Fred Trosko Fred Trosko ( September 5 , 1917 – February 6 , 1999 ) was an American football player and coach . He played at the halfback position for the University of Michigan football team from 1937 to 1939 . He later served as the head football coach at Eastern Michigan University from 1952 to 1964 . Flint Northern High School . Trosko attended Flint Northern High School where he was a star athlete in football , basketball and baseball , earning three varsity letter s in each sport . In 1934 , he was selected as an All - Michigan football player and broke the All - Valley Conference scoring record with 71 points ( breaking his own record of 66 points set in 1933 ) . University of Michigan . Trosko enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1936 . Trosko was a multi - sport star at Michigan , earning nine letters in football , baseball and basketball . He played three years as a halfback for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1937 to 1939 . Trosko also handled place - kicking duties for the Wolverines and kicked the extra point that led Michigan to a 7 - 6 win over Illinois in 1937 . He received the Meyer Morton Award in 1937 as the football player who showed the greatest development and most promise as a result of the annual spring practice . In 1939 , he led Michigan to a 21 - 14 win over Ohio State when he ran 32 yards for the winning touchdown on a fake field goal attempt with 50 seconds left . Trosko earned both bachelor ' s and master ' s degree in education from the University of Michigan . World War II . After graduating from Michigan , Trosko accepted a position as the high school baseball , basketball and football coach at Hudson , Michigan . With the entry of the United States into World War II , Trosko joined the U . S . Army Air Corps . He attained the rank of captain and served two of his five years of military service in the European Theater of Operations . While serving in Europe , he met and married his wife . He was discharged from the military in May 1946 . High school coach . In 1946 , Trosko was hired as an assistant football coach at his alma mater , Flint Northern High School . He served three years as an assistant coach under Guy Huston , who had been his coach in the 1930s . In 1949 , Trosko was hired as an assistant football coach at Owosso High School in Owosso , Michigan . He was promoted to head coach in 1950 . Eastern Michigan University . In July 1952 , Trosko was hired as head football coach at Eastern Michigan University ( then known as Michigan State Normal College ) in Ypsilanti , Michigan . The team improved markedly during Trosko ' s early years as head coach . In his first seven seasons , the team attained a record of 41 – 19 – 2 , including a 7 – 1 – 1 record in 1953 and an 8 – 1 – 0 record in 1954 . His teams won Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference ( " IIAC " ) championships in 1954 and 1957 . The team ' s success came to an abrupt end in 1959 . Trosko ' s teams had a 29 - game winless streak ( 0 – 27 – 2 ) starting with the third game of the 1959 season and continuing through the fifth game of the 1962 season . The precipitous decline followed the decision of the Eastern Michigan administration not to follow an IIAC policy that allowed member schools to award scholarships . Competing with non - scholarship athletes against conference schools with scholarship athletes , Trosko ' s Eastern Michigan teams were unable to compete . In August 1965 , Trosko announced his resignation as the school ' s head football coach , and it was reported that the resignation was the result of " an apparent break with school administrators over policy . " Trosko had the second longest tenure of any head coach at the school . He also taught at Eastern Michigan and remained on the faculty at Eastern Michigan after retiring as football coach . He ultimately retired in 1981 as a professor emeritus . In 1982 , he was inducted into the Eastern Michigan Sports Hall of Fame . Death and family . Trosko died at his home at Hilton Head Island , South Carolina in February 1999 . He was survived by his wife of 53 years , Leona , a daughter , Maureen , a son , Fred Trosko , Jr . , and five grandchildren .