40
  • Most rushing touchdowns in a single game: 6 (tied)
Statlabel1:Rushing touchdowns
Statvalue1:38
Statlabel2:Points scored
Statvalue2:301
Overall Record:NFL:
College:
Pfr:N/NeveEr20
Pfrcoach:NeveEr0
Hof:ernie-nevers
Collegehof:1391
Module2:
Embed:yes
Ernie Nevers
Position:Pitcher
Bats:Right
Throws:Right
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:April 26
Debutyear:1926
Debutteam:St. Louis Browns
Finalleague:MLB
Finaldate:May 4
Finalyear:1928
Finalteam:St. Louis Browns
Statleague:MLB
Stat1label:Win–loss record
Stat1value:6–12
Stat2label:ERA
Stat2value:4.64
Stat3label:Strikeouts
Stat3value:39
Stat4label:Saves
Stat4value:2
Stat5label:Batting average
Stat5value:.200
Stat6label:Hits
Stat6value:12
Stat7label:RBI
Stat7value:1
Teams:

Ernest Alonzo Nevers (June 11, 1902 – May 3, 1976), nicknamed "Big Dog",[1] was an American football and baseball player and football coach. Widely regarded as one of the best football players in the first half of the 20th century, he played as a fullback and was a triple-threat man known for his talents in running, passing, and kicking. He was inducted with the inaugural classes of inductees into both the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. He was also named in 1969 to the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team.

Nevers played four sports (football, basketball, baseball, and track and field) for Stanford University from 1923 to 1925 and was a consensus first-team All-American in football in 1925. He played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) for the Duluth Eskimos in 1926 and 1927 and the Chicago Cardinals from 1929 to 1931. In 1929, one week after defeating the Dayton 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 subsequently set another NFL record by scoring six rushing touchdowns in a single game against the Chicago Bears, a record that remained unequaled until the 2020 season in which New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara also accomplished the feat, scoring six touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day. Nevers also played professional baseball as a pitcher for the St. Louis Browns of the American League from 1926 to 1928 and the Mission Bells of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) in 1928 and 1929.

Nevers also had a long career as a football coach, including stints with the Stanford Indians (assistant, 1928, 1932–1935), the Chicago Cardinals (head coach, 1930–1931, 1939), Lafayette Leopards (head coach, 1936), Iowa Hawkeyes (assistant, 1937–1938), and the Chicago Rockets (assistant, 1946).

Early years

Nevers' parents, George and Mary Ann Nevers, were immigrants to the United States from New Brunswick, Canada. In addition to Ernie, they had five sons (Harry, Frank, John, George, and Arthur) and one daughter (Edith).[2] [3] [4] [5] By the time Nevers was born, the family had moved from New Brunswick to Willow River, Minnesota, where Nevers was born in 1902.[6] [7] The family moved again to Superior, 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 of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, California.[2] [3] Nevers attended Santa 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.[8]

In 1921, Nevers attended Santa 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.[9]

Stanford University

In 1922, Nevers enrolled at Stanford University. He played for the freshman football team at fullback and halfback in the fall of 1922.[10]

1923–24 academic year

As a sophomore, Nevers became a star for the 1923 Stanford varsity football team.[11] [12] [13] He was described as "a sweet punter and a general all-around backfield star" and "the backbone of the Stanford offense."[14]

In the final game of the 1923 season, the dedication game for California Memorial Stadium, Nevers gained more yards than the entire California team, even though Cal won the Big Game 9–0. After the game, the Los 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."[15] [16]

At the end of the 1923 season, Nevers was selected by the United Press as the first-team All-Pacific Coast fullback.[17] He was also selected by Walter Camp as the third-team fullback on the 1923 College Football All-America Team.[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.[19] 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.[20]

1924–25 academic year

As a junior, Nevers was sidelined for most of the football season after suffering two broken ankles. Under head coach Pop Warner, the 1925 Stanford football team won the Pacific Coast Conference championship with a 7–0–1 record in the regular season before losing to Notre Dame and the famous Four Horsemen backfield in the 1925 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.

