Indiana football is in the news as they rise from the doldrums. But this was not the first time Indiana rose from the bottom of the pile. In 1945 Indiana University won the Big 10 under the direction of Bo McMillin, the most famous football player in the early 1920s. Bo was so famous that in 1956 at the first Hall of Fame football dinner in New York, President Dwight Eisenhower told only one story, about Bo. The point of the story was that without football, he would have been a tramp. But he wasn’t; he became one of the most celebrated players and coaches in the country.
Bo was raised in Fort Worth. His dad died early and Bo attended school sparingly to support his family. Deeply moral but highly skilled at pool and dice, he never swore, drank, or smoked. He loved sport, excelling at everything he touched. Bo often said he was saved by his high school football coach and his English teacher who supported the high school basketball team. His coach left for Centre College and Bo followed.
The Praying Colonels, as Centre was called, was supported by the Presbyterian church and had an enrollment of under 200 students. Their football team had established a reputation that led to an invitation to Boston to play Harvard, a team that had not lost in five years. In 1921 before 45,000 fans Centre played Harvard to a standstill before Bo took off along the sidelines, dodging opponents on his way to the end zone. Centre won and his reputation as a giant killer began.
Meanwhile, 750 miles west, the president of Centenary College knew his school was dying. Similar to Centre, Centenary was a Methodist school with few students. The president planned to elevate their enrollment by improving football. He hired Bo right out of college to coach and paid him $8,000/year. Enrollment tripled and Centenary started winning. But two years later when the accreditation team arrived, they refused to accredit the school because Bo made $500 more than the president. Refusing to accept a lower salary, Bo took another job at Geneva College, then Kansas State, and eventually to Indiana.
Bo stepped off the train in 1934 and was met by a party of three — no band, no crowds. They had not had a winning season in 14 years. Faced with a long history of mediocrity, many coaches might be satisfied with a few victories, but not Bo. When Bo made a public presentation to the school students, he said, “I don’t intend to become a sexton for any cemetery at Indiana University. And off he went to recruit, travelling far and wide. This pied piper of football was not only famous, he was a great orator and raconteur.
Bo had his fame but he earned it. His style of leadership was Shackleton like, his willingness to do everything the athletes did. He dressed in the locker room, ate with the players, and could run with the best. Nothing was too small for him. Bo was not just interested in football, Bo sincerely wanted a college education for his players. He expected the same effort in the classroom as on the field. Perhaps, this may have come from his own early struggles. His players idolized him. “Those of us who played for him are better people,” was a common expression. Slowly and deliberately, without giving up, Indiana began clawing away at their opponents until 1945 when they won the Big 10 Championship. Shortly thereafter, Bo took over the coaching job for the Detroit Lions.
But what happened to poor little Centenary College. Were they left to waste upon Bo’s departure. The school enrollment was sound and they did get accredited after Bo left. But what about football? Homer Norton took over the reins at Centenary and in 1932 this tiny Methodist school played what one sportswriter called “A Suicide Season.” They played Texas A & M, the University of Texas, Ole Miss, Arkansas, and LSU. They went undefeated. My dad, Knute Rockne All American, was part of that team.
In that day, strict substitution rules required only about 15 players to make a team. Bo’s Centre College team averaged only 175 pounds, far less than the well fed Harvard Crimson. Bo said his “Pore lil’ boys” could win at football and at life with hard work, clean living, and sportsmanship. Bo was All American three times and entered the football Hall of Fame.
Jim Johnson is a retired professor of exercise and sport science after teaching 52 years at Smith College and Washington University in St. Louis. He comments about sport, exercise, and sports medicine. He can be reached at jjohnson@smith.edu.