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Gus Dorais: Gridiron Innovator, All-American and Hall of Fame Coach
Charles "Gus" Dorais (1891-1954) is best known as the passing end of the "Dorais to Rockne" University of Notre Dame tandem that helped revolutionize football's forward pass in the early 1910s. A triple threat prep star from Chippewa Falls,Wisconsin, Dorais was a captain and four-year starter at Notre Dame, becoming the school's first consensus All-American in 1913. Over the next four decades, Dorais gained prominence as a professional player in the pre-NFL days and college football coach--most notably at the University of Detroit--before finishing as the head coach of the Detroit Lions. During his decades-long coaching career, Dorais tallied over 150 wins, becoming one of the foremost, respected minds of football innovation in the first half of the 20th century. He was a pioneer of offensive strategies, playing with and coaching against all the prominent football legends of the time.
- GenresSports
264 pages, Paperback
Published September 4, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 10, 2018
Gus Dorias spent a lifetime in football, first as a college and professional player, then as a coach in both the collegiate ranks and the NFL. He is best remembered for teaming with Knute Rockne at Notre Dame to perfect the forward pass. Dorias was the wiry but strong and smart quarterback whose accurate passes to Rockne helped revolutionize the game.
Dorias’ life and career, though, were about so much more than the forward pass, and that life is recreated in all its richness in “Gus Dorias: Gridiron Innovator, All-American and Hall of Fame Coach.” Joe Niese, author of baseball biographies, has teamed with Dorias’ grandson Bob to chronicle the sixty-two years of Dorias’ life.
As Niese observes, Dorias grew up with the game. He was born in 1891 and passed away in 1954. In those years, the game evolved dramatically, growing steadily in complexity and fan interest throughout the first half of the twentieth century. In his early years of coaching at the college level, Dorias was able to moonlight as a player in the then-fledgling National Football League, something unimaginable today.
The narrative follows Dorias from his days as a high school star in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin (author Niese’s hometown) to Norte Dame, then into the coaching ranks, where his journey took him to many destinations, his longest stay being in Detroit, where he led the University of Detroit Titans for eighteen seasons before moving on to the NFL’s Detroit Lions for his final five years as a head coach.
What remains constant throughout the story Is Dorias’ character—his intelligent, calm approach to the game, his love of family and community. This is an inspiring story, engaging told by two men with a true passion for their subject.
Dorias’ life and career, though, were about so much more than the forward pass, and that life is recreated in all its richness in “Gus Dorias: Gridiron Innovator, All-American and Hall of Fame Coach.” Joe Niese, author of baseball biographies, has teamed with Dorias’ grandson Bob to chronicle the sixty-two years of Dorias’ life.
As Niese observes, Dorias grew up with the game. He was born in 1891 and passed away in 1954. In those years, the game evolved dramatically, growing steadily in complexity and fan interest throughout the first half of the twentieth century. In his early years of coaching at the college level, Dorias was able to moonlight as a player in the then-fledgling National Football League, something unimaginable today.
The narrative follows Dorias from his days as a high school star in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin (author Niese’s hometown) to Norte Dame, then into the coaching ranks, where his journey took him to many destinations, his longest stay being in Detroit, where he led the University of Detroit Titans for eighteen seasons before moving on to the NFL’s Detroit Lions for his final five years as a head coach.
What remains constant throughout the story Is Dorias’ character—his intelligent, calm approach to the game, his love of family and community. This is an inspiring story, engaging told by two men with a true passion for their subject.
February 25, 2020
Emil “Gus” Dorais (Door-A) is a good biography of an early collegiate football star who played in the pre-NFL years and went on to become a coaching legend at the college level and, later, with the Detroit Lions from 1943 to 1947. A relatively small man at 5”7” and 145 pounds when he entered Notre Dame in 1910, Dorais was skilled, talented, rugged, and quick-thinking on and off the gridiron. Elected captain for the 1912 and 1913 seasons, the Wisconsin native was best known as the passing half of the Dorais-to-Knute Rockne combination that lifted Notre Dame’s football eleven to three straight undefeated seasons, finishing with a 6-0 record in 1913. Gus pioneered the overhand spiral passing technique, and used it well. A skilled tackler on defense, his all-around play helped lead Notre Dame to greatness. After four pro seasons, Dorais turned to coaching in 1920 and enjoyed a sterling coaching career, most notably at the University of Detroit from 1925 to 1942. Lured to the Lions in 1943, he coached the professionals for five seasons before resigning. For the Lions, he is credited with devising the league’s best pass patterns. As opposed to many coaches, Dorais treated his players as men who wanted to be instructed, but not berated. After one season in Detroit, his leadership led the Lions to two winning seasons. After World War II, however, other teams returned more talent, and the Lions suffered losing seasons in 1946 and 1947. Dorais left coaching. He did return to help coach the Steelers in 1952, but his health was deteriorating. Two years later he died at age six-two. In 1954, three years after his friend Knute Rockne was chosen, Gus Dorais was inducted into the National Football Foundation’s Hall of Fame as one of the greatest of college coaches.
October 20, 2018
Dorais to Rockne - foward pass
When you think of football history, perhaps you think of the foward pass and how Knute Rockne caught the ball. Gus Dorais threw the ball to Rockne and they became football legend. Both Rockne and Dorais played for Notre Dame when football was an infant.
Dorais and Rockne both went on the coach, Rockne and Notre Dame and Dorais at Gonzaga, Univerity of Detroit at the Detroit Lions. Dorais coached from 1919 to 1947. Niese's book deailed Dorais games, his friendship with Rockne, sportswriters and the people of Detroit.
Gus was elected to the Detroit City Council for four terms beginningin 1939 and is credited with established the Detroit Recreation Department for all of Detroit's children.
Niese's book on Gus Dorais in comprehensive and captures Gus' enoumous personality and charm. A great read
Linda Mielke
Past President Public Library Association
When you think of football history, perhaps you think of the foward pass and how Knute Rockne caught the ball. Gus Dorais threw the ball to Rockne and they became football legend. Both Rockne and Dorais played for Notre Dame when football was an infant.
Dorais and Rockne both went on the coach, Rockne and Notre Dame and Dorais at Gonzaga, Univerity of Detroit at the Detroit Lions. Dorais coached from 1919 to 1947. Niese's book deailed Dorais games, his friendship with Rockne, sportswriters and the people of Detroit.
Gus was elected to the Detroit City Council for four terms beginningin 1939 and is credited with established the Detroit Recreation Department for all of Detroit's children.
Niese's book on Gus Dorais in comprehensive and captures Gus' enoumous personality and charm. A great read
Linda Mielke
Past President Public Library Association
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews