Charlie Bachman Charles William Bachman , Jr . ( December 1 , 1892 – December 14 , 1985 ) was an American college football player and head coach . Bachman was an Illinois native and an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame , where he played college football . He served as the head football coach of Northwestern University , Kansas State College , the University of Florida , Michigan State College , and Hillsdale College . Bachman was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1978 . Early life and education . Bachman was born in Chicago , Illinois in 1892 . He received his high school education at Inglewood High School in Chicago , where he was standout athlete in football and track and field . Bachman attended the University of Notre Dame from 1914 to 1916 , and played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team alongside Knute Rockne . He was named an All - American at guard in 1916 , making Walter Camp ' s second team . Bachman briefly held the world record in the discus throw during the spring of 1917 , and spent the 1917 fall season helping to coach the football team at DePauw University . In 1918 , Bachman returned to the field , playing center for the legendary U . S . Navy team at Great Lakes Naval Station . The Great Lakes team posted a 7 – 0 – 2 record ; it beat Navy , Illinois and Purdue , tied Bachman ' s former Notre Dame team , and defeated Mare Island Marine Base in the Rose Bowl . His Great Lakes teammates included Paddy Driscoll and George Halas . Coaching career . In 1919 , at age 26 , Bachman began his head coaching career at Northwestern University in Evanston , Illinois . Bachman brought a number of former players returning from World War I military service to Northwestern , but his team posted a disappointing 2 – 5 record . He moved on to Kansas State College in Manhattan , Kansas following this season , and the losing record proved to be an aberration ; from 1920 to 1927 , Bachman posted a record of 33 – 23 – 9 at Kansas State . In 1924 , Bachman ' s K - State team beat the University of Kansas for the first time in eighteen years . Bachman coached Kansas State ' s first All - American , and under his leadership the school also permanently returned to its former nickname of Wildcats and began using a live bobcat as a mascot . Bachman accepted the head coaching position at the University of Florida in Gainesville , Florida in 1928 , where he posted an 8 – 1 record his first season , the best in the Florida Gators ' history up to that time . The 1928 Gators ' sole loss came in their final game of the season , a disappointing 12 – 13 upset by Robert Neyland ' s 8 – 0 – 1 Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville . While at Florida , Bachman coached the Gators ' first first - team All - American , Hall of Fame end Dale Van Sickel , in 1928 and 1929 . He also led the 1929 Gators in their first major intersectional match - up , a " neutral site " game in Miami against John McEwan ' s 7 – 2 Oregon Ducks football team , with the Gators coming away with the 20 – 6 victory . Bachman ' s first two seasons with the Gators were his most successful , but he continued to lead the Gators Eleven for five seasons , posting an overall record of 27 – 18 – 3 . Bachman left Florida to become the head football coach of Michigan State College in East Lansing , Michigan , coaching from 1933 to 1942 and from 1944 to 1946 . Similar to the situation he inherited at Kansas State , Michigan State had not beaten the University of Michigan for eighteen years ( 1916 – 1933 ) , but under Bachman , Michigan State defeated Michigan four consecutive seasons ( 1934 – 1937 ) . Bachman ' s overall record at Michigan State was 70 – 34 – 10 . His Spartan teams were also notable because he outfitted them in gold and black uniforms instead of the official school colors of green and white . In 1953 , Coach Bachman was named the head coach for the Hillsdale Chargers located in Hillsdale , Michigan . He held that position for one season . His coaching record at Hillsdale was 5 wins , 3 losses and 2 ties . As of the conclusion of the 2009 season , this ranks him # 17 at Hillsdale in total wins and # 11 at the school in winning percentage ( ) . Life after football . Bachman was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as an " honorary letter winner " in 1971 , and later , the College Football Hall of Fame in 1978 . He died in Port Charlotte , Florida in 1985 ; he was 93 years old . Bachman was survived by his wife Grace and their three sons , including noted software engineer Charles W . Bachman .