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."[21] During the summer of 1925, Nevers worked for the Starrett Meat Company in Guerneville, California, and pitched for the town's baseball team.[22]

1925 season

As a senior, Nevers and Pop Warner led the 1925 Stanford football team to a 7–2 record. At the end of the 1925 season, Nevers was a consensus All-American, receiving first-team honors from, among others, the All-America Board, the Associated Press, Collier's Weekly, the International News Service, Liberty magazine, the Newspaper Enterprise Association, and Athlete & Sportsman magazine.

Professional football and baseball player

Jacksonville football team

In December 1925, Nevers received between $25,000 and $35,000 to play professional football for a team in Jacksonville, Florida. Nevers' team played two exhibition games against NFL opponents: the Chicago Bears, led by Red Grange, on January 2, and the New York Giants on January 9. However, meager crowds forced the team to fold after only two games.[23] [24] [25]

1926 St. Louis Browns

After his first venture with professional football ended, Nevers joined the St. Louis Browns of Major League Baseball. He appeared in 12 games, 11 as a pitcher, for the 1926 Browns, compiling a 2–4 win–loss record and a 4.46 earned run average (ERA) in 74-2/3 innings pitched. At the plate, he had a .185 batting average in 27 at bats.[26] Nevers threw the ball in an unusual underhand delivery. On August 13, 1926, in the highlight of Nevers' 1926 season, he pitched a complete game victory over the Detroit Tigers, giving up eight hits and two runs against a lineup that included Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Heinie Manush, Charlie Gehringer, and Harry Heilmann, and Bob Fothergill who hit .367 that year.[27]

1926 Duluth Eskimos

In September 1926, Nevers left the Browns to play professional football for the Duluth Eskimos of the National Football League (NFL).[28] Nevers' childhood friend Ole Haugsrud owned the Eskimos. The 1926 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.[29] Highlights of Nevers' 1926 season included the following:

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.[7] At the end of his rookie season, Nevers was a consensus pick for the fullback position on the 1926 All-Pro Team, receiving first-team honors from Collyer's Eye magazine, the Chicago Tribune, and the Green Bay Press-Gazette.[37] [38]

1927 St. Louis Browns

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 in innings pitched and a .219 batting average in 32 at bats.[26] He is often remembered for having given up two home runs to Babe Ruth during the 1927 season in which Ruth broke the major league record with 60 home runs.

1927 Duluth Eskimos

In 1927, Nevers became head coach of the Eskimos in addition to his regular position at fullback. The 1927 Eskimos compiled a 1–8 record and finished in 11th place in the NFL. Highlights of Nevers 1927 season included the following:

After the season, Nevers was again selected by the Green Bay Press-Gazette, based on the results of a questionnaires sent to the league managers and reporters, as the first-team fullback on the 1927 All-Pro Team.[44]

Mission Bells and Stanford football

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.[26] His final major league appearance was on May 4, 1928, at age 25.[26] Nevers was sold by the Browns for $7,500 to the Mission Bells, a Pacific Coast League baseball team in San Francisco, in late May 1928.[45] 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.[46] Nevers proved a draw for the Mission team, as Stanford fans and locals from Sonoma County flocked to see Nevers pitch.[47]

In March 1928, Nevers announced that he would not return to professional football that fall, opting instead to serve as an assistant coach to Pop Warner at Stanford.[48] Nevers said of professional football: "I hurt my back last year and don't care to take any more chances."[49] He returned to Stanford in September 1928 as coach of the reserve football players.[50]

In February 1929, Nevers resigned from his coaching job at Stanford to return to the Mission baseball club in the PCL.[51] He appeared in 41 games during the 1929 season and compiled a 7–8 win–loss record.[46]

Chicago Cardinals

1929 season

In the fall of 1929, Nevers returned to the NFL to play fullback for the Chicago Cardinals. Highlights of Nevers' 1929 season include the following:

At the end of the 1929 season, Nevers was a consensus pick as the fullback on the 1929 All-Pro Team, receiving first-team honors from the Green Bay Press-Gazette, based on the return of 16 ballots sent to the team owners, managers, and sports writers of clubs in the NFL,[59] Collyer's Eye magazine,[60] and the Chicago Tribune.[61]

1930 season

In 1930, Nevers returned to the Cardinals as both head coach and fullback. Highlights of his 1930 season included:

At the end of the 1930 season, Nevers was again selected as the consensus first-team fullback on the 1930 All-Pro Team with Bronko Nagurski being picked for the second-team at the position.[65] [66]

