Where Are They Now?
The University of Minnesota and the University of Michigan both have storied football programs. Both programs have multiple national championships, both tout Heisman Trophy winners and both share a common bond as they compete for the nation’s oldest trophy game in Division-1 college football. And through a century-plus of legendary players, coaches and games comes Bill Daley, who at 80-plus years old is literally a living legend and sums up what is so incredible, and at times, surreal, with this rivalry and college football itself.
The story of Bill Daley seems more like fiction than reality, but the stories and the man himself are as prominent and as important as the road he traveled. And with Daley comes a wealth of football knowledge and an important reminder of the proud history of Golden Gopher football.
Daley grew up in Melrose, Minnesota and spent hours listening to Gopher football on the radio with his father. While in grade school he attended a Gopher game versus the University of Chicago and from that day forward, Daley was a changed man.
Following high school it was boxing that had his eye as he moved to Chicago to try to become a professional boxer. While in Chicago he met the track and field coach at DePaul University who was in transition to becoming the Gopher track and field coach and convinced Daley to give football a try. Daley, who was a great high school football player, took the coaches advice and enrolled at The U; and at the urging of the track coach and football coach Bernie Bierman, Daley went out for the Gopher football team and with it, Daley wrote a script that is worthy of a permanent home in both the Gopher and Wolverine history books.
Daley played on both sides of the ball as DB and more prominently as a full-back. He played for the Gophers from 1940-42 and in his three years at The U he was on two national championship teams that both went 8-0, was in the same backfield as Heisman Trophy winner, Bruce Smith. Daley was also instrumental in leading the Gophers past rival Michigan three times to preserve the Little Brown Jug’s home in Minnesota.
Following the 1942 season, Daley enlisted in the Navy and was stationed in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he drew the attention of Michigan Coach Fritz Crisler who convinced Daley to use up his final year of eligibility with rival Michigan. Daley did so and in turn became an All-American FB for Michigan and led his Wolverine teammates past the Gophers to reclaim the Little Brown Jug. Daley also finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1943.
Daley is the only person to be an All-American for both Minnesota and Michigan, he is 4-0 in Little Brown Jug games with two different teams and is a member of both schools Hall of Fames. Following his collegiate career he played a few years in the American Football League and later became a voice of the Gophers where he spent 10 years in the broadcast booth and provided analysis for a few years for the Minnesota Vikings radio team.
After his broadcast career came to an end, Daley followed his other life’s passion and opened an art studio. He and his wife, Melba, currently own Daley Illustrations Art Galley which is located in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Minneapolis.
GopherHole recently caught up with Daley for a special edition of its Where are they now? series of articles on former Gopher athletes. GopherHole and Daley spent well over two hours talking about his memory of watching his first game at Memorial Stadium in the 1930s, his impression the first time he met legendary coach Bernie Bierman, the state of recruiting in 1940, playing for two national championship teams, playing alongside the Gophers’ only Heisman Trophy winner, what the Little Brown Jug means to him and what his thoughts are on finally seeing it back in the state, and many more thoughts on college football then and now.
GH.com: How did you get involved in football?
Daley: Growing up I was always one of the bigger kids in the neighborhood at school and we used to play a lot in the park. I also listened to Gopher games on the radio with my dad. Then when I got to high school in Melrose, playing football was a natural progression. I loved to hit on both sides of the ball.
GH.com: Listening to Gopher games, did you have any heroes when you were young?
Daley: I had two heroes per say that were both involved with the Gophers. The first was Pug Lund. He was always my favorite player. When I played for the Gophers the manager on the team gave me the same jersey number that Pug wore and I was so happy. The other person was Coach Bernie Bierman. I loved watching him roam the sidelines and always wanted to meet him.
GH.com: Do you remember attending your first Gopher game?
Daley: I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the last home game of the season for the Gophers in 1934 and we hosted the University of Chicago. I went to the game with my dad and the first time the band hit the field and marched back and forth on the field I was hooked. I get chills to this day thinking of that moment. I will never forget it. It honestly changed my life as I knew that football was going to be a part of my soul from that day forward. The Gophers went on to blow Chicago out that day, but it didn’t really even matter. Seeing the fans, the band and the guys on the team that I listened to on the radio for so many years is a memory that I have not forgotten more than 70 years later.
GH.com: What attracted you to boxing out of high school?
Daley: I wasn’t sure if college was the route I was going to go out of high school and I figured I would give professional boxing a shot. I loved the contact, but was talked out of it and fortunately ended up back at Minnesota where I got a great education and met lifelong friends all the while playing for one of the greatest men I’ve ever met, in Bernie Bierman.
GH.com: When did you first meet Coach Bierman?
Daley: The first time I met Coach Bierman was right outside the football complex. Other than getting married to my wife Melba, the first time I met Bierman was the greatest moment of my life. I wanted to salute him. I was absolutely transfixed by his presence. Still to this day I have not met an individual that had the persona of Bernie Bierman.
GH.com: Did he recruit you at all at Melrose High School?
Daley: Oh no (Daley said while laughing) I was not recruited. No one was recruited in our day and especially not in a town like Melrose. Most of the guys tried out for the team because they saw a flyer posted around campus.
GH.com: What was it like to play for Coach Bierman?
Daley: It was an incredible experience. We hung on every word he said at every practice and before every game. I have never met a man that commanded as much respect as he did. He would walk into a room and it would go silent. It wasn’t as if he was a tyrant or anything like that, but more that every player and every coach had the utmost respect for him. We would never have thought to disrespect him or conduct ourselves in a manner that may dishonor him. We played for the Gophers but we also played to honor him.
GH.com: What type of game plans would Coach Bierman draw up?
Daley: Our strategy was very simple and consistent. We would run it up the middle over and over and he knew that we would out execute every one of our opponents. We would only pass seven or eight times per game but would run and run and run. We would let the other team make the mistakes and would capitalize on the mistakes. There were times when Coach Bierman would have us punt the ball on second down just so the other team would make a mistake on offense and we would take advantage of that.
GH.com: Were you aware of the importance of the national championships?
Daley: Winning the national title was very important to us, but it wasn’t more important than beating Michigan or Iowa or Wisconsin. Those were the games that we were told we should never lose. We knew if we won those games everyone would be happy. But we just expected to win every game. Bernie instilled a level of confidence in us that we thought we were better than every other team in the country. When were found out that we won the national title in 1940 and 1941 it was almost as if we just expected to do that.
GH.com: What was the most memorable game you played for the Gophers?
Daley: It had to be in 1942 when we lost to the Iowa Seahawks. Coach Hauser came in for a few years for Bierman and we weren’t as good as the previous two years. Iowa beat us by a point I think and we were shocked. It was the first game I lost during my college years and I didn’t know how to react. I think I just thought we’d win every game as that is what happened my first two seasons.
GH.com: Was there a lot of hype around Bruce Smith’s Heisman Trophy award in 1941?
Daley: Not really. I don’t think we found out he won the award until a few days after it was announced. There seemed to be more attention around the movie that was filmed about him on campus than there was the Heisman award. When I got seventh in the voting in 1943, I didn’t find out about that until a month later.
GH.com: What type of player was Bruce Smith?
Daley: Bruce was a hard worker. He was also very quiet and let most of his talking happen on the field. We had some great backfields during those years.
GH.com: What were the crowds like back during your playing days?
Daley: Compared to other programs around the country we got great crowds, but nothing like today’s game. But more than that, what you need to understand was that Gophers were the only game in town. All Gopher athletes especially basketball, hockey and football were major celebrities around the state. Farmers and bankers and teachers and students would all listen to every game on the radio. The two years when we went undefeated it was a big deal around here.
GH.com: How would you travel from game to game?
Daley: We usually traveled by train. When we went to play Washington it took us two days to get there and two days to get back.
GH.com: What type of player were you?
Daley: I played on both sides of the ball. I was a bruising fullback and a hard hitting DB. I loved to hit and I had the physique to hit hard. Bud Wilkinson who played for the Gophers but went on to have a Hall of Fame career coaching at Oklahoma once said I had the best football physique he had ever seen.
GH.com: Being such a hard hitting player, what was it like playing with a leather helmet and little padding?
