Daniel John Devine was born in Wisconsin in 1924. After moving to Minnesota, Devine played football in high school. He would continue to play football at the University of Minnesota Duluth and became an assistant coach at Michigan State after he graduated. His first head coaching assignment was at Arizona State. Doing quite well at ASU, Devine then went to the University of Missouri. While at Missouri, Devine's name was in the mix to replace Coach Leahy at Notre Dame. Ultimately, Ara Parseghian would get the position. Devine would become the head coach of the Green Bay Packers in 1970.

When Ara stepped down as head coach, Fathers Hesburgh and Joyce remembered Devine's name and called him back up. Dan Devine was hired as Notre Dame's new head coach. While at Notre Dame, he compiled a 53-16-1 (0.764) record including a national championship in 1977. At the conclusion of the 1980 season, Devine stepped down as head coach.

In 2001, Devine underwent heart surgery and after the procedure suffered a ruptured aorta. Fifteen months later, he passed away at his home today.

Keywords: dan devine, football, minnesota duluth, michigan state, arizona state, missouri, frank leahy, ara parseghian, father hesburgh, father joyce, national championship

Posted On: 2012-05-09 04:52:52 by IrishTrpt07