1931 season

Nevers returned to the Cardinals as fullback and head coach in 1931. Highlights of his seasons included:

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 the All-Pro Team, receiving first-team honors from the Green Bay Press-Gazette based on the returns of ballots sent to each club in the league as well as sports writers and officials,[71] the United Press,[72] and Collyer's Eye.[73]

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.[74]

Coaching career

In March 1932, Nevers was hired as an assistant coach under Pop Warner at Stanford. His initial assignment was to coach the "goof squad".[75] At the end of the 1932 season, Warner resigned as Stanford's head coach, but Nevers remained as an assistant coach under Tiny Maxwell through the 1935 season. During that time, Stanford won three consecutive Pacific Coast Conference championships and played in the 1934, 1935, and 1936 Rose Bowls.

In January 1936, Nevers resigned his position at Stanford to accept the head coaching job at Lafayette College.[76] Nevers was welcomed to the Easton, 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.[77] The 1936 Lafayette team compiled a 1–8 record.[78]

In March 1937, Nevers resigned his post at Lafayette upon being appointed backfield and ends coach for the University of Iowa under head coach Irl Tubbs. Tubbs had been Nevers' high school football coach in Superior, Wisconsin.[79] Nevers coached at Iowa for two years during which time the team compiled records of 1–7 in 1937 and 1–6–1 in 1938.

In December 1938, after the Chicago Cardinals had compiled a 2–9 record during the 1938 season, Nevers was hired as the team's head coach.[80] The 1939 Cardinals compiled a 1–10 record. In February 1940, Nevers resigned from the Cardinals, saying he wished to reside permanently in San Francisco.[81] [82]

Awards and honors

Nevers received numerous honors and awards during and after his playing career, including the following:

Family, military service, and later years

Nevers was married to Mary Elizabeth "Mae" Heagerty in February 1926 in San Francisco.[94]

On August 20, 1938, Nevers served as an official for a golf match at Duluth, Minnesota, between blind golfers Clinton F. Russell of Duluth and Dr. W. H. I. Oxenham of England, both of whom had been featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!.[95]

In September 1942, Nevers enlisted at age 39 in the United States Marine Corps; he was given the rank of captain.[96] In the spring of 1943, he was stationed at the Olds Gunnery School in Lansing, Michigan.[97] While Nevers was stationed at a Marine base in Santa Barbara, California, his wife became ill with pneumonia; she died in a San Francisco hospital in July 1943.[98] Nevers left for the South Pacific theater of World War II in October 1943.[99] In April 1944, he was reported by the Associated Press to have been stationed for the past several months with a marine amphibious unit in the Pacific.[100] In October 1944, Nevers returned to San Francisco after spending 10 months in charge of ground personnel with a squadron in the South Pacific.[101] In December 1944, while stationed at Naval Station Treasure Island in San Francisco, Nevers was promoted to the rank of major.[102] In February 1945, he became the athletic officer at the Marine Corps base in San Diego.[103]

At the end of February 1945, Nevers agreed to serve as an assistant coach with the Chicago Rockets of the All-America Football Conference upon his discharge from the Marine Corps.[104] 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.[105] Nevers ultimately served in the fall of 1946 as the backfield coach for the Rockets.[106]

Nevers was remarried to Margery Luxem Railton of Chicago in February 1947. It was the second marriage for both.[107] They had a daughter, Tina (born May 1948),[108] Ernie Nevers also had a son, Gene Sullivan (born Aug 1947).

After retiring from football, Nevers lived in Strawberry and then Tiburon, both in Marin County, California, and worked in public relations and sales promotion for a wine association and a wholesale liquor company.[84] [109] In 1950, Nevers and his wife had a television show broadcast on Friday nights on KGO in San Francisco.[110] In September 1954, Nevers began another television show known as "Out on a Limb With Ernie Nevers".[111]

Nevers died in May 1976 at age 73 at Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, California.[112] Press accounts differed as to the cause of his death, one indicating that he had been suffering from a kidney disorder,[113] and another saying he had been under treatment for a heart condition.[114] He was buried at Mount Tamalpais Cemetery in San Rafael, California.

