Bob Hollway Robert " Bob " Hollway ( January 29 , 1926March 13 , 1999 ) was an American football player and coach . He played college football for the University of Michigan and was a member of Michigan ' s undefeated 1947 and 1948 teams . He thereafter coached football at the University of Maine ( 1951 - 1952 ) , Eastern Michigan University ( 1953 ) , Michigan ( 1954 - 1965 ) , as the head coach of the National Football League ' s St . Louis Cardinals ( 1971 - 1972 ) , and as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Vikings ( 1967 - 1970 , 1978 - 198 _ ) and Detroit Lions ( 1973 - 1974 ) , San Francisco 49ers ( 1975 ) , and Seattle Seahawks ( 1976 - 1977 ) . Born and raised in Ann Arbor , Michigan , Hollway attended the University of Michigan , playing at the end position for the Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1947 to 1949 . After graduating in 1950 , Hollway entered the coaching ranks the following year as an assistant at the University of Maine . After two seasons , he returned to the state of Michigan as both an assistant football and head basketball coach at Eastern Michigan University in 1953 . From 1954 to 1965 , he was an assistant football coach at the University of Michigan . On January 22 , 1966 , Hollway announced he was resigning to enter private business , but that time away , which included doing radio commentary on Wolverine games , lasted only one season before he came back as defensive line coach of the National Football League ' s Minnesota Vikings under new head coach Bud Grant . During his first season with the team , he helped shape a group of linemen who became known as the " Purple People Eaters , " including two future Hall of Famers in Carl Eller and rookie Alan Page . Over the next three years , Hollway was promoted to defensive coordinator . Four years of success , including an appearance in Super Bowl IV , raised Hollway ' s profile and led to his hiring as head coach of the Cardinals on February 12 , 1971 . However , the team was unable to beat out either the Dallas Cowboys or the resurgent Washington Redskins over the next two seasons , with Hollway paying the price with his dismissal on December 18 , 1972 , one day after the end of the 1972 NFL season . The Cardinals finished 4 - 9 - 1 in both of Hollway ' s seasons with the Cardinals , as the team suffered through numerous injuries and inconsistent play at quarterback , as Hollway shuffled between Jim Hart , Pete Beathard and Gary Cuozzo with little success , despite the presence of fleet wide receiver John Gilliam ( who was traded to Minnesota in 1972 ) and future Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Jackie Smith . In February 1973 , Hollway was hired a Detroit Lions ' assistant coach under Don McCafferty . However , McCafferty died suddenly during the team ' s 1974 training camp , and Hollway resigned as the lions secondary coach in January 1975 . In 1975 , Hollway became the defensive backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers . In January 1976 , after 49ers head coach Dick Nolan was replaced , Hollway became defensive backfield coach with the expansion Seattle Seahawks . In April 1978 , Hollway resigned to again serve as defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings , but became involved in controversy when the Seahawks claimed the Vikings had tampered with him while still under contract . Following the retirement of Grant at the conclusion of the 1983 NFL season , Hollway was demoted to quality control assistant , serving primarily as a personnel director and scout . Hollway ' s son Michael is the head football coach at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware , Ohio . His son Bruce is a managing partner for John Hancock Financial Network in Maple Grove , Minnesota .