Forest Evashevski Forest " Evy " Evashevski ( February 19 , 1918 – October 30 , 2009 ) was an American football player , coach , and college athletics administrator . He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1938 to 1940 and with the Iowa Pre - Flight Seahawks in 1942 . Evashevski served as the head football coach at Hamilton College in 1941 , Washington State University from 1950 to 1951 , and the University of Iowa from 1952 to 1960 , compiling a career record of 68 – 35 – 6 . Evashevski ' s 1958 Iowa team went 8 – 1 – 1 , winning the Big Ten Conference title and defeating the California Golden Bears in the 1959 Rose Bowl . Though they finished second to the LSU Tigers in both major pre - bowl game polls , the 1958 Hawkeyes were recognized by the Football Writers Association of America as < a href = " NCAA % 20Division % 20I % 20FBS % 20national % 20football % 20championship " > national champions < / a > after all the bowl games had been played . Evashevski served as Iowa ' s athletic director from 1960 to 1970 . He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2000 . Early years . Evashevski was born in Detroit , Michigan . In grade school , he captained the basketball , baseball , soccer , and track teams . At Northwestern High School , however , he was not allowed on the football practice field in his sophomore or junior years . The school ' s varsity football coaches felt that Evashevski was too small at just 128 pounds . So he played intramural football at Northwestern . As a senior , he had grown to 180 pounds and his intramural football squad scrimmaged against the varsity football team . Evashevski led his intramural team to an upset of the varsity squad , and the coaches let him join the team . Evashevski started at tackle and linebacker as a 16 - year - old Northwestern High School senior ; he was allowed to skip a few grades in grade school to help him maintain interest academically . After his first varsity football game , a writer from " The Detroit News " said he was a sure - fire all - state pick , if he could stay healthy . But Evashevski suffered from headaches and vomiting after the game . In his next game , he hit a punt returner , forcing a fumble . Evashevski was knocked out cold and spent the next several months in the hospital . He said , " In the second game , I suffered a cerebral hemorrhage . They did three spinal taps on me before they decided to operate . I was supposed to be through with football . But when something is taken away from you like that , I believe you want it even more than you did before . " Playing career . 18 months later , Evy enrolled at the University of Michigan . Michigan football coach Fritz Crisler wanted Evashevski on the field , so Evy was moved from the center position to quarterback one week before his first varsity game . In Crisler ' s single - wing system , the quarterback position required mostly calling signals and blocking for the running back , and Evashevski had the blocking skills and intelligence necessary to become a star . He started and was an all - Big Ten Conference performer three straight seasons . He played from 1938 – 1940 and paved the way for running back Tom Harmon , who won the Heisman Trophy in 1940 . Evashevski also played in the same Michigan backfield with David M . Nelson , a fellow alumni of Northwestern High . Nelson would go on to a noteworthy coaching career ; among his many contributions was the wing - T formation . Harmon said , " Evy seemed to think right with Crisler . . . [ A ] s a linebacker , he had a fantastic instinct for smelling out the play . . . As a blocker , I never saw a better one . " Although Harmon won the Heisman , Evashevski was the team ' s captain . Evashevski was also the most dynamic personality on the team . Once , Crisler ' s Wolverines were leading a foe 21 – 0 at half . He feared a letdown , so he ordered his team to consider the game scoreless . Crisler then asked , " OK , Evy , what ' s the score ? " Evashevski replied , " You can ' t kid me , coach . The score is 21 – 0 . " On another occasion , Evashevski shocked both his coach and teammates by lighting a victory cigar on the sidelines with thirty seconds to play in a 1939 win over Ohio State . Before a game against Minnesota , Crisler implored his team in a pregame speech to be 11 lions on offense and 11 tigers on defense . Evashevski spoke up and said he would not play unless he could be a leopard . On another day , Crisler , who demanded punctuality of his players , arrived for practice a little late . " Fritz " , Evashevski barked , daring to use Crisler ' s nickname , " we begin practice at 3 : 30 . It ' s now 3 : 35 . Take a lap around the field " ; Crisler did . The Wolverines were 20 – 4 from 1938 – 1940 . Crisler