Head coaching record

NFL

Year Team Regular season Postseason
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
DUL1 8 0 11th in NFL
CHC5 6 2 7th in NFL
CHC5 3 0 4th in NFL
CHC1 10 0 5th in NFL Western
Total 12 27 2 N/A

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Liebendorfer . Don E. . 1952 . Stanford's Greatest Back ... Ernie Nevers . April 18, 2017 . Scout.com . Daily Polo Alto.
  2. News: George Nevers Rites Will Be Held Saturday. Santa Rosa Press Democrat. April 14, 1933 . 2. Newspapers.com.
  3. News: Mrs. M. A. Nevers, Grid Star's Mother, Dies. The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, California. December 8, 1937. 2. Newspapers.com.
  4. News: Frank Nevers. Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, California. March 29, 1953. 8. Newspapers.com.
  5. Some family detail is taken from the 1910, 1920, and 1930 U.S. Census entries for George Nevers and family.
  6. Web site: Minnesota Birth Index. Ancestry.com.
  7. Web site: Ernie Nevers Stats. Sports Reference LLC. Pro-Football-Reference.com. April 17, 2017.
  8. Web site: Bush . Anthony . 2019 . Ernie Nevers: Duluth Sportsman . January 7, 2021. St. Louis County (Minnesota) Historical Society.
  9. News: P.H.S. Defeated by Santa Rosa. Petaluma Daily Courier. October 19, 1921. 8. Newspapers.com.
  10. News: Coach Hunt Has Powerful Frosh Eleven. Oakland Tribune. September 27, 1922. 15. Newspapers.com.
  11. News: Santa Rosa Has Star Footballer At Stanford. Oakland Tribune. September 4, 1923. 26. Newspapers.com.
  12. News: Ernie Nevers Sensation of Stanford Camp. Oakland Tribune. September 27, 1923. 26. Newspapers.com.
  13. News: Nevers Best Kicker. Oakland Tribune. November 6, 1923. 31. Newspapers.com.
  14. News: Can This Giant Put the Trojans to Flight? . Oakland Tribune. October 25, 1923. 26. Newspapers.com.
  15. News: Golden Bears Dedicate New Stadium by Crushing Cardinals, 9 to 0. Los Angeles Times. November 25, 1923. I-13. Newspapers.com.
  16. News: Sonoma Co. Lad Hero of Stanford. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier. November 25, 1923. 1. Newspapers.com.
  17. News: Oregon Captain Selected As Quarterback on Coast All-Star Football Squad. M. D. Tracy. The Eugene Daily Guard. December 1, 1923. 2.
  18. News: Camp Recognized These Stars. Oakland Tribune. December 18, 1923. 19. Newspapers.com.
  19. News: Nevers Thrives On Hard Tasks In All Sports. Oakland Tribune. April 30, 1924. 14. Newspapers.com.
  20. News: Stanford Has Most Versatile Athlete: Ernie Nevers "Miracle Man"; Performs on Track, Grid, Diamond and Court. Nevada State Journal. April 13, 1924. 6. Newspapers.com.
  21. News: Ernie Nevers Pressing West Athletes Hard. Great Falls Tribune. February 17, 1925. 10. Newspapers.com.
  22. News: Ernie Nevers Signs With Guerneville. Oakland Tribune. June 7, 1925. 29. Newspapers.com.
  23. News: Jaguars not city's first stars . . January 16, 2000. June 27, 2011.
  24. News: "Pro" Outlook Dims as Ernie Nevers 'Flops'. Oakland Tribune. January 17, 1926. 31. Newspapers.com.
  25. News: Nevers Made $35,000 During Florida Venture. Oakland Tribune. February 9, 1926. 29. Newspapers.com.
  26. Web site: Ernie Nevers Stats. Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com. April 17, 2017.
  27. News: Nevers Stops Tiger Hitters In Pinch. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. August 13, 1926. 22. Newspapers.com.
  28. News: Ernie Nevers Is Footballing Again. Santa Cruz Evening News. September 7, 1926. 7. Newspapers.com.
  29. News: 'All new' showplace at HOF. Massillon (OH) Independent. June 5, 1975. 18. Newspapers.com.
  30. News: Duluth 7 Kansas City 0. Green Bay Press-Gazette. September 20, 1926. 15. Newspapers.com.
