Dave Noble
Encyclopedia
David Gordon Noble nicknamed "Big Moose", was an American football
running back
. He played college football
for the University of Nebraska
, where he scored the first touchdown in Memorial Stadium
history. After his college years, Noble played three seasons in the National Football League
(NFL) and one in the American Football League
(AFL), and was voted to the NFL All-Pro
team in 1925
.
, Noble attended the University of Wisconsin, but he spent most of his college career with the University of Nebraska. Playing for the Cornhuskers
from 1921
–1923
, he helped the team win three consecutive Missouri Valley Conference
(MVC) championships. Two of Noble's most notable college performances came in 1923. On October 13, the Cornhuskers
opened Memorial Stadium with a game against the University of Oklahoma
Sooners
. In the second half, Noble scored the first touchdown
in the new stadium, the first of two touchdowns by him in a 24–0 Nebraska win. Later in the season, Noble scored two touchdowns in a 14–7 Cornhuskers victory over Knute Rockne
's University of Notre Dame
team; it was the Fighting Irish
's only loss of the 1923 season. Noble was named to the 1923 All-MVC team.
for 1924
. On October 12, he scored his first NFL touchdown in a Bulldogs win against the Akron Pros
. Two weeks later, he posted three touchdowns in a game against the Rochester Jeffersons
. Playing in all nine of the team's games, and starting in eight, he totalled four rushing and two receiving touchdown
s, helping the 7–1–1 Bulldogs win the NFL championship. For his performance, Noble was named to the All-NFL second team after the season. In 1925, Noble earned NFL All-Pro honors after recording three rushing and three receiving touchdowns during the season; he started all but one game in Cleveland's 5–8–1 season.
The following year
, Noble stayed in Cleveland but changed teams, playing for the Cleveland Panthers
of the new AFL
. In
five games, he scored four rushing touchdowns and caught one touchdown pass. After a 6–0 loss to the Los Angeles Wildcats
on October 31, 1926, the Panthers left the league, unsuccessfully attempting to gain admission into the NFL. The Bulldogs finished with a final record of 3–2, and Noble was second in the league in rushing touchdowns despite his team's reduced schedule. It would prove to be Noble's final professional season.
and worked for the Big Ten Conference
. In later years, he became an executive for an insurance company. In 1972, Noble was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame. He suffered a stroke on January 24, 1983, and died at the age of 82.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Nebraska
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a public research university located in the city of Lincoln in the U.S. state of Nebraska...
, where he scored the first touchdown in Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium, Lincoln
Memorial Stadium is located on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. It is the home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team....
history. After his college years, Noble played three seasons in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) and one in the American Football League
American Football League (1926)
The first American Football League , sometimes called AFL I, AFLG, or the Grange League, was a professional American football league that operated in 1926. It was the first major competitor to the National Football League. Founded by C. C...
(AFL), and was voted to the NFL All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
team in 1925
1925 NFL season
The 1925 NFL season was the 6th regular season of the National Football League. Five new teams entered the league: New York Giants, Detroit Panthers, Pottsville Maroons, Providence Steam Roller, and a new Canton Bulldogs team...
.
College
Born in Omaha, NebraskaOmaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, Noble attended the University of Wisconsin, but he spent most of his college career with the University of Nebraska. Playing for the Cornhuskers
Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Nebraska Cornhuskers is the name given to several sports teams of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference...
from 1921
1921 college football season
The 1921 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing California Golden Bears, Cornell Big Red, Iowa Hawkeyes, Lafayette Leopards, and Washington & Jefferson Presidents as champions...
–1923
1923 college football season
The 1923 college football season saw several teams finish their seasons unbeaten and untied. Illinois and Michigan The 1923 college football season saw several teams finish their seasons unbeaten and untied. Illinois (coached by Bob Zuppke) and Michigan The 1923 college football season saw...
, he helped the team win three consecutive Missouri Valley Conference
Big Eight Conference
The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...
