Aubrey Alvin "Aub" Devine (November 21, 1897 – December 15, 1981) 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 wit ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player, coach, and lawyer. He was the

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

for 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 coll ...

Hawkeyes football team from 1919 to 1921. He was selected as a first-team All-

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conferen ...

player all three years at Iowa and was the consensus All-American quarterback in 1921. Devine served as the head basketball coach at the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...

for two seasons, from 1923 to 1925. He later worked as an assistant football coach under Howard Jones at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8. ...

(USC). Devine was inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were v ...

as a player in 1973.

Early years

Devine was born in 1897 in

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 Moine ...

. His father, William Samuel Devine, was an Iowa native, and his mother, Elizabeth Victoria Foreman, was a Missouri native. At the time of the 1900 United States Census, Devine's father was employed as a

teamster A teamster is the American term for a truck driver or a person who drives teams of draft animals. Further, the term often refers to a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a labor union in the United States and Canada. Ori ...

living in Des Moines, and Aubrey was the youngest among the nine children of William and Elizabeth. By 1910, Devine's family had moved to New Hope Township in

Union County, Iowa Union County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,138. The county seat is Creston. Organized at a time of tensions before the Civil War, the county was named in 1853 ...

, where his father was employed as a farmer. The family later returned to Des Moines where Devine's father again worked as a teamster. Devine attended West High School in Des Moines, where he and older brother Glenn were tenors in the glee club. He and Glenn also played for the school's football, basketball and track teams. In track, he was a hurdler, weights man, and pole vaulter. The Devine brothers led the West High School football team to an undefeated championship season in 1916. His education was interrupted in 1917 by "farm" service during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. He also served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...

for a year during the war.

University of Iowa

Aubrey and Glenn enrolled 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. Hi ...

in Des Moines in January 1919. They then transferred to the

after one week at Drake.

1919 season

The brothers became starters on the

1919 Iowa Hawkeyes football team The 1919 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1919 college football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Howard Jones, the Hawkeyes compiled an overall record of 5–2 ...

with Aubrey at left halfback and Glenn at right halfback, becoming known for his "deceptive speed" and his ability to pass with precision while running. Glenn was credited with helping pave the way for Aubrey with his blocking. Aubrey also played defensive back, punter, kicker, punt returner, and kick returner. He was considered a triple-threat man who AP sports editor Harry Grayson described as follows

Aubrey A. Devine did everything superlatively. Iowa's first All-American ran, passed, punted for distance, was adept at quick-kicking, an accurate place-kicker, and his drop-kick snapped a Notre Dame winning streak in 1921.

Following an injury to Iowa's quarterback, Devine moved from halfback to quarterback in the third game of the 1919 season against the

Minnesota Golden Gophers The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the college sports teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 25 (12 men's, 13 women's) teams in both men's and women's sports and competes in the Big T ...

. Iowa had never defeated the Golden Gophers in a game played in Minnesota, but Devine led the Hawkeyes to a 9–6 victory at

Northrop Field Northrop Field was the on-campus stadium of the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team from 1899 to 1923. The original field had seating of around 3,000 and was named for University President Cyrus Northrop. After the 1902 season, the playing f ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...

. He ran for a touchdown in the first half and kicked the game-winning, 27-yard field goal with second remaining in the game. Iowa won four of its last five games in 1919, with Devine accounting for all of Iowa's points in victories over Northwestern and

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

. At the end of the 1919 season, Devine was selected as the first-team quarterback on several All-

and All-Western teams.

1920 season

Devine led the 1920 Iowa football team to a 5–2 record and led the Big Ten Conference in scoring. Devine was teamed up with Gordon Locke, a fullback who powered the ball into the line, while Devine used his speed to run the ball to the outside. In the 1920 season opener, Devine scored Iowa's first touchdown and then threw a game-winning pass as Iowa defeated

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, 14–7. Devine and Locke each scored two touchdowns as Iowa defeated

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

, 28–7, for the third consecutive year. It was the first time that Minnesota had been defeated three years in a row by a single opponent. In the last game of the 1920 season, Devine passed for a touchdown, rushed for a touchdown, and intercepted three passes in a victory over Iowa State. Devine led the Big Ten in scoring in 1920 and was again selected as the first-team quarterback on several All-Big Ten and All-Western football teams.

1921 season

Devine was the team captain and starting quarterback of the undefeated 1921 Iowa football team. In the second game of the season, Iowa faced

Notre Dame Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to: * Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France * University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States ** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, th ...

, coached by

Knute Rockne Knut ( Norwegian and Swedish), Knud ( Danish), or Knútur (Icelandic) is a Scandinavian, German, and Dutch first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany both "Knut" and "Knud" are used. In Spanish and Portuguese Canuto is use ...

