Miller Pontius Miller Hall Pontius ( April 17 , 1891 – November 5 , 1960 ) was an All - American football tackle and end for the Michigan Wolverines from 1911 to 1913 . He also played baseball with coach Branch Rickey and pitcher George Sisler while a student at the University of Michigan . He later served as an assistant football coach at Michigan and the University of Tennessee . In later years , Pontius was an investment banker with a prominent Wall Street firm . Childhood . Pontius was born in Circleville , Ohio on April 17 , 1891 . He was the son of Judge George Pontius and Ora Pontius . He graduated from Circleville High School in 1908 . All - American at Michigan . He played football at the University of Michigan for Fielding H . Yost from 1911 to 1913 . Known as Miller " Brute " Pontius at Michigan , he played both end and tackle for the 1911 team . Years later , Pontius was remembered as a " slashing tackle . " Asked whether underclassmen should be permitted to play , he noted : " A boy must go through the mill of at least one varsity campaign to pick up all the subtle little moves and latent tricks that are a part of big league line play . During my days in Ann Arbor we did not play sophomores on the line if we could help it . . . Personally I usually could out - maneuver a huge sophomore even if he outweighed me by 50 pounds . There are all sorts of dodges and stunts that hoodwink a recruit tackle or guard . " 1912 season . Pontius was stricken by typhoid fever during the summer of 1912 . After a period of convalescing at his home in Ohio , Pontius was sent " west to the mountains for his health . " When he arrived in Ann Arbor in September , he was " not in condition to stand the grueling work of a football season . " After a promising start by Pontius in 1911 , his loss reportedly cost Coach Yost “ much worry and sleep . ” Despite the illness , Pontius managed to get into shape and played several games in 1912 . In November 1912 , Yost announced that he was moving Pontius from right end to right tackle . One reporter noted that Pontius was " a medium end , " but " a crackerjack tackle . " Pontius played well enough in 1912 to receive All - Western honors as an end . 1913 season . Before the 1913 season , Pontius was expected to be a star , and news accounts noted that the 185 - pound Pontius had played well at both end and tackle in 1911 and 1912 . In 1913 , Pontius was selected as an All - American , as the Wolverines went 6 – 1 and outscored their opponents 175 – 21 . The only loss was to Michigan Agricultural College ( later known as Michigan State ) , 12 – 7 . They beat Vanderbilt , 33 – 2 , Syracuse , 43 – 7 , Cornell , 17 – 0 , and Penn , 13 – 0 . After the first five games , the press wrote that Pontius " has given a good account for himself in the games thus far this year . " Pontius played his last game as a Wolverine on November 15 , 1913 , against Pennsylvania . " Collier ' s Weekly " wrote the following of his performance in that game : " He was aggressive against Pennsylvania , playing both end and tackle . He showed a thorough knowledge of the game and always crashed into the point of rival attacks . " In December 1913 , Pontius was the only Michigan player selected as an All - American . He was chosen at tackle , listed at 6 feet , 1 inch , and weighing 189 pounds . Baseball with Branch Rickey and George Sisler . Pontius was also a standout baseball player at Michigan , where he played for coach Branch Rickey and alongside pitcher George Sisler — both of whom were later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame . In 1913 , he was the first baseman for Rickey ' s best team at Michigan , a squad that went 21 – 4 – 1 . It was the first U - M team to win 20 games . Sophomore Sisler was listed as a pitcher . In June 1913 , Pontius was elected captain of the Michigan baseball team for 1914 . " The Washington Post " reported on his selection as captain : " Pontius , a senior law student , is first baseman and has played both baseball and football on Michigan teams for two years . " In February 1914 , Pontius was in his final year as a law student and decided not to play baseball . Sisler was chosen to succeed Pontius as the team ' s captain . Football coach at Tennessee and Michigan . In June 1914 , Pontius graduated from the law department at Michigan . He moved to Knoxville , Tennessee , where he had a contract with the University of Tennessee athletic association as football coach . After two years as an assistant football coach with Zora G . Clevenger , the University announced in January 1916 that Pontius was not returning to Tennessee “ because of private business interests . ” In September 1916 , Yost announced that Pontius had been hired as an assistant coach for Michigan ' s varsity football team . In October 1916 , the " Syracuse Herald " noted that “ the line coaching of Miller Pontius has helped remarkably in bolstering up their department , and the back field can bank on much better protection . ” Business career . Pontius spent only one season as an assistant at Michigan and was involved in various business interests until his death in 1960 . In August 1915 , Pontius was connected with Paige Auto Co . of Detroit . In 1919 , his hometown newspaper ( the " Circleville Herald " ) reported that Pontius had sailed to Rio de Janeiro , Brazil to enter business . In 1922 , Pontius was working with the foreign department of the Home Insurance Company . That same year , he married Mildred Carrington Taylor of Port Huron , Michigan , with whom he had a son David Pontius . They married after Pontius received sudden orders to sail for Central America . In the late 1920s and early 1930s , newspaper accounts indicate that Pontius was living in Evanston , Illinois . By 1934 , Pontius had moved to Bronxville , New York . He worked as an investment banker in New York City . In 1937 , he was a vice president of G . L . Ohrstrom & Co . , Inc . , an investment banking , brokerage and real estate development firm founded by fellow University of Michigan alumnus , George L . Ohrstrom . In 1938 , Pontius was elected vice president of the Touchdown Club in New York City . Also , in 1938 , Pontius was the " toastmaster " at a Michigan Alumni Club dinner in New York in honor of Michigan ' s new football coach Fritz Crisler . Pontius spoke of " the return of Michigan to its former high estate in the game . " Pontius later became a partner with the prominent Wall Street investment banking firm , F . Eberstadt and Co . , where he worked until his death in 1960 . Pontius died November 7 , 1960 at Presbyterian Hospital in New York at age 69 .