later called Evashevski " the greatest quarterback I ever had . " Evashevski won the Big Ten Medal given to the school ' s best senior student - athlete . He was the baseball catcher , the senior class president , and an honor society member . Evashevski graduated with a sociology major and a psychology minor . He wanted to take labor law at the University of Michigan Law School , but World War II intervened . Military service and early coaching career . Evashevski coached Hamilton College to a 5 – 2 record in 1941 and served as an assistant coach for spring football at the University of Pittsburgh in 1942 . Evashevski then enrolled at the Iowa Naval Pre - Flight School in Iowa City , teaching the students hand - to - hand combat and playing for the Pre - Flight Seahawks in 1942 . Then he left to serve three years in the military from 1943 to 1945 . When he returned from the military , Evashevski went back to Ann Arbor to try to enroll at Michigan ' s law school . Evashevski and his wife could not find a room because of all the military veterans returning from the war . When Clarence " Biggie " Munn , Crisler ' s line coach at Michigan and then head football coach at Syracuse University , offered Evashevski an assistant coaching job in 1946 , Evashevski took it . Evashevski followed Munn to Michigan State University one year later and served as his assistant coach there from 1947 to 1949 . In 1950 , Evashevski accepted the head coaching job at Washington State University , which he held for two years . He compiled a 4 – 3 – 2 record in 1950 , and the Cougars improved to 7 – 3 in 1951 . Head coach at Iowa . " People in the Midwest are my people and I wanted to be back among them . . . And , of course , I don ' t have to tell you what I think of Big Ten football . It ' s the best in the country . " With those words , Evashevski left the West Coast to become the University of Iowa ' s 19th head football coach . Evashevski nearly took the head coaching job at Indiana University , but Fritz Crisler urged him to consider Iowa . He felt that it would be easier to attain statewide support at Iowa than in Indiana , where Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame shared the spotlight . Evashevski was familiar with Iowa City from his stint with the Naval Pre - Flight School . Crisler was the man who recommended Evashevski to Iowa ' s athletic director , Paul Brechler . Crisler did warn Brechler , however , that Evashevski was " a tough , stubborn Polack , and you might have to put the reins on him . " In 1952 , Iowa football had only had three winning seasons in the previous 16 years . Iowa had also gone without a Big Ten Conference title for three decades . A United Press International story named three football programs in 1952 with new coaches that would struggle to ever be competitive : Iowa , Indiana , and Pittsburgh . Iowa ' s first two opponents in 1952 were Pittsburgh and Indiana , and Iowa lost to both , starting the year 0 – 2 . But Evashevski knew the Hawkeye program could be resurrected . When he came to Iowa , Evashevski was asked by a writer , " Do you think Iowa could ever really have a consistently winning team ? " Evashevski snapped , " Why in the hell do you think I took the job ? " Afterwards , a photographer noted , " I think that man truly believes he ' s the savior [ sic ] of Iowa football . " Early years ( 1952 – 1955 ) . The Hawkeyes struggled to an 0 – 4 start in 1952 , surrendering more than 32 points per game during that stretch . Iowa was scheduled to play Ohio State for homecoming , and Evashevski ' s Hawks were three touchdown underdogs . Ohio State had never played in Iowa Stadium , having last played a road game at Iowa 25 years earlier . Evashevski completely retooled his offense the week before the game , and Iowa shocked the Buckeyes , 8 – 0 . The " Des Moines Register " wrote , " Put your license plate back on the family auto , citizen , for Iowa won a football game Saturday . " " Register " sports editor Sec Taylor added , " It was like my 8 - year - old granddaughter out - boxing Sugar Ray Robinson . " The Associated Press ( AP ) , in a year - end poll , voted it the third biggest upset of the year . Before the season , Evashevski had warned the school administration to expect some eyebrow - raising behavior from him . He strongly believed that the team had to be instilled with a fighting attitude , and that the Big Ten needed to be made aware of Iowa ' s presence in the league . In a loss to Minnesota , Gopher fans on the sideline yelled at Iowa coaches and players to stop obstructing their view . Words were exchanged , and several men wound up charging Evashevski , with one fan taking a swing at Evashevski and missing . The following week against Illinois , a very