Dan Devine Daniel John Devine ( December 22 , 1924 – May 9 , 2002 ) was an American football player and coach . He served as the head coach football coach at Arizona State University from 1955 to 1957 , the University of Missouri from 1958 to 1970 , and the University of Notre Dame from 1975 to 1980 , compiling a career college football mark of 173 – 56 – 9 . Devine was also the head coach of the National Football League ' s Green Bay Packers from 1971 to 1974 , tallying a mark of 25 – 27 – 4 . His 1977 Notre Dame team won a national championship after beating Texas in the Cotton Bowl . Devine was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1985 . Early life and military service . Born in Augusta , Wisconsin , Devine and his eight siblings later went to live with an aunt and uncle in Proctor , Minnesota . As a star at Proctor High School , Devine started at quarterback as a freshman and later became known as , " The Proctor Flash . " He also competed in three other sports during his four years at the school , and graduated in 1942 . Devine then enrolled at the University of Minnesota Duluth , and was team captain of both the baseball and football teams , playing as a 170 lb . ( 77 kg ) quarterback . His time at the school was interrupted after his enlistment in the Army Air Corps during World War II , where he became a B - 29 flight officer . He graduated from college in 1948 with a bachelor ' s degree in history . Early years as a coach at Michigan State . Devine earned his first coaching job as head coach at East Jordan High School in Michigan , reaching his interview by a combination of bus travel and hitch - hiking . Following two undefeated seasons at the school , he accepted an assistant position at Michigan State in 1950 under legendary coach Clarence " Biggie " Munn . For the next five seasons , he helped the Spartans achieve success , including winning a national championship in 1952 . Arizona State . On February 5 , 1955 , Devine accepted the head coaching position at Arizona State College , now Arizona State University , in Tempe , Arizona . Joining him as an assistant was Frank Kush , who would have even greater success at the school after Devine ' s departure . During his three years with the Sun Devils , Devine compiled a record of 27 – 3 – 1 ( . 887 ) , including a spotless 10 – 0 mark during his final campaign . In that last season , Devine ' s team led the nation in total offense and scoring , averaging just under 40 points per game in the latter category . Missouri . His success at Arizona State resulted in an offer from the University of Missouri , which he accepted on December 18 , 1957 . At first , Devine was reluctant to accept the position ; his flight to Missouri had developed engine trouble . In addition , Devine had hot chocolate spilled on him by a stewardess during the flight , which arrived six hours late . Over the next 13 years , Devine would turn the once - dormant program into a consistently competitive school that finished with a Top 20 ranking nine times . His record of 93 – 37 – 7 ( . 704 ) included four bowl game victories , with his winning percentage passing that of Don Faurot , the legendary coach who had preceded him . He is still second on Missouri ' s all - time wins list , behind only Faurot . After finishing 5 – 4 – 1 in his first year in 1958 , Devine ( with two years left on his contract ) gained some job security when a group of Mizzou alumni funded a $ 150 , 000 life insurance policy that covered him as long as he remained as head coach of the Tigers . The investment paid off as Missouri never lost more than three games over the next decade . In 1960 , the Tigers began the year unranked , but after shutting out SMU 20 – 0 , in the season opener , moved up to 16th and continued to head upward in the weekly rankings . Following that win with eight straight victories , Missouri became the top - ranked team in the country following a 41 – 19 victory over Oklahoma . Needing only a victory over Kansas to clinch a national championship , the Tigers ( favored by a touchdown ) instead were stunned in a 23 – 7 upset loss — later reversed after an investigation revealed that KU ' s Bert Coan had received illegal benefits and was thus ineligible . After an Orange Bowl victory over Navy on January 1 , 1961 , Missouri finished the year ranked fifth in a season which saw upwards of four teams claim a share of the national title . While never again reaching that level , Missouri maintained its strength throughout the 1960s , with Devine taking on the added duties of athletic director in 1967 . During his three years in the latter role , he made a key hire when he selected Norm Stewart to head the fortunes of the school ' s men ' s basketball squad . After finishing 9 – 1 in 1969 , a season capped off with a massive 69 – 21 win over KU that saw Jayhawk coach Pepper Rodgers showing the peace sign to Devine late in the game and Devine " return half of it " , Missouri faced Penn State University in the 1970 Orange Bowl . The Nittany Lions entered the game with a 28 - game winning streak , and extended the string by intercepting seven Tiger passes in a 10 – 3 defensive battle . Green Bay Packers . After suffering his first losing season in 1970 , Devine departed on January 14 , 1971 , to become the head coach of the Green Bay Packers of the NFL , succeeding Phil Bengston . Devine acknowledged the pressure of the position , but had the benefit of not immediately following legendary coach Vince Lombardi . Bengston had endured three years of unrealistic expectations following Lombardi ' s brief retirement after Super Bowl II . Devine ' s career in Green Bay got off to a painful start when he suffered a broken leg following a sideline collision in the season opener , a 42 – 40 loss to the New York Giants . After finishing 4 – 8 – 2 in 1971 , Devine headed a brief resurgence that " The Pack is Back , " by dethroning the four - time division champion Minnesota Vikings in 1972 to reach the playoffs , the Packers ' first post - season in five years . The Packers lost 16 - 3 in the first round to the Washington Redskins at RFK Stadium on Christmas Eve . The Packers would not reach the post - season for another decade , during the expanded 16 - team playoffs of the strike - shortened 1982 season . Green Bay would not return to the playoffs in a full season until 1993 . Unable to recapture the success of 1972 , Devine ' s final two seasons at Green Bay were disappointing ( 5 – 7 – 2 in 1973 and 6 – 8 in 1974 ) . Prior to his last season as Packers head coach in 1974 , Devine also orchestrated a trade that was widely considered as one of the worst in NFL history . He traded two 1st round picks , two 2nd round picks , and a 3rd round pick for 34 - year old quarterback John Hadl from the Los Angeles Rams . On a personal note , Devine ' s wife developed multiple sclerosis . These factors resulted in Devine leaving the Packers on December 16 , 1974 , to become the head coach at the University of Notre Dame . Notre Dame . Devine had been a leading candidate for the head coaching job at Notre Dame in 1964 , when Ara Parseghian was hired . When approached for the job following Parseghian ' s resignation , Devine accepted immediately , joking that it was probably the shortest job interview in history . In his six seasons at Notre Dame , Devine compiled a 53 – 16 – 1 mark ( . 764 ) . His lasting achievement came midway through this run , when the Fighting Irish won the 1977 national championship , led by junior quarterback Joe Montana . The championship season was completed with a convincing 38 - 10 win in the 1978 Cotton Bowl Classic over previously top - ranked Texas , led by Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell . The win vaulted the Irish from fifth to first in the polls . Earlier in the season , before the annual game against USC , played at home on October 22 , Devine changed the team ' s jerseys from navy blue & white to kelly green & gold , which would remain for the rest of his time at the school . He also added names to the players ' jerseys on a permanent basis when he took over at Notre Dame . Previously , names had been included on jerseys only during bowl games . ( The traditional navy blue & white jerseys without names returned in the 1980s under Gerry Faust . ) Devine ' s teams won three bowl games , including consecutive Cotton Bowl Classics . In the 1979 Cotton Bowl Classic , the Irish trailed 34 – 12 with 7 : 27 remaining in the game . They rallied for 23 unanswered points behind ailing senior quarterback Joe Montana for an incredible 35 – 34 victory over Houston . The game became part of college football folklore , referred to as the Chicken Soup Game . Because he had the unenviable task of following a legend , Devine came under heavy scrutiny while at Notre Dame and it was felt that he was never fully embraced by the Notre Dame community , despite winning a national championship . After a 5 – 2 start in his first season , rumors of incompetence were circulated and that Devine would be dismissed and replaced by Don Shula or even Ara Parseghian ( who went so far as to say he would not return to Notre Dame under any circumstances ) . Even on the day of the 1977 USC game , " Dump Devine " bumper stickers were being sold outside Notre Dame Stadium . He also had the notoriety of losing to his old program , a shocking 3 – 0 loss to the Tigers at South Bend in 1978 . It wasn ' t until after Devine had left Notre Dame that fans began to appreciate him . Like Joe Kuharich before him , Devine was involved in a game while at Notre Dame whose ending resulted in a rule change still in effect today . On September 15 , 1979 , the Irish faced the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor in their season opener . With six seconds remaining , Michigan lined up for a game - winning field goal attempt . Notre Dame linebacker Bob Crable climbed up onto the back of opposing center George Lilja and was able to block the kick , preserving a 12 – 10 Irish victory . A new rule was implemented the following season that prohibited this tactic . Later life and death . On August 15 , 1980 , Devine announced that he would be leaving Notre Dame at the end of the 1980 season ( to be succeeded by Gerry Faust ) , saying he wanted to be able to spend more time with his wife . He moved back to Arizona and became a fundraiser for Arizona State ' s Sun Devil Foundation . In 1985 , he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame , and then returned to his old school at Missouri seven years later as athletic director to help navigate the school through financial troubles . In 2000 , Devine ' s wife died . His own health began to deteriorate in February 2001 , when after undergoing heart surgery , he suffered a ruptured aorta . Fifteen months later , he died at home . In popular culture . Devine was portrayed by actor Chelcie Ross in the film " Rudy " . In the film , Devine is portrayed in a somewhat unfavorable light , acting as a hindrance to Daniel Ruettiger ' s dream of dressing for one game with Notre Dame . Devine was reported to be extremely angry with how he was portrayed in the film noting that he had planned to allow Rudy to play all along . He also maintained that none of the players laid down their jerseys on his desk as a form of protest and if anyone had , they would have been kicked off the squad . Devine was asked by movie producers to allow his dramatized character to " play the heavy , " to make the movie better . While Devine agreed , he later wrote that he didn ' t believe Ross ' portrayal would be as antagonistic as it turned out in the finished film .