Walter Koppisch Walter Frederic " Wally " Koppisch ( June 6 , 1901 – November 2 , 1952 ) was an American football halfback in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bisons and New York Giants . He attended Columbia University . At 23 years old , Koppisch , a local celebrity and high school football star , was named the head coach of the Buffalo Bisons , making him among the youngest head coaches in NFL history . Koppisch is considered one of the earliest busts in the NFL , having spectacularly failed to meet the high expectations of him in his lone season in Buffalo , although the expectations may have been unwarranted due to changes outside of his control . He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981 . Career . High school and college football . While playing high school ball at Masten Park High , now City Honors School , in Buffalo , New York . While there , he led his team to three consecutive Harvard Cup championships , which denoted Buffalo city champions . Upon graduation , Koppisch went on to star at Columbia University , where he captained the Lions for three seasons . While playing Columbia ' s backfield , Koppisch was teammates with , future New York Yankee , Lou Gehrig . In 1924 he was received All - American honors by Walter Camp . NFL . Buffalo : 1925 . In September 1925 , it was announced that Koppisch would be returning to Buffalo to coach the Buffalo Bisons . He was only 23 years - old at the time , making him one of the youngest head coaches in NFL history . However the newly established New York Giants , were seeking a well - known player which they could build a team around , and Walter ’ s was the top name on their list . However according Harry March , in his book " " , the Giants stopped pursuing Koppisch at the request of the Bisons . While expectations were high for the Bison in 1925 , the reality was that the team needed to undergo a rebuilding process . Many of the team ' s top players from the previous season had left the team . These players included mainstays Tommy Hughitt , Benny Boynton , Pete Calac , and Eddie Kaw . Upon assuming the job of coach , Koppisch implemented the same system that was in use at Columbia University , by coach Frank " Buck " O ' Neill , with himself as the offense ' s focal point . Meanwhile the new players consisted of stand - out collegians , but not one of them an All - American . Leak dispute with the media . At one point the " Buffalo Evening News " reported on several leaks , concerning the Bisons roster . According to the " News " , the story was to be kept under wraps until a time approved by Koppisch . However the " News " reportedly saw the same story published in a rival newspaper ( presumably the now - defunct " Buffalo Courier - Express " ) and ran the story . The News maintained that it was Koppisch who broke the agreement by leaking the story to the rival newspaper . As a result Koppisch removed the " News " reporter from training camp . The " News " carried its grudge against the Bisons for the entire season , publishing only a few very small articles about the team . Rough start . The Bisons 1925 season , ended with a 1 - 6 - 2 record . The team began the season with back - to - back losses against the Frankford Yellow Jackets and Pottsville Maroons . The they then posted scoreless ties against the Rochester Jeffersons and Akron Pros . During the Rochester game , Koppisch and Jim Kendrick , made huge runs on offense . However the Jeffersons defense stopped the Bisons from scoring . Meanwhile during the Akron showdown , the Bison defense held future Hall of Famer , Fritz Pollard in check throughout the game , allowing the Pros just seven first downs for the entire game . However the Pros defense held Buffulo to only two first downs . The team ' s only victory in 1925 came in a 17 - 6 win against the Columbus Tigers . Playing through pain . On October 22 , Koppisch was involved in an automobile accident . He received some bad cuts and bruises on his legs , and was advised to sit out a few games to allow his injuries to heal . This forced Koppisch to miss the November 1 rematch against Frankford . The Bisons would go on to lose that game , 12 - 3 . Meanwhile , Koppisch was forced to miss a second game at New York ' s Polo Grounds . The game was to be a homecoming for Koppisch since he played at the Polo Grounds while attending Columbia . Upon hearing that Koppisch would not be playing in the game , a large group of fans from Columbia , who turned out just to see him play , booed him . The fans were unaware of the injuries suffered by Koppisch in the October 22 accident . However the boos led Koppisch to come out and play two series of downs in the second quarter . The Bisons were still down by 7 points and Koppisch , as a result of his injuries , was unable to get the team to score . He later returned in fourth quarter to attempt a score while deep into Giants ' territory , but to no avail . The Giants held on for the 7 - 0 victory and Buffalo ’ s record fell to 1 - 4 - 2 . It would be Koppisch ’ s last appearance in a Buffalo uniform . The Bisons ended their 1925 season with losses to the Providence Steam Roller and , eventual champions , the Chicago Cardinals . Termination . The Bisons did not ask Koppisch to return as the coach for the 1926 season . While Buffalo expected him to challenge for the NFL title , the environment in the city proved that challenge to be impossible . The franchise suffered from years of declining attendance , which in turn meant little money with which the team could sign decent players . Meanwhile many of the NFL ' s top team were able to exploit Bufflo ' s inexperienced team . Retirement . In 1926 , Koppisch signed with the New York Giants , playing under head coach Joe Alexander , a fellow Western New York native . Koppisch played just one season with the team , seeing action in nine of the team ' s fourteen games that year . After the 1926 season ( one in which there were at least 31 top level professional teams between the NFL and the American Football League ) , the number of pro teams dropped dramatically : half of the NFL teams , and all but one of the AFL teams , folded , significantly increasing the pool of available talent . Koppisch gave up on professional football . Koppisch remained in New York City after his playing career and became a stockbroker . At one point , he was a business partner of Lou Gehrig , his former Columbia teammate . Koppisch later became an investigator for the Securities and Exchange Commission .