physical game turned dirty in the fourth quarter . More than one brawl cleared both benches , and players from both sides were ejected from the game . Evashevski stormed on to the field to protest a call , which fired up the Iowa crowd . When an official tried to mark off an Illinois penalty against Iowa , the Hawkeye crowd started throwing apple cores at the officials . After the game , as the Illinois team was trying to leave the field , an Illinois player got into an argument with an Iowa student and punched him , breaking his jaw . Several Illinois players and ten Iowa players were hurt during the game , with four being sent to the hospital . This incident led to a suspension of the Iowa – Illinois series for 15 years . Iowa improved in 1953 , starting the season with a 3 – 3 record . Iowa then defeated Purdue , 26 – 0 , and Minnesota , 27 – 0 , in consecutive weeks to set up the most controversial game in school history . The final game of the season was against # 1 Notre Dame in South Bend . Notre Dame was a 13 point favorite . In fact , not only was Notre Dame the top - ranked team in the nation , the AP writers had voted the Irish number one by the largest margin in their poll ' s history . With just seconds remaining in the first half and Iowa holding a 7 – 0 lead , Notre Dame was stopped for no gain on Iowa ' s seven - yard line . A tackle for the Irish screamed and fell to the ground , and the clock was stopped for the injury with just two seconds remaining . The Irish broke huddle and the officials signaled for the clock to start . Notre Dame was able to set down the lines , call signals , and snap the ball before time expired , and Notre Dame completed a touchdown pass on the final play of the half . The game was tied at halftime , 7 – 7 . Iowa scored another touchdown with two minutes remaining in the game . With just 32 seconds left on the clock , Notre Dame advanced the ball to the Iowa 19 - yard line . But the clock was running , and Notre Dame had no timeouts remaining . Again , an injury timeout was granted , but this time , two Notre Dame players fell at the same time , apparently unaware of the other . Both players left the field unassisted , and Notre Dame quickly resumed their drive . With six seconds to play , Notre Dame completed another touchdown pass and salvaged a 14 – 14 tie . Iowa sportscaster Bob Brooks said , " In retrospect , faking an injury was common in those days . That ' s what teams did , anything to get a timeout . However , it was abnormal in that Frank Leahy , the Notre Dame coach , had the Irish fainting all over the place . Players went down like they were shot . " Critics labeled Notre Dame the " Fainting Irish " , and while there was no official rule against faking injuries , many critics questioned the practice . When Notre Dame star Johnny Lattner was asked about it , he responded , " Pretty smart thinking , wasn ' t it ? " Famed sportswriter Grantland Rice stated , " I consider it a complete violation of the spirit and ethics of the game and was sorry to see Notre Dame , of all teams , using this method . Why , in heaven ' s name , was it allowed ? If this violates neither the rules nor the coaching code , let ' s throw them both out the window . Some people are calling it smart playing . I think it was disgraceful playing . " Evashevski attended a pep rally when he returned to Iowa City , and he parodied Rice himself when he said , " When the One Great Scorer comes to write against our name , He won ' t write whether we won or lost , but how come we got gypped at Notre Dame . " Evashevski said , " Don ' t celebrate a tie ; celebrate a victory . I was there Saturday , and if ever a team won a game , Iowa won a victory at Notre Dame Saturday . " School officials eventually ordered Evashevski to apologize for his remarks . The tie cost the Irish the # 1 spot in the final AP Poll , dropping them to a distant # 2 . Iowa rocketed into the AP rankings , finishing the year ninth in the nation and garnering six first place votes . It was Iowa ’ s highest ranking since 1939 , and the tie gave the Iowa program national attention . The Hawkeyes started the 1954 season 5 – 2 , but Iowa suffered two tough losses to end the season at 5 – 4 . In 1955 , the Hawkeyes finished a disappointing 3 – 5 – 1 , but lineman Cal Jones won the Outland Trophy at the end of the season . Rose Bowl years ( 1956 – 1958 ) . The 1956 Iowa team started the season 5 – 0 before Michigan scored a touchdown with 66 seconds remaining in the game to upset the Hawkeyes , 17 – 14 . Evashevski dropped to 0 – 4 at Iowa against his alma mater , but if Iowa could win their next two football games , they would go to the Rose Bowl . Minnesota was Iowa ' s next opponent , and the Gophers were in the lead in the Rose