  31. News: Nevers Pilots His Duluth Eskimos to Win Over Hammond. Hartford Courant. October 11, 1926. 2. Newspapers.com.
  32. News: Duluth Aerial Attack Routs Racine, 21–0. Chicago Tribune. October 18, 1926. 24. Newspapers.com.
  33. News: Nevers Is Whole Show: Former Stanford Fullback Stars as His Duluth Eskimos Take Measure of Rivals by 7 to 6 Score. Los Angeles Times. November 1, 1926. 37. Newspapers.com.
  34. News: Nevers Scores Two Touchdowns, Giants Defeat Duluth. The Pittsburgh Post. November 12, 1926. 16. Newspapers.com.
  35. News: Canton Loses To Duluth By 10-to-2 Score. Pittsburgh Gazette Times. November 22, 1926. 11. Newspapers.com.
  36. News: Blonde Ernie Nevers Proves to Hartford Fans His Greatness as Football Star: Scores Every Point As Duluth Beats Blues, 16–0. The Hartford Daily Courant. November 28, 1926. 2B. Newspapers.com.
  37. News: Lewellen Is Selected On All American Pro Team. The Green Bay Press-Gazette. December 17, 1926. 22. Newspapers.com.
  38. Web site: 1926 NFL All-Pros. Sports Reference LLC. Pro-Football-Reference.com. April 8, 2017.
  39. News: Nevers Stars In Gridiron Victory Over Pottsville. Times Leader (Wilkes-Barres, PA). October 24, 1927. 17. Newspapers.com.
  40. News: Ernie Nevers: Unforgettable. Independent, Press-Telegram (Long Beach). January 25, 1970. 56. Newspapers.com.
  41. News: Nevers' Eleven Drops Game to Cleveland, 21–20. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 31, 1926. 22. Newspapers.com.
  42. News: Nevers' Eleven Defeated, 13–7. The Des Moines Register. November 14, 1927. 5. Newspapers.com.
  43. News: Bears Roll Up 27 to 14 Victory Over Duluth. Chicago Tribune. December 12, 1927. 29. Newspapers.com.
  44. News: Two Packers On All-American '11': Lewellen at Half; Dilweg for End Job. Green Bay Press-Gazette. December 16, 1927. 17. Newspapers.com.
  45. News: Ernie Nevers Goes To Bells For $7,500. Woodland (CA) Daily Democrat. May 24, 1928. 4. Newspapers.com.
  46. Web site: Ernie Nevers Minor League Statistics. Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com. April 17, 2017.
  47. News: Ernie Nevers On Job Again. Santa Cruz Evening News. May 31, 1928. 4. Newspapers.com.
  48. News: Ernie Nevers To Aid 'Pop' Warner. The Capital Times. March 24, 1928. 5. Newspapers.com.
  49. News: Nevers To Quit League Baseball. The Post Crescent, Appleton, WI. October 10, 1928. 12. Newspapers.com.
  50. News: Ernie Nevers to Coach Stanford Reserve Gridmen. Santa Cruz Evening News. September 13, 1928. 5. Newspapers.com.
  51. News: Ernie Nevers Quits Job On Stanford Grid Staff. Los Angeles Times. February 18, 1929. 9. Newspapers.com.
  52. News: Cards Defeat Rollers In Night Grid Tilt. The Morning News (Wilmington, DE). November 8, 1929. 11. Newspapers.com.
  53. Web site: Infographic: NFL on Wednesday . Profootballhof.com . February 7, 2010 . September 6, 2012 . October 4, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131004224749/http://www.profootballhof.com/history/infographic-wednesday.aspx . dead .
  54. News: NFL Record With Six Rushing TDs vs. Vikings. JBen. Pickman. Sports Illustrated. December 25, 2020. December 25, 2020.
  55. Web site: Triplett . Mike . Saints' Kamara ties NFL record with 6 rush TDs . ESPN.com . 26 December 2020 . en . 26 December 2020.
  56. News: Ernie Nevers Whole Show As Card Win, 40–6. Chicago Tribune. Wilfrid Smith. November 29, 1929. 21. Newspapers.com.
  57. News: Field Goal by Plansky Gives Win to Giants. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 2, 1929. 25. Newspapers.com.
  58. News: Cardinals Give Orange Worst Beating, 26–0. Chicago Tribune. December 9, 1929. 25. Newspapers.com.