. It was Iowa's first meeting with Notre Dame. Notre Dame's captain was Eddie Anderson, who later served as head football coach at Iowa for eight seasons between 1939 and 1949. The Irish had not lost a game since 1918, a span of 20 straight wins. Devine kicked the game-winning field goal as Iowa pulled a 10–7 upset. On October 29, 1921, Devine accounted for all of Iowa's points in a 13–6 win over

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

. He threw a touchdown pass to

Lester Belding Lester Cort Belding (December 5, 1900 – May 27, 1965) was an American athlete and coach in football and track and field. He was the first football player from the University of Iowa to be named an All-American. He was inducted into the Nation ...

in the second quarter and then kicked the extra point. He then returned a punt 30 yards "through the entire Purdue team" for the second touchdown, but missed the extra point.

Clark Shaughnessy Clark Daniel Shaughnessy (originally O'Shaughnessy) (March 6, 1892 – May 15, 1970) was an American football coach and innovator. He is sometimes called the "father of the T formation" and the original founder of the forward pass, although that ...

called Devine's punt return at Purdue "one of the 12 greatest individual plays in the history of football". But Iowa's next game against Minnesota would be Devine's signature game. Devine accounted for 464 total yards and six touchdowns as Iowa defeated

, 41–7. The 41 points were the most ever scored against Minnesota in a game and remained so the first 60 years of their program's history. Devine passed for two touchdowns, rushed for four touchdowns, and kicked five extra points. He rushed for 162 yards, passed for 122 yards, and had 200 return yards on kicks, punts, and interceptions. Minnesota coach Henry L. Williams called Devine "the greatest player who ever stepped on our field," and "the greatest back field player the country has ever known." The next week against Indiana, Devine rushed for 183 yards and four more touchdowns and passed for 102 yards before leaving the game in the third quarter. Devine scored 57 points in consecutive weeks. In his final college football game, Devine led Iowa to a 14–0 win over Northwestern. Four minutes into the game, Devine threw a pass to his brother Glenn, who ran for a touchdown and a 35-yard gain. Devine also kicked both of Iowa's extra points. The victory over Northwestern capped a 7–0 final record, and secured Iowa's first Big Ten title in 20 years. Devine led the conference in scoring for the second time and was named first team All-Big Ten for the third straight year. He was a consensus first team All-American in 1921, the second in school history, following Belding in 1919. Devine's 895 yards rushing in 1921 is still an Iowa season record for a quarterback, and he led Iowa in rushing, passing, and scoring each of his three years in uniform.

Other sports and honors

In addition to playing football, Devine competed for Iowa in basketball and track. He earned nine varsity letters at Iowa, three each in football, basketball and track. He also won a Big Ten Medal for excellence in athletics and academics. He was inducted into the

in 1973 in the pioneer player category. Devine was also one of five football players inducted into the

Iowa Sports Hall of Fame The Iowa Sports Hall of Fame, sponsored by the ''Des Moines Register'', honors outstanding athletes and sports contributors. To be eligible, members must have either been born in Iowa or gained prominence while competing for a college or universi ...

in the Hall's inaugural year in 1951, joining

Nile Kinnick Nile Clarke Kinnick Jr. (July 9, 1918 – June 2, 1943) was an American naval aviator, law student, and college football player at the University of Iowa. He won the 1939 Heisman Trophy and was a consensus All-American. He died during a trainin ...

, Duke Slater,

Jay Berwanger John Jacob "Jay" Berwanger (March 19, 1914 – June 26, 2002) was an American college football player and referee. In 1935, Berwanger was the first recipient of the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy, renamed the Heisman Trophy the following year. ...

, and

Elmer Layden Elmer Francis Layden (May 4, 1903 – June 30, 1973) was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame where he starred at full ...

. In 1989, Iowa fans selected an all-time Iowa Hawkeyes football team during the 100th anniversary celebration of Iowa football. While Chuck Long was chosen as the all-time quarterback, Devine was named to the all-time offensive team as a halfback. In 1999, ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice ...

'' selected Aubrey Devine as the 15th greatest sports figure in the history of the state of Iowa.

Coaching and later years

After graduation, Devine coached basketball in 1924 and 1925 at the

. Devine was an assistant coach from 1925 to 1936 for the

Trojans football team under Howard Jones. He began as the backfield coach and in 1926 took over as the coach of USC's freshman football team. Devine left coaching for law school and became an attorney for the

United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers ...

. He retired in California and lived to be 84 years old.

References

Additional sources

* University of Iowa Football, by Chuck Bright ()

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Devine, Aubrey 1897 births 1981 deaths 20th-century American lawyers American football quarterbacks American men's basketball players Denver Pioneers football coaches Denver Pioneers men's basketball coaches Iowa Hawkeyes football players Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball players USC Trojans football coaches College men's track and field athletes in the United States All-American college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I Players of American football from Des Moines, Iowa Basketball players from Des Moines, Iowa Coaches of American football from Iowa Basketball coaches from Iowa California lawyers