Bowl race . Rather than a pregame speech , Evashevski used a pregame altercation to fire up his Hawkeye team . The Iowa team filed off the team bus outside Minnesota ' s stadium and huddled together , shivering in the cold . Evashevski was the last man off the bus and , as he walked over to the gate , he was scolded by the gatekeeper . " You know better than this ! . . . [ Y ] ou were given tickets , and you can ' t get in without them ! " , the gatekeeper said . Evashevski , who had his hand on the team ' s passes and was about to produce them , saw an opportunity . He shoved the passes back into his pocket and engaged in a verbal battle with the gatekeeper , as his cold and angry Hawkeye team watched . Finally , the gatekeeper let the team pass , but he detained the coaches . The players were in the locker room , not knowing where the coaches were , until Evashevski and his assistants filed in moments before kickoff . The Hawkeyes took out their frustration on the Gopher team . The Hawks scored a touchdown off a turnover just a couple minutes into the game . Iowa forced six fumbles and three interceptions from Minnesota and won , 7 – 0 . Iowa then faced Ohio State for the Big Ten title . Ohio State , coached by Woody Hayes , had just defeated Indiana by rushing for 465 yards as a team , setting a Big Ten Conference record . The win over the Hoosiers was Ohio State ' s 17th consecutive conference win , also a Big Ten record . With a win over Iowa , the Buckeyes would clinch an unprecedented third consecutive outright Big Ten title . Iowa , on the other hand , was playing for their first Big Ten title in 34 years . A sign in Iowa ' s locker room said , " You have sixty minutes to defeat Ohio State , and a lifetime to remember it . " In one of the most hard - hitting and memorable games in Iowa history , Iowa defeated Ohio State , 6 – 0 , to clinch Iowa ’ s first Rose Bowl trip in school history . Following a scoreless first half , Iowa took the lead on a 17 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ken Ploen to receiver Jim Gibbons . The Hawks then allowed Ohio State just 53 yards total offense in the second half to punch home the win . The game was so exciting , University of Iowa president Virgil Hancher had to be hospitalized with an apparent heart attack . After a 40 - point win over Notre Dame , which stands as one of the worst losses in the history of the Irish , the Hawkeyes prepared for the Rose Bowl . Such a happy occasion was marred , however , by the tragic news that former Hawkeye Cal Jones had just died in a plane crash in Canada . One week later , the Hawkeyes flew to Pasadena , California . The team quietly dedicated the game to Jones ' memory and defeated Oregon State , 35 – 19 . Ploen was named the Rose Bowl MVP . The Hawks sent the game ball to Jones ' mother in Steubenville , Ohio . Iowa was nearly as good in 1957 as they had been the previous season . Iowa again started the year 5 – 0 before traveling to Ann Arbor to play Michigan . This time , the Hawkeyes fell behind by two touchdowns and trailed at halftime , 21 – 7 . Iowa rallied for two second half touchdowns and tied the game at 21 – 21 . With three minutes to go in the game , the Hawks regained possession of the ball . The Hawkeyes ran out the clock and settled for the tie . Iowa ' s quarterback , Randy Duncan , had left the game with leg cramps , crippling Iowa ' s offense . Evashevski calmly explained that a tie did not hurt Iowa ' s Big Ten title chances , while it all but ended Michigan ' s . " Time " magazine published a story in which they called the Hawkeyes " quitters " . The tie set up another showdown for the Big Ten title with Ohio State . However , unlike the previous season , the Buckeyes got revenge this time and handed Iowa a 17 – 13 defeat . It was Iowa ' s only loss of the year , as the Hawkeyes finished with a 7 – 1 – 1 record and ranked sixth in the nation . The 1958 Hawkeyes played Air Force to a surprising 13 – 13 tie . The Air Force Academy had only existed since 1954 , and few thought their football team they would give Iowa ' s a challenge . But Air Force salvaged a tie and finished the regular season with a 9 – 0 – 1 record . The tie gave the Hawkeye players a lesson in humility , and they illustrated that they had learned their lesson by winning five straight conference games , clinching the Big Ten title earlier than any team in conference history . The most notable win was a 37 – 14 defeat of Michigan , Evashevski ' s first and only win over his alma mater . For the first time , the Hawkeye team was able to force their coach to accept the game ball . A week after Iowa clinched the league crown , Ohio State spoiled Iowa ' s undefeated record with a 38 – 28 win in a terrific contest . Iowa went