Bob Dove

Bob Dove
Date of birth:	February 21, 1921
Place of birth:	Youngstown, Ohio
Date of death:	April 19, 2006
Place of death:	Canfield, Ohio
Position(s):	Defensive lineman
Jersey #:	N/A
College:	Notre Dame
NFL Draft:	1943 / Round: 5 (Washington Redskins)
Team(s) as player
1946-1947 1948-1953 1953-1954	Chicago Rockets (AAFC) Chicago Cardinals Detroit Lions
Career highlights and Awards
Pro Bowls	1
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com
College Football Hall of Fame

Robert Leo Patrick "Grandpappy" Dove (February 21 1921 – April 19 2006) served as an All-America end at the University of Notre Dame and went on to play for eight seasons in the National Football League. Following his retirement as a professional player, Dove embarked on a 37-year coaching career at the professional and collegiate levels. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002.^[1]

Early years

He was born in Youngstown, Ohio, United States, a steel-production center located near the Pennsylvania border. Dove was a three-year starter at the city's South High School from 1936-38; and he was selected as an all-city player by the Youngstown Vindicator (the local daily paper) in his final year.^[2]

College football and beyond

Dove went on to greater athletic feats at the University of Notre Dame, where he was a three-year starter at end from 1940-42. He was a consensus All-American in his final two seasons.^[3] As a freshman in 1939, he caught 15 passes for 87 yards from future Heisman Trophy winner Angelo Bertelli. Dove then became the first sophomore to start for the Notre Dame "Fighting Irish" in 11 seasons. He received the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy in 1942 as the top lineman in the country and also played in the East-West Shrine All-Star Game.^[3] During his three seasons as a starter, Dove helped the Irish to a 22-4-3 record, including an undefeated (8-0-1) campaign in the first season of legendary coach Frank Leahy.^[4] In 1948, Dove joined the NFL's Chicago Cardinals, where he played for five seasons. In 1953, he was traded to the Detroit Lions and played on their 1953 and 1954 championship teams. He retired in 1955.^[5]

Coaching career

Dove was an assistant coach at the University of Detroit from 1955-57, and then became an assistant for the Lions in 1958-59, and for the Buffalo Bills in 1960-61. He was head coach at Hiram College for seven seasons. He joined the Youngstown State University staff in 1969, where he served as assistant under four coaches, including Jim Tressel, current head football coach at Ohio State University. In 1987, Dove was named coach emeritus and served in that position through the 1991 Division I-AA national championship season.^[6] Following a long illness, Dove died in Canfield, Ohio on April 19, 2006. His funeral was held at St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Canfield.^[6]

Legacy

Beyond his 2002 induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, Dove was also a second-team selection on Street & Smith's All-Time Dream Team, which covered players from the first 50 years of its publication (1941-1990). Dove was chosen at defensive end on the second team, ranked behind Ted Hendricks of Miami and Hugh Green of Pittsburgh, and alongside Bubba Smith of Michigan State.^[7] Earlier, in 1975, Dove was one of 10 players inducted into the Citizens Savings Hall of Fame in Los Angeles. The other nine players were Ron Beagle, Navy; Chuck Bednarik, Pennsylvania: Carl Diehl, Dartmouth; Bill Fisher, Notre Dame; Leroy Keyes, Purdue; Tommy Nobis, Texas; Greg Pruitt, Oklahoma; Joe Romig, Colorado; and Charles "Bubba" Smith, Michigan State.^[2]

References

External links

• Pro-Football-Reference.com - career statistics. Statistics
• 2000 "Penguin of the Year"
• Obituary
• College Football Hall of Fame Induction