Bo McMillin Alvin Nugent " Bo " McMillin ( January 12 , 1895 – March 31 , 1952 ) was an American football player and coach , who served at both the collegiate and professional levels . He played college football at Centre College in Danville , Kentucky , where he was a three - time All - American at quarterback , and led the Centre Praying Colonels to a historic upset victory over Harvard in 1921 . After graduating from Centre , McMillin played professionally with the Milwaukee Badgers and Cleveland Indians , two early teams of the National Football League ( NFL ) , in 1922 and 1923 . McMillin served as the head football coach at Centenary College of Louisiana ( 1922 – 1924 ) , Geneva College ( 1925 – 1927 ) , Kansas State University ( 1928 – 1933 ) , and Indiana University ( 1934 – 1947 ) , compiling a career college football coaching record of 140 – 77 – 13 . He then returned to the NFL , coaching the Detroit Lions from 1948 to 1950 and the Philadelphia Eagles for the first two games of the 1951 season before he succumbed to a fatal illness . His career NFL coaching mark was 14 – 24 . McMillin ' s legendary " poor mouthing " , pronounced in his distinctive Texas drawl , was in sharp contrast to his teams ' successes . He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1951 . Playing career . Early years . McMillin played high school football at North Side High School in Fort Worth , Texas and Somerset High School in Somerset , Kentucky , before beginning a Hall - of - Fame collegiate career at Centre College in Kentucky , under coaches Charley Moran and Robert " Chief " Meyers . McMillin began playing football at Centre in 1917 , making a major impact as a freshman when his 17 - yard drop kick beat the University of Kentucky . During his freshman year McMillin was also on the track team . On April 27 , 1917 he won the 220 yard dash at a Center Interscholastic track meet . The following year , McMillin missed the season , serving instead in the United States Navy during the final year of World War I , then returned to Centre for the first of three consecutive All - America n seasons . McMillin failed all his courses at Centre during his senior year . He eventually received his A . B . from Centre in 1937 after taking courses post - Centre and with credit given for his military service and training . 1919 and 1920 seasons . In 1919 , McMillin was selected to the Walter Camp All - America first team at quarterback , after helping the Praying Colonels to a 9 – 0 record , including upsets over Indiana and West Virginia . In 1920 , McMillin garnered second team honors as Centre posted another successful season , although it included a disappointing 31 – 14 loss to defending national champion Harvard . 1921 season . 1921 was a most remarkable season for McMillin and Centre College . McMillin was a consensus All - American , and his extraordinary effort against Harvard on October 29 cemented his legend . After the loss the year before , McMillin had promised that Centre would beat Harvard in 1921 , despite the fact that the Crimson had not lost since 1918 . Then , in front of 43 , 000 fans , McMillin dashed 32 yards for the lone score of a 6 – 0 Centre victory , breaking Harvard ' s 25 - game winning streak . MIT students who attended the game to cheer against Harvard tore down the goalposts and hoisted McMillin on their shoulders . For decades afterward , this was called " football ' s upset of the century . " Coaching career . Centenary College . Building upon his success as a player , McMillin entered the coaching arena , where he spent the next quarter century compiling a mark of 146 – 77 – 13 . Using a combination of eloquence and determination , the teetotaling McMillin enjoyed nothing but success at the college level , beginning at Centenary College of Louisiana in 1922 . Over a three - year period , McMillin lost only three of 28 games . Geneva College . McMillin ' s success in Louisiana allowed him to move on to Geneva College in Beaver Falls , Pennsylvania , where he was the 13th head college football coach . He held that position for three seasons , from 1925 until 1927 . His coaching record at Geneva was 22 wins , 6 losses , and 1 tie . As of completion of the 2007 season , this ranks him sixth at Geneva in total wins and second at Geneva in winning percentage ( . 776 ) . Geneva College fans generally consider him among the best coaches in the history of the school . McMillin ' s Geneva team was renowned for playing some of the best teams in college football and sought to set up a challenging schedule . McMillan coached Cal Hubbard at Geneva , the only person to be in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Baseball Hall of Fame . Kansas State University . In 1928 , McMillin was hired by Kansas State University to replace Hall of Fame coach Charlie Bachman . McMillin coached at Kansas State for six successful years , including an 8 – 2 season in 1931 that vaulted Kansas State to the cusp of the Rose Bowl . Elden Auker , McMillin ' s all - conference quarterback at Kansas State , wrote in his book " Sleeper Cars and Flannel Uniforms " : " McMillin was a great psychologist . He really knew how to give us talks that fired us up . . . The normal routine for McMillin was to bring us out onto the field to loosen up and then take us back into the locker room for a pep talk . By the time he was through talking , we believed we could take on the world . " Indiana University . McMillin ' s success at Kansas State propelled him into his most noteworthy achievements at Indiana University . For 14 years , beginning in 1934 , McMillin helped elevate the nondescript program to new heights , topped by an undefeated season in 1945 . That year marked the first time ever that the Hoosiers had captured the Big Nine Conference , as well as the school ' s only outright conference title . He even enjoyed success at the annual College All - Star game , winning the 1938 and 1946 clashes against the defending NFL champions . Detroit Lions . Despite having become the school ' s athletic director and seemingly earning lifetime security with seven years remaining on his most recent contract , the 53 - year - old McMillin sought new challenges following the 1947 campaign . He accepted a five - year contract to coach the National Football League ' s Detroit Lions on February 19 , 1948 . However , the coaching success he had always enjoyed disappeared with the Lions , as the team dropped its first five games in 1948 and finished with a 2 – 10 mark . In addition to the many on - field changes he had implemented , McMillin also briefly changed the team ' s colors from the now - familiar Hawaiian blue to maroon , similar to the color of his teams at Indiana . The team also struggled in 1949 at 4 – 8 , but picked up the rights to future star Doak Walker . The team then brought in quarterback Bobby Layne and Heisman Trophy winner Leon Hart the following year . Continued conflict with players , though , led to McMillin ' s departure after the end of the 1950 NFL season , which saw the Lions finish with a 6 – 6 record . Philadelphia Eagles . McMillin then took on the challenge of returning the Philadelphia Eagles to their previous glory when he was hired on February 8 , 1951 . However , after just two games ( both wins ) , McMillin underwent surgery for what was believed to be ulcer troubles . The verdict was far worse : stomach cancer , which ended his coaching career . On the final day of March 1952 , McMillin suffered a fatal heart attack and was buried days later with many fellow coaches and former players in attendance . Awards and accolades . In November 1951 , in the final months of his life , McMillin was selected for induction in the College Football Hall of Fame for his noteworthy successes as a player . Two months later , McMillin was also awarded the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award for his contributions to the sport by the American Football Coaches Association . In 1923 a horse named Bo McMillin ( owned by J . Pendergast ) ran in America ’ s most famous horse race ; the Kentucky Derby . Out of a field of 21 starters the horse finished 12th . The odds were 11 . 95 to $ 1 . The jockey was D . Connelly .