back to the Rose Bowl and clobbered California , 38 – 12 . The Hawkeyes set or tied six Rose Bowl records in that game . Running back Bob Jeter rushed for a Rose Bowl record 194 yards on just nine carries , including an 81 yard touchdown run , another Rose Bowl record . Jeter was the game ' s MVP . Evashevski , who had battled the flu and a 101 degree temperature the week of the game , could barely give the halftime speech . Iowa finished the year ranked # 2 in the AP Poll , behind 11 – 0 LSU , although that vote was taken before the bowl games . The Football Writers Association of America , arguably the most prestigious organization at the time to vote on a national champion after the bowls were played , gave their national championship trophy , the Grantland Rice Award , to Iowa . Feud with Brechler ( 1959 – 1960 ) . Iowa went 5 – 4 in 1959 , a season marred by a very public feud between Evashevski and Brechler . Crisler had warned Brechler about Evashevski ' s stubbornness before Evashevski was hired . Brechler and Evashevski were both reportedly very good at their respective jobs , but relations between the two men quickly deteriorated . Evashevski and Brechler had a long and often bitter feud in the late 1950s . Evashevski called the conflict " [ a ] complete destruction of confidence in each other " . At the end of the 1959 season , Brechler announced that he was leaving Iowa to become the commissioner of the Skyline Conference , the forerunner to the Western Athletic Conference . Evashevski had repeatedly mentioned that he did not intend to grow old in coaching . After the 1957 season , he conceded that his health was not the best and that " my wife has wanted me to get out of coaching for some time " . Evashevski clearly wanted the athletic director job . Members on the Board of Athletics , however , were concerned about the prospect of the ambitious Evashevski holding both positions . The Board told Evashevski that he could take either job : head football coach or athletic director . Evashevski chose to become Iowa ' s athletic director and promised to appoint a new football coach after the 1960 season . Evashevski ' s final season as football coach at Iowa was another memorable one . The 1960 Iowa Hawkeyes overcame a fierce schedule and finished the year 8 – 1 . The Hawkeyes defeated Ohio State on the last game of the conference season to clinch a share of the league crown with Minnesota . It was Evashevski ' s third Big Ten title at Iowa . The Hawkeyes were ranked second in the final AP Poll , which was taken before the bowl games . Iowa ' s only loss that season was at Minnesota , which finished first in the final AP Poll with an identical 8 – 1 record . During his tenure , Evashevski compiled a 52 – 27 – 4 record . His teams won three Big Ten titles and two Rose Bowls , and finished in the top ten of the final AP Poll five times . Though he had been a head coach for only 12 years in total , Evashevski was inducted into the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000 . Athletic director at Iowa . Evashevski succeeded Brechler as Iowa ' s athletic director in 1960 . He hired his assistant coach , Jerry Burns , to replace him as head football coach . Iowa began the 1961 season ranked first in the initial AP Poll but staggered to a disappointing 5 – 4 record . A defeat of Notre Dame on the final game of the season gave Iowa a winning record for the year ; it would be Iowa ' s last winning season for the next 20 years . Three sub - par seasons put Burns on the hot seat entering 1965 , but the 1965 team was predicted to do well . Instead , Iowa finished the year 1 – 9 , and Burns was fired by his former mentor Evashevski . Burns went on to a long and successful coaching career in professional football , serving as an assistant to Vince Lombardi with the Green Bay Packers , which won the first two Super Bowl s , and then as offensive coordinator for 18 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings under Bud Grant , when Minnesota went to four Super Bowls between 1969 and 1976 . Burns was head coach of the Vikings from 1986 – 1991 , posting a 53 – 42 mark and three playoff appearances . There are those who insist that Evashevski wanted to be called back as football coach and that rather than helping Burns to succeed , he hampered him with rules and regulations that were not in force when Evashevski was the coach . When Evashevski was in his final year as coach in 1960 , " Look " magazine wrote , " Close friends are not at all sure ( Evy ) will quit . They feel he is not sure himself . " One of Burns ' assistant coaches said , " From the moment he became athletic director , Evy cut down the cost of maintaining the football program to the bare bones . He cut down on traveling expenses for