Daley: To be honest we didn’t know the difference. Sure it would be nice to play with the helmets and pads that the guys do now, but we were tough back then. We literally played with broken bones and probably cracked skulls. We didn’t know that sitting out with injuries was an option. If we had a game to play we played. Sure we may have missed a practice to heal up, but rarely did we miss any games.
GH.com: When you played for Minnesota, what did the Little Brown Jug game mean to you?
Daley: We were always told to never lose this game. Winning the Little Brown Jug was very important to us. Fortunately I was able to go 4-0 in Little Brown Jug games while playing for both teams.
GH.com: Why did you leave The U?
Daley: After the 1942 season I enlisted in the Navy and was initially stationed in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I later went on to be named an officer at Columbia University in the Navy and was a Regimental Commander for Columbia University’s Naval unit. This is one of the distinctions I’m most proud of. Anyway, while in Ann Arbor Michigan Coach Fritz Crisler convinced me to go out for the football team as I had one year left of eligibility. I did that and had a great year in Michigan where I was an All-American in ’43 and was up for the Heisman award.
GH.com: What was it like when you played the Gophers?
Daley: It was strange as I was playing against my teammates and friends, but I think it was the idea of winning the Little Brown Jug that motivated me. We beat Minnesota 49-6 and the Jug came to Michigan. It was a wild story.
GH.com: Where did your career take you following your stint in the military?
Daley: Right after the military and college I was drafted in to the professional football league where I played in the American Football League for a couple of teams but most notably the New York Yankees, which was also a football team. We didn’t get paid much during those days, but did it for the love of the game. I think most of us enjoyed the college days better though. Following a career in professional football I returned to Minnesota and got my degree in Education. I then spent a few years in radio and was in the broadcast booth for the Gophers for ten years with Dick Enroth and Ray Christensen who was very early in his career. I also did a few years of color analysis for the Minnesota Vikings when they first got here.
GH.com: When did you get into art?
Daley: I have always been passionate about art, but never had the talent to paint or draw at a high level, but I loved to collect art. My wife and I really got into it and opened up our first studio about 35 years ago. We now own and operate the Daly Illustration Art Gallery located in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. We can be found online at http://www.daleyillustrationgallery.com/. I love to talk about art and hear other people’s opinions about our gallery and their art interests. It’s a fascinating field.
GH.com: Getting back to the Little Brown Jug, what were your thoughts on the Gophers winning it back this year?
Daley: I was really proud of the team and the coaching staff. We have had a few tough losses the last few years and it was a long time coming for that Jug. Coach Mason brought it by the Saturday night that they won it and I took a picture with him and the Jug.
GH.com: Did you lift it up for old times sake?
Daley: I absolutely did. I think the current Jug is a newer than the one we played for, but it still feels the same. I kissed the Jug that night.
GH.com: Did you kiss the Gopher side of the Wolverine side?
Daley: I kissed both sides, but I think I kissed the Gopher side for a second longer.
GH.com: Did you keep in contact with any of your Gopher teammates through the years?
Daley: I did and its always fun to get together with them. A few of us had a 65 year reunion a few weeks ago commemorating our 1940 national championship team. We call ourselves “œBernies Boys” and I think he would be proud of us still to this day. We had a great group that went on to achieve great things in life. I couldn’t get over how old we all looked, but we spent the time at the reunion telling old stories and talking about Bernie and catching up on life. Paul Mitchell told a story that when we played against each other when I was at Michigan I hit him so hard he said he didn’t remember a play the rest of the game, but he still played and didn’t go out of the game.
GH.com: If you were to give advice to any of the current Minnesota or Michigan players what would it be?
Daley: I would tell the guys to live life and to play football the same way ““ with enthusiasm. I would also tell them to listen to people older than them as they can learn from their experiences, but more than anything I would tell them to lead a clean life that their families can be proud of.
GH.com: What does it mean to you to be such an important part of both Minnesota and Michigan football?
Daley: It means a lot to me. Both programs have been so wonderful to me long after I played. I am a member of both Hall of Fames and that is very special. I love when Gopher fans stop by the gallery to talk about football and to share memories of the days of old and to talk about The Jug and the new guys. I love the Gophers and its fun to know that others share this and like to talk about the days when the Gophers dominated college football.
Talk about Bill Daley on the Gopher Football message board.