(MVC) championships. Two of Noble's most notable college performances came in 1923. On October 13, the Cornhuskers
Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Nebraska Cornhuskers is the name given to several sports teams of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference...
opened Memorial Stadium with a game against the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners
The University of Oklahoma features 19 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to the early participants in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A,...
. In the second half, Noble scored the first touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
in the new stadium, the first of two touchdowns by him in a 24–0 Nebraska win. Later in the season, Noble scored two touchdowns in a 14–7 Cornhuskers victory over Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
's University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
team; it was the Fighting Irish
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame's nickname is inherited from Irish immigrant soldiers who fought in the Civil War with the Union's Irish Brigade, , recollected among other places in the poetry of Joyce Kilmer who served with one of the Irish Brigade regiments during World War I...
's only loss of the 1923 season. Noble was named to the 1923 All-MVC team.
Professional
After turning pro, Noble signed with the NFL's Cleveland BulldogsCleveland Bulldogs
The Cleveland Bulldogs was a team that played in Cleveland, Ohio in the National Football League. They were originally called the Indians in 1923, not to be confused with the Cleveland Indians NFL franchise in 1922...
for 1924
1924 NFL season
The 1924 NFL season was the 5th regular season of the National Football League. The league had 18 teams play during the season, including the new clubs Frankford Yellow Jackets, Kansas City Blues, and Kenosha Maroons. The Louisville Brecks, Oorang Indians, St...
. On October 12, he scored his first NFL touchdown in a Bulldogs win against the Akron Pros
Akron Pros
The Akron Pros were a professional football team located played in Akron, Ohio from 1908–1926. The team originated in 1908 as a semi-pro team named the Akron Indians, however name was changed to the Pros in 1920 as the team set out to become a charter member of the American Professional...
. Two weeks later, he posted three touchdowns in a game against the Rochester Jeffersons
Rochester Jeffersons
The Rochester Jeffersons from Rochester, New York played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925.Formed as an amateur outfit by a rag-tag group of Rochester-area teenagers after the turn of the century , the team became known as the Jeffersons in reference to the locale of their playing...
. Playing in all nine of the team's games, and starting in eight, he totalled four rushing and two receiving touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s, helping the 7–1–1 Bulldogs win the NFL championship. For his performance, Noble was named to the All-NFL second team after the season. In 1925, Noble earned NFL All-Pro honors after recording three rushing and three receiving touchdowns during the season; he started all but one game in Cleveland's 5–8–1 season.
The following year
1926 American Football League season
The 1926 American Football League season is the only season of the existence of the first American Football League. It started with nine teams, with the initial game of the season being played in front of 22,000 fans in Cleveland, Ohio, but by the end of the season , only four teams were still in...
, Noble stayed in Cleveland but changed teams, playing for the Cleveland Panthers
Cleveland Panthers
The Cleveland Panthers were a professional American football team that competed in the first American Football League in 1926. Owned by General C. X. Zimmerman , the Panthers played their home games in Luna Bowl in Luna Park...
of the new AFL
American Football League (1926)
The first American Football League , sometimes called AFL I, AFLG, or the Grange League, was a professional American football league that operated in 1926. It was the first major competitor to the National Football League. Founded by C. C...
. In
five games, he scored four rushing touchdowns and caught one touchdown pass. After a 6–0 loss to the Los Angeles Wildcats
Los Angeles Wildcats
The Los Angeles Wildcats was a traveling team of the first American Football League that was not based in its nominal home city but in Chicago, Illinois...
on October 31, 1926, the Panthers left the league, unsuccessfully attempting to gain admission into the NFL. The Bulldogs finished with a final record of 3–2, and Noble was second in the league in rushing touchdowns despite his team's reduced schedule. It would prove to be Noble's final professional season.
Post-retirement
Following his playing career, Noble became an officialOfficial (American football)
In American football, an official is a person who has responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game.During professional and college football games, seven officials operate on the field...
and worked for the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
. In later years, he became an executive for an insurance company. In 1972, Noble was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame. He suffered a stroke on January 24, 1983, and died at the age of 82.