recruiting , phone calls , entertainment of prospective recruits , you name it . When Evy was coach , we took visiting recruits and their parents to fine restaurants to eat . After Evy became the athletic director , the staff was told that visiting recruits and their parents would eat at the Quadrangle cafeteria . We were told if we recruited in Chicago one week , we were not to go back the next . The football players knew Jerry couldn ' t make it because of Evy ' s attitude towards him . It was a very antagonistic situation right from the start that got worse through the years . " Evashevski , for his part , denied the charges and continued to maintain that he never intended to grow old in coaching . However , despite his public statements , rumors swirled that Evashevski would appoint himself to succeed Burns . Evashevski hired Ray Nagel from the University of Utah , although Nagel ' s record at Utah was not stellar . Some speculated at the time that finding a new coach had been difficult due to the problems Burns reportedly experienced with Evashevski . The " Cedar Rapids Gazette " reported , " At least four coaches either turned down the Hawkeye job or expressed no desire to talk about it . " Nagel ' s hiring was questioned even more after he had a 3 – 16 – 1 record in 1966 and 1967 at Iowa . However , the Hawkeyes set several school and conference offensive records in 1968 and finished with a 5 – 5 record . A boycott by several black players at Iowa in 1969 hurt the Hawkeye football squad and was a factor in their 5 – 5 record that season . Friction between Nagel and Evashevski began to take public effect in January 1970 when Nagel dismissed offensive line coach Gary Grouwinkel for " disloyalty " , which Grouwinkel later revealed was his allegiance to Evashevski instead of Nagel . Less than one month later , star quarterback Larry Lawrence and fullback Tom Smith quit the team and transferred to Miami , loudly proclaiming that they would never stay and play for Nagel . About two weeks later , Lawrence ' s roommate , a non - athlete , submitted to the Iowa Board of Athletics a written statement charging Evashevski with participating in a rebellion aimed at getting Nagel fired and that would allow Evashevski to succeed him as head football coach . Lawrence ' s roommate stated that Lawrence was recruited to gather player support for Nagel ' s removal , but that Lawrence ' s efforts were unproductive . Evashevski vehemently denied the charges , and Iowa ' s athletic board took no action . In May 1970 , the State Auditor of Iowa announced that the athletic department was under investigation for " padded expense accounts " . Nagel not only denied wrongdoing , but claimed that they were shown how to fill out their expense accounts by Evashevski himself . Charges and counter - charges followed , and after a long investigation the Iowa Board of Athletics relieved both Forest Evashevski and Ray Nagel of their respective duties on May 19 . Nagel was rehired a few days later , but Evashevski was replaced as athletic director at Iowa by Bump Elliott . The news headlines reported Evashevski as resigning and Nagel as being fired . The Iowa Attorney General submitted a report to the Iowa Board of Athletics that stated , in part , " Mr . Evashevski ' s attitudes and other things he has done all tend to support the view of Coach Nagel and four of his five assistants that this is part of a vendetta against him . . . [ Evashevski ] did the university and people of Iowa , many of whom have almost worshiped him , a great disservice . " It might be noted that the Attorney General was a Republican who disliked Evashevski for his activities in Iowa Democratic politics . Also , the Attorney General never interviewed Evashevski while investigating the issue . Later life and family . Evashevski retired at a relatively young age . He was only 42 when he retired from coaching and just 52 when he was fired as Iowa ' s athletic director . He briefly worked as a color analyst on ABC ' s college football coverage before moving back to northern Michigan . Evashevski died in 2009 , survived by his wife Ruth , seven children , 14 grandchildren , and five great grandchildren . Evashevski ' s youngest daughter , Kassie Evashevski , is a literary agent in Los Angeles , who represented James Frey , when he published his controversial book " A Million Little Pieces " . TV home improvement maven , Katie Brown , is Evashevski ' s niece . It was announced in mid - October 2009 that the 91 - year - old Evashevski was battling cancer that had spread to his liver . He died on October 30 , 2009 . During the following Hawkeye game , Iowa paid tribute to the old coach by wearing a small sticker on their helmets that read " EVY , " Evashevski ' s nickname .