Hugh Devore Hugh John Devore ( November 25 , 1910 – December 8 , 1992 ) was a football player and coach whose close connection to the University of Notre Dame saw him serve in both capacities , while also seeing time as head coach at two other colleges as well as the National Football League ' s Philadelphia Eagles . Early career . Devore was born and raised in Newark , New Jersey , and was a three - sport star at the city ' s St . Benedict ' s Prep . He was then recruited by the legendary Knute Rockne to play at Notre Dame . While playing on the freshman squad in 1930 , Devore caught Rockne ' s eye during an intrasquad scrimmage when he stopped All - America quarterback Frank Carideo with a crushing tackle . Unfortunately , Devore never had the opportunity to play for Rockne in an official game after the coach was killed in a plane crash on March 31 , 1931 . During his three years as a member of the Fighting Irish varsity , Devore played at end under Hunk Anderson , serving as co - captain during his senior year in 1933 . Upon graduating from the school , Devore stayed at Notre Dame the following year as freshman football coach , then followed fellow Irish alum Jim Crowley as line coach at Fordham University in 1935 . Providence College , Holy Cross . Following three seasons in that role , made famous by his coaching Fordham ' s iconic " Seven Blocks of Granite , " a unit that included future Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi he accepted his first head coaching position when he was hired at Providence College on January 20 , 1938 and served as head coach of the Friars through the 1941 season and compiled a record of 12 – 19 – 2 . After finishing his fourth season with the Friars , Devore then took an assistant coaching position with Holy Cross College on January 11 , 1942 . His one year at the school was marked by his outstanding scouting report of rival Boston College , leading to a stunning 55 – 12 upset of the Eagles in the season finale . In a strange twist of fate , Devore probably saved the lives of most or all of the BC players . The overconfident BC team had made reservations at Boston ' s Cocoanut Grove nightclub to celebrate their victory but cancelled . That night Cocoanut Grove burned down with the loss of 492 lives . Back at Notre Dame . Devore then returned to his alma mater as ends coach the following year . When Irish head coach Frank Leahy entered the U . S . Navy in early 1944 , Edward McKeever was named interim head coach and guided the Irish to an 8 – 2 record . However , when McKeever accepted the head coaching slot at Cornell University , Devore took his place on March 6 , 1945 . Notre Dame started that season in strong fashion with five straight wins and was ranked second in the nation , but a 48 – 0 thrashing by a potent Army squad ended hopes of a national title , with the Irish closing out the year with a 7 – 2 – 1 mark . St . Bonaventure . Upon Leahy ' s return , Devore was under consideration for the head coaching position at the University of Arkansas , but instead signed to lead St . Bonaventure College on February 13 , 1946 . In his first three years , Devore led his teams to a 19 – 5 – 1 record , including a 7 – 1 – 1 mark in 1948 , an effort that earned him a new three - year contract . Yet after one 6 – 4 season , Devore announced his resignation on February 2 , 1950 to accept the head coaching position at New York University , citing the proximity to his New Jersey roots . New York University . Devore was the 24th and last college football coach for the New York University Violets located in New York , New York . His coaching record at NYU was 4 – 17 – 2 . This ranks him tenth at NYU in total wins and 20th at NYU in winning percentage . Devore had entered the job in hopes of improving the fortunes of the once - powerful program which had struggled after years of neglect and strict academic standards that had led to a severe downturn . The effort went for naught when after three years of trying , the school announced on March 10 , 1953 that it was dropping its football program after 80 seasons , leaving Devore and his staff looking for work . Green Bay Packers , University of Dayton . Less than a month later , Devore found employment at the professional level for the first time as an assistant with the NFL ' s Green Bay Packers . That role lasted only one season , with Devore and Ray McLean serving as co - coaches for the team ' s final two games . Devore then returned to the colleges as head coach at the University of Dayton on January 6 , 1954 . After two seasons with the Flyers in which he compiled an 8 – 11 – 1 record ( one of his players was future Notre Dame head coach Gerry Faust ) , homesickness pangs once again led him to accept the position of head coach of the NFL Eagles on January 9 , 1956 . The move , prompted by the strong urgings of league commissioner Bert Bell , engendered some controversy after Devore had first turned the position down because of his new four - year contract with Dayton . Philadelphia Eagles . Despite adding assistants such as former New York Giants head coach Steve Owen , Devore struggled during his two seasons in the City of Brotherly Love , compiling a mark of 7 – 16 – 1 . The poor record led to Devore ' s firing on January 11 , 1958 , but the mentor quickly found work again at Notre Dame as freshman coach and assistant athletic director . Second return to Notre Dame . The following year , after having recommended his former Fordham player Vince Lombardi for the Packers ' head coaching position , Devore was retained as freshman coach by new head coach Joe Kuharich after Terry Brennan was dismissed along with his entire staff . Then when Kuharich resigned during spring practice in March 1963 , Devore was once again named interim head coach at the school . In a complete reversal of his earlier stint , Devore ' s one season at the helm saw Notre Dame hit rock bottom with a 2 – 7 record . One of the few bright spots was a midseason 17 – 14 upset of the University of Southern California , while the season finale against Syracuse University saw Devore adorn his team in bright green jerseys , a sharp contrast to the school ' s traditional blue and gold . Despite the 2 – 7 docket in 1963 , the beloved , personable Devore , affectionately known as " Hughie , " boosted the morale of the squad that had been left devoid of emotion under Kuharich . He knew all along that he was merely a stopgap measure while the search for a permanent replacement was being conducted and maintained , " I ' ll do whatever Notre Dame feels is best for me . " The following year , he was presented with a game ball after Notre Dame ' s victory over Stanford , and new coach Ara Parseghian praised Devore for making his job that much easier . The arrival of Ara Parseghian brought an exciting new era to the Golden Dome , including a near - national championship during his first season in 1964 . Devore served as assistant athletic director during each of Parseghian ' s first two years , but on February 9 , 1966 , he was hired as an assistant coach for the American Football League ' s Houston Oilers under Wally Lemm . Houston . After five years in that capacity , Devore then went to work as promotions director for the Houston Sports Association , dealing primarily with bringing in events for the city ' s Astrodome . He continued working until retiring at the age of 75 in 1986 . Health issues led Devore to move in with his daughter , Noreen , in August 1992 , and four months later , he died , nearly two weeks after his 82nd birthday . His death was overshadowed in the Notre Dame community by the passing of former Irish athletic director Moose Krause , who died in his sleep two days later . Personal life . Devore was married to the former Madeline Foster on January 15 , 1938 , who preceded him in death . They had seven children . Devore ' s grandsons , Charlie Haas and Russ Haas were professional wrestlers who worked for WWE .