  59. News: Three Green Bay Packers On All-American. Green Bay Press-Gazette. December 20, 1929. 19–20. Newspapers.com.
  60. Web site: 1929 NFL All-Pros. Sports Reference LLC. Pro-Football-Reference.com. April 7, 2017.
  61. News: Packers, Giants Get 8 Places On All-Pro Eleven. Chicago Tribune. Wilfrid Smith. December 22, 1929. 2–3. Newspapers.com.
  62. News: Cardinals Romp to 34–7 Triumph Over Frankford. Chicago Tribune. October 26, 1930. 32. Newspapers.com.
  63. News: Portsmouth Routed, 23–13, By Cards' Rally. Chicago Tribune. October 27, 1930. 23.
  64. News: Packers Lose to Cards, 13–6, After 22 Wins: Nevers' Plunge In Last Period Routs Leaders. Chicago Tribune. Wilfrid Smith. November 17, 1930. 27, 29. Newspapers.com.
  65. News: Dilweg, Michalske Named On All-American Pro Team; Grange, Nevers Also Chosen. Green Bay Press-Gazette. George Whitney Calhoun. December 20, 1930. 13. Newspapers.com.
  66. Web site: 1930 NFL All-Pros. Sports Reference LLC. Pro-Football-Reference.com. April 7, 2017.
  67. News: Cardinals Win 1st Game; Beat Brooklyn, 14–7: Nevers Leads Chicagoans to Victory. Chicago Tribune. November 2, 1931. 29. Newspapers.com.
  68. News: Ernie Nevers and His Cards Defeat Green Bay Eleven. The Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, WI). November 16, 1931. 15. Newspapers.com.
  69. News: Cards Plow To 20–19 Victory Over Spartans: Nevers Scores Twice in Muddy Battle. Chicago Tribune. Wilfrid Smith. 23–24. Newspapers.com.
  70. News: Cards Conquer Cleveland, 21–0, In Charity Game: Only 1,500 See Nevers' Men Triumph. Chicago Tribune. November 30, 1931. 2–4. Newspapers.com.
  71. News: Four Green Bay Players Chosen On All-American. Green Bay Press-Gazette. George Whitney Calhoun. December 19, 1931. 13. Newspapers.com.
  72. News: Dutch Clark Is Named On All-America Pro Team: Kirksey Selects Leading Stars On Annual Selection. The Ogden (UT) Standard-Examiner. December 15, 1931. George Kirksey. 14. Newspapers.com.
  73. Web site: 1931 NFL All-Pros. Sports Reference LLC. Pro-Football-Reference.com. April 2, 2017.
  74. News: Ernie Nevers Grid Career At End; Famed Fullback Expects To Become Coach. The Sandusky Register. January 26, 1932. 6. Newspapers.com.
  75. News: Name Nevers On Stanford Coach Staff. Santa Ana Register. March 16, 1932. 6. Newspapers.com.
  76. News: Nevers Named Lafayette Coach, Quits Tribe: Tiny Sorry But Wishes Aid Good Luck. Oakland Tribune. January 17, 1936. 32. Newspapers.com.
  77. News: Lafayette Suspends Classes To Welcome Ernie Nevers As Head Football Coach. Pottstown (PA) Mercury. March 17, 1936. 8. Newspapers.com.
  78. Web site: 2010 Lafayette Football. Lafayette College. 2010. April 13, 2017. 118. April 13, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170413034742/http://www.goleopards.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/lafa/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/media-guide_95-124. dead.
  79. News: Ernie Nevers To Coach Backfield and Ends at Iowa. Chicago Tribune. March 16, 1937. 22. Newspapers.com.
  80. News: Nevers Returns To Pro Ranks As Coach of Cards. George Strickler. Chicago Tribune. December 2, 1938. 27, 39. Newspapers.com.
  81. News: Nevers Mails Resignation as Cards' Coach. Chicago Tribune. February 20, 1940. 19. Newspapers.com.
  82. News: Ernie Nevers Quits as Cardinal Coach. Los Angeles Times. February 20, 1940. 29. Newspapers.com.
  83. News: Who Is Football's Greatest Players?. The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 22, 1931. 95. Newspapers.com.
  84. News: Nevers Named All Time All America Back. Santa Cruz Sentinel. Russ Newland. April 12, 1951. 4. Newspapers.com.
  85. News: 53 Men Honored In Hall of Fame: Hutson, Nevers Go In on First Ballot. News-Herald (Marshfield, WI). November 5, 1951. 10. Newspapers.com.
  86. Web site: Wright . Alfred . The Best College Player of All-Time . 2020-12-30 . Sports Illustrated Vault . en-us.
  87. News: Seventeen Former Grid Stars Named To Football Fame Hall. The Shreveport (LA) Times. January 30, 1963. 11A. Newspapers.com.
  88. News: Grange, Nagurski Top Modern All-Time Team In College Football. The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, CA). September 18, 1969. 12. Newspapers.com.
  89. News: Simpson, Nobis Named All-Time All-Americans. The Cumberland News. September 9, 1969. 10. Newspapers.com.
  90. News: Unitas, Brown, Sayers on All-Time NFL Team. Great Falls Tribune. September 7, 1969. 13. Newspapers.com.
  91. News: Baseball Greats Join Inductees In Bay Area Hall of Fame. Santa Cruz Sentinel. October 12, 1979. 43. Newspapers.com.
  92. News: Football legend honored on postage stamp: Ernie Nevers recognized as an early gridiron hero. The Oshkosh Northwestern. Doug Zellmer. September 16, 2003. 13. Newspapers.com.
  93. News: Top 100 Players of All Time. The Hartford Courant. November 7, 2010. E7. Newspapers.com.
  94. News: Ernie Nevers and Wife Mix Signals, Dodge Rice Play. Oakland Tribune. February 17, 1926. 7. Newspapers.com.
  95. News: Blind Golfers Match Strokes in City Today. Duluth News-Tribune. August 20, 1938. 1.
  96. News: Ernie Nevers Gets Marine Captaincy. Santa Ana Register. September 17, 1942. 6. Newspapers.com.
  97. News: City Is Host To Grid Great. Lansing State Journal. April 4, 1943. 17. Newspapers.com.
  98. News: Mrs. Ernie Nevers Claimed By Death in S.F. Hospital. The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California). July 14, 1943. 3. Newspapers.com.
  99. News: Captain Ernie Nevers of Marine Corps Finally Gets His Oveseas Assignment. Russ Newland. Reno Gazette-Journal. October 23, 1943. 12. Newspapers.com.
  100. News: Nevers, Former Star, to Seek Post-War Pro Grid Franchise. Decatur Herald and Review. April 9, 1944. 14. Newspapers.com.
  101. News: Ernie Nevers Back From Pacific Area Reports On Athletics and Snakes. Reno Gazette-Journal. October 5, 1933. 18. Newspapers.com.
  102. News: Nevers Becomes Major. The Fresno Bee. December 22, 1944. 22. Newspapers.com.
  103. News: Ernie Nevers Joins San Diego Marines. The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California). February 9, 1945. 4. Newspapers.com.
  104. News: Dick Hanley To Coach Chicago All-America. Chicago Tribune. March 1, 1945. 21. Newspapers.com.
  105. News: Nevers To Leave Marine Service. Petaluma Argus-Courier. May 23, 1945. 3. Newspapers.com.
  106. News: Pat Boland Named Rockets Coach. The Honolulu Advertiser. October 30, 1946. 16. Newspapers.com.
  107. News: Ernie Nevers Will Wed Chicago Woman Today. Chicago Tribune. February 1, 1947. 15. Newspapers.com.
  108. News: Ernie Nevers A Proud Father. Petaluma Argus-Courier. May 26, 1948. 6. Newspapers.com.
  109. News: "Why Big Hubbub?" Ernie Nevers Asks. The Cincinnati Enquirer. July 22, 1956. 55. Newspapers.com.
  110. News: Ward . Alan . July 23, 1950 . On Second Thought . 25 . Oakland Tribune . Newspapers.com.
  111. News: Ernie Nevers To Start TV Series. Independent-Journal (San Rafael, Calif.). September 17, 1954. 11. Newspapers.com.
  112. News: Stanford's Finest, Ernie Nevers, Dies. Los Angeles Times. May 4, 1976. III-1. Newspapers.com.
  113. News: Grid great Nevers dies. Chicago Tribune. May 4, 1976. 4-1. Newspapers.com.
  114. News: Death Stops Greatest 60-Minute Football Player in Ernie Nevers. Palladium-Item, Richmond, Indiana. May 4, 1976. 13. Newspapers.com.