Dixie Howell Millard Fleming " Dixie " Howell ( November 24 , 1912 – March 2 , 1971 ) was an American football and baseball player and coach . He played college football as a back at the University of Alabama from 1932 to 1934 and with the Washington Redskins of the National Football League in 1937 . Howell served as the head football coach at Arizona State Teachers College at Tempe , now Arizona State University , from 1938 to 1941 and at the University of Idaho from 1947 to 1950 , compiling a career coaching record of 36 – 35 – 5 in college football . He also coached at the National University of Mexico in 1935 . Howell was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1970 . He also played professional baseball , with eight minor league seasons following college . Playing career . Football . Born in Hartford , Alabama , Howell played college football as an undersized ( ) quadruple - threat back at Alabama from 1932 to 1934 . As a senior , the Crimson Tide ran the " Notre Dame Box " offense , and he was a consensus All - American in 1934 , as well as one of the nation ' s top punters . The 1934 Alabama team had two future legends as ends : Don Hutson and Paul " Bear " Bryant . The Crimson Tide posted a 10 – 0 record , and defeated previously unbeaten Stanford 29 - 13 in the Rose Bowl on New Year ' s Day , 1935 . Howell threw two touchdown passes to Hutson and ran for two more ; he is a member of the all - time Rose Bowl team . In 1937 , Howell briefly played professional football in the NFL for the Washington Redskins , who had just relocated from Boston . The Redskins had lost the NFL Championship Game in 1936 to Green Bay , but returned to the title game in 1937 and defeated the Chicago Bears at Wrigley Field . Howell was a reserve quarterback for the Redskins , behind starter Sammy Baugh . He became a collegiate head coach in 1938 and ended his football playing career . Baseball . Howell also played baseball for the Crimson Tide and originally indicated he would finish out the college baseball season in 1935 and turn pro that June . Plans changed and he signed a professional baseball contract with the Detroit Tigers in early March and played minor league baseball through 1942 . A month after signing , he was hospitalized after being struck in the head by a foul line drive ; it occurred during batting practice before an April exhibition game in Virginia , off the bat of Johnny Mize . In 1936 he played with Portland in the Pacific Coast League , then was moved to Toledo in the American Association . His career tailed off and he spent the rest of his baseball career in lower leagues . After service in the U . S . Navy during World War II , he did not return as a player and became the head coach at Alabama in January 1946 and resigned in March 1947 to become head football coach at Idaho . Coaching career . While pursuing his baseball career , Howell coached football in his autumn off - seasons ; in Mexico City in 1935 and as an assistant at Loyola of New Orleans in 1936 . Following a season in the NFL in 1937 , he was hired as head coach at the Arizona State Teachers College in Tempe and stayed for four seasons ( 1938 – 41 ) , with two conference titles . He was a finalist for the open job at Idaho in 1941 , then joined the Navy in 1942 as a physical training instructor for naval aviators . He served until his discharge as a lieutenant commander in November 1945 , then returned to Tuscaloosa in January 1946 as an assistant football coach ( backs ) and head baseball coach for the Crimson Tide . Howell was hired as head football coach at Idaho of the Pacific Coast Conference in February 1947 and guided the usually - struggling Vandals to a promising 4 - 4 record in his first season in Moscow , Idaho ' s best since 1938 . The Vandals beat Stanford on the road , a team that had defeated them 45 - 0 the previous year , and also an undefeated Utah in the season finale . The Vandals drew a Palouse and state record crowd to Neale Stadium for their annual rivalry game with Washington State in October , albeit a close 7 - 0 loss to the Cougars . These promising factors earned Howell a two - year contract extension through 1950 . The progress did not continue , as the Vandals opened the 1948 season with four losses and went 3 - 6 overall and 1 - 5 in conference , defeating only Montana for the Little Brown Stein . Idaho played Washington State close at Rogers Field in Pullman and gave Oregon a scare in Moscow . The 1948 Ducks , with Norm Van Brocklin and John McKay , would go 7 - 0 in conference and were co - champions with California . Howell ' s relationship with Idaho fans and the administration was strained following the 1949 season . The Vandals went 3 - 5 and 1 - 4 in conference that season , defeating only departing Montana again . Their two non - conference wins were against overmatched opponents Willamette and Portland , and the Vandals were severely outscored 230 - 45 in their five losses , capped by a 63 - 0 loss at Stanford to end the season . Howell felt compelled to publicly deny rumors in April that he would leave before the 1950 season . The Vandals posted a 3 - 5 - 1 record in 1950 and 1 - 1 - 1 in conference , and Howell ' s contract was not renewed in March 1951 . In media . Howell had an uncredited role in the 1936 movie , " The Adventures of Frank Merriwell " as a football player . In the book " To Kill a Mockingbird " chapter 11 , Scout , in an attempt to cheer up her brother , tells him he resembles Dixie Howell . Howell is also mentioned in Randy Newman ' s song " My Daddy Knew Dixie Howell " from the album Good Old Boys . After coaching . Howell got out of coaching and later worked in the Los Angeles area in sales and public relations . He had two operations for intestinal cancer in 1969 and 1971 and died at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital in March 1971 at age 58 . Weeks after his death , Alabama created an award in his name , given to the outstanding player of the annual spring game .