Bernard James "Bus" Mertes (October 6, 1921 – January 17, 2002) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player and coach. He played college football at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

and professionally in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) and the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) with the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ...

Los Angeles Dons The Los Angeles Dons were an American football team in the newly formed football league the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946 to 1949, and played their home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Dons were the first pr ...

, Baltimore Colts, and New York Giants. Mertes served as the head football coach at

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. Th ...

from 1951 to 1952, at Kansas State University from 1955 to 1959, and at

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. His ...

from 1960 to 1964, compiling a career college football coaching record of 50–63–1.

Coaching career

Kansas State

Mertes was the 24th head football coach at Kansas State University in

Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city and county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. As of the 2020 c ...

, and he held that position for five seasons, from 1955 until 1959. His record at Kansas State was 15–34–1.

Drake

After leaving Kansas State following the 1959 season, Mertes became the 19th head football coach at

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

, serving for five seasons, from 1960 until 1964. His record at Drake was 27–19.Drake Coaching Records

Denver Broncos

After leaving Drake following the 1964 season, Mertes joined the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

of the American Football League as an assistant coach. He coached with Denver for two seasons.

Minnesota Vikings

After leaving the Denver Broncos, Mertes joined

Bud Grant Harry Peter "Bud" Grant Jr. (born May 20, 1927) is a former head coach and player of American football, Canadian football, and a former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Grant served as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings ...

's coaching staff on the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

of the NFL. He coached the running backs and special teams, working with players such as Bill Brown, Dave Osborn,

Ed Marinaro Ed Marinaro (born March 31, 1950) is an American actor and former NFL player. In 1971, he was a unanimous All-American and finished as a runner-up to Pat Sullivan for the Heisman Trophy, and from 2010 to 2011 starred in the football comedy s ...

Chuck Foreman Walter Eugene "Chuck" Foreman (born October 26, 1950) is a former American football running back who played for the Minnesota Vikings and the New England Patriots in the National Football League. Considered one of the best passing-catching backs ...

, Ted Brown,

Darrin Nelson Darrin Milo Nelson (born January 2, 1959) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota Vikings and San Diego Chargers. He played college football at Stanford University. Early years Nelson att ...

, Greg Coleman, and

Fred Cox Frederick William Cox (December 11, 1938 – November 20, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a kicker for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota Vikings. After playing college football for ...

. As an assistant with the Vikings from 1967 to 1984, he coached in four Super Bowls.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mertes, Bus 1921 births 2002 deaths American football running backs Baltimore Colts (1947–1950) players Bradley Braves football coaches Chicago Cardinals players Denver Broncos coaches Drake Bulldogs football coaches Iowa Hawkeyes football players Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks football players Kansas State Wildcats football coaches Los Angeles Dons players Minnesota Vikings coaches New York Giants players San Francisco 49ers players Sportspeople from Chicago Players of American football from Chicago