Wally Fromhart Wallace Leo Fromhart ( May 18 , 1913 – May 23 , 2002 ) was born in the tiny mountain town of Newburg , West Virginia where he lived and attended school up until his freshman year of high school , after which his family moved to the significantly larger town of Moundsville , West Virginia . A gifted athlete , Fromhart played varsity baseball and football for Moundsville High School from 1929 - 31 . Following high school graduation , he worked at the local US Stamping plant until 1932 when he was offered , and accepted , an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Notre Dame and play for the university ' s baseball team . His athletic prowess also landed him the starting quarterback position on the Fighting Irish football team during his Junior academic year ( 1935 – 36 ) . Fromhart played Notre Dame Fighting Irish football under coach Elmer Layden ( of the famed Four Horsemen ) who ran an offensive scheme in which the quarterback had a limited role in the passing game . Fromhart ' s primary responsibilities on offense were as a blocker for the halfback , Bill Shakespeare ( who actually received the bulk of the snaps and passed the ball most often ) , as well as a key receiver , a place kicker and a punt returner . On defense , he played the safety position ( Against arch - rivals USC , in 1935 , he returned an interception for 82 yards , a statistic that still appears in the annual Notre Dame Football Media Guide ) . As a point of historical reference for college football aficionados , Fromhart was starting quarterback for Notre Dame in the 18 - 13 victory against undefeated Ohio State in 1935 . Though he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1936 , Fromhart chose instead to remain an additional year at Notre Dame to obtain teaching certification , during which time he also served as graduate assistant coach of the Fighting Irish freshman football team . Upon graduating Notre Dame , Fromhart accepted a position as head football coach for Mt . Carmel High School in Chicago ( 1937 – 46 ) , posting a 56 - 17 - 10 record , a Catholic League title and two city championships . During his coaching tenure at Mt . Carmel , Fromhart was called to serve in the US Navy as an armed guard officer in the US Merchant Marine ( 1944 – 45 ) in the Atlantic Theater of World War II . A year after returning from the war , Fromhart accepted a head football coach position at Loras College ( 1947 – 50 ) , in Dubuque , Iowa , where he posted a 29 - 9 record , including an undefeated season in 1947 . During his coaching years at Loras , he also managed the Dubuque minor league baseball team . In 1951 , he accepted a position as assistant coach at the University of Detroit under Earl " Dutch " Clark ( 1951 – 53 ) , and succeeded Clark as head coach ( 1954 – 58 ) . In the latter position , he posted an overall record of 19 - 25 , won the Missouri Valley Conference title , and was named Catholic Coach of the Year . Fromhart ended his football coaching career in 1961 as head coach of the Sarnia , Ontario - based Sarnia Golden Bears , a semi - professional football team in the upstart American Football Conference for one season ( the conference lasted only one year ) . With his eldest son ( also Wally Fromhart ) as assistant coach , he led the team to an undefeated 10 - 0 regular season record and one post - season win to claim the American Football Conference championship . Wally Fromhart died in 2002 and is buried in South Bend , Indiana with his wife Donna Belle ( Parvis ) Fromhart .