Gene Knutson Eugene Peter " Gene " Knutson ( November 10 , 1932February 9 , 2008 ) was an American football player . He played college football as an offensive and defensive end for the University of Michigan ( 1951 – 1953 ) and professional football as a defensive end for the Green Bay Packers ( 1954 – 1956 ) . As a senior at Michigan , Knutson was selected to play in the Hula Bowl College All - Star Game . Early years in Beloit . Knutson was born in Beloit , Wisconsin in 1932 . He was the son of Florence and Peter Knutson . He began playing football at Lincoln High School in Beloit . At Beloit Memorial High School , he played football , basketball and track and field . He earned seven varsity letter s and won all - state honors in both football and basketball and was a hurdler on Beloit ' s state championship track team as a junior . Knutson graduated from Beloit High School in 1950 . One of his teammates later recalled , " Gene was probably one of the best all - around athletes Beloit High School ever had . " University of Michigan . Knutson enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1950 . After his freshman season , Michigan head coach Bennie Oosterbaan said that Knutson was " unquestionably Michigan ' s outstanding freshman prospect . " He sustained a broken leg in April 1951 while stepping off a curb , but he recovered in time for the 1951 football season . Knutson played for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1951 to 1953 . He played at the offensive and defensive end position for Michigan . By his senior year , he was 6 feet , 5 inches tall and weighed 230 pounds . In October 1953 , he caught a 29 - yard touchdown pass on fourth down in the fourth quarter to help Michigan to a 14 - 13 victory over Iowa . He was selected as an All - Midwest player and played in the college all - star Hula Bowl . Knutson later recalled the first time he ran out of the tunnel into Michigan Stadium in front of 100 , 000 fans : " That was such a thrill to me , so exciting . How could I ever explain that to someone ? Unless you experience sitting in that locker room , getting dressed , warming up and then going out to that crowd and playing in that ballgame , you ' ll never know . It was exhilarating . " Green Bay Packers . Knutson was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 10th round ( 111th overall pick ) of the 1954 NFL Draft . He played as a defensive end for the Packers , appearing in 18 games during the 1954 and 1956 NFL seasons . Knutson did not play for the Packers in 1955 after suffering an injury in an exhibition game against the Washington Redskins . His highest annual salary as a professional athlete was $ 8 , 000 . Knutson later recalled his days in the NFL as follows : " It was more of a business - dog eat dog . When I played there were only 12 teams and the ( roster ) limit was 33 . It was a lot harder to get on a pro roster than it is now . I would love to be coming out of college now . " Later years . After the 1956 season , Knutson retired from football due to chronic knee problems . He taught and coached at St . Joseph ' s High School in South Bend , Indiana , before entering the insurance business . He also worked as an executive vice president for Ara Parseghian Enterprises . In his later years , he lived in Cassopolis , Michigan . Family and death . In 1953 , Knutson married the former Carol Buschbaum of South Bend , Indiana . His first wife died in 1982 , and in 1995 , Knutson married Vicki Futterknecht of Cassopolis . Knutson died of cancer in February 2008 at Cassopolis . He was survived by his second wife , three children , Sherry Sprouls , Bruce Knutson and Janie Taylor , and eight grandchildren .