Russell D . Oliver Russell Dwight " Russ " Oliver ( July 20 , 1910 – December 19 , 1974 ) was an American athlete and coach who played and coached football , baseball , and basketball . He played college football , baseball , and basketball at the University of Michigan and coached those sports at Culver Military Academy from 1935 to 1968 , with a four - year interruption for military service during World War II . Early years . Oliver was born in Pontiac , Michigan , and graduated from Pontiac High School in 1929 . He was coached in football at Pontiac by Charles Weldon , who had been the high school football coach to Red Grange . In 1927 , Weldon proclaimed the 16 - year - old Oliver to be the " second Red Grange . " He enrolled at the Culver Military Academy in Culver , Indiana , where he played football , basketball , and baseball , competed in varsity shell crew , and was the academy ' s heavyweight boxing champion . He was voted by his fellow cadets as the " Best All - Around Athlete . " University of Michigan . Oliver next enrolled at the University of Michigan . He was a fullback on Michigan ' s undefeated national championship teams of 1932 and 1933 . He also played at quarterback in 1934 . As a sophomore in 1932 , he began the season as the Wolverines ' starting fullback , but he sustained a fractured rib in late October 1932 . The injury did not appear serious at first , but the rib snapped while Oliver was punting during practice on October 26 , 1932 . He was a teammate of Gerald Ford on Michigan ' s football teams from 1932 to 1934 . While at Michigan , he was also the captain of the baseball team and was the fourth student at Michigan to win nine varsity letters in three major sports . ( Bennie Oosterbaan and Harry Kipke also won nine letters in football , baseball , and basketball . ) Oliver was also the freshman golf champion at Michigan . Culver Military Academy . After graduating from Michigan in 1935 , he returned to the Culver Military Academy where he worked for nearly 40 years . He was the head coach of the school ' s teams in football ( 1935 – 1941 , 1946 – 1968 ) , baseball ( 1935 – 1941 , 1946 – 1961 ) , and basketball ( 1935 – 1941 , 1946 – 1961 ) . He was a major in the United States Army during World War II , serving with the Second Engineer Amphibious Brigade in the Pacific Theater of Operations from July 1942 to 1946 . After retiring as a head coach in 1968 , he continued to serve as the academy ' s director of alumni affairs . Oliver compiled a career record of 152 – 90 – 13 as the head football coach at Culver Military Academy . His record as the academy ' s coach in other sports was 211 – 137 in basketball and 105 – 76 in baseball . In 1994 , he was posthumously inducted into the Culver Military Academy Athletic Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class . The academy ' s football field is named Oliver Field in tribute to Oliver . Death and legacy . He died of cancer at South Bend Memorial Hospital in December 1974 . He was posthumously inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in August 1985 . Personal life . Oliver married Myra E . ( Powrie ) Oliver in 1937 . She died in December 2009 . They had two sons , Bruce I . Oliver and Russell D . Oliver , Jr .