George Rudolph "Duke" Terlep (April 12, 1923 – May 17, 2010) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional football player, coach, and general manager and member of the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.

Playing career

An All-State back from Elkhart High School (now Elkhart Central

Elkhart Central High School

-Vision:Elkhart Central High School is a place where all feel safe, welcome and aspire to learn, find their niche and pursue their dreams.-Mission:...

 and Elkhart Memorial

Elkhart Memorial High School

Elkhart Memorial High School is a public high school located in Elkhart, Indiana.-Mission statement:The mission of the Elkhart Memorial High School is to promote and maintain a community of learners where all members strive for mutual respect, teamwork, self-discipline, and active engagement, in...

), Terlep played for the Notre Dame 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...

 in 1943 winning a national championship under coach Frank Leahy. Terlep had to leave during the 1944 season due to military service. He played quarterback

Quarterback

Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 for the Great Lakes

Great Lakes

The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...

 Sailors

Sailors

Sailors is the plural form of Sailor, or mariner.Sailors may also refer to:*Sailors , a 1964 Swedish film*Ken Sailors , American basketball playerSports teams*Erie Sailors, baseball teams in Pennsylvania, USA...

 football team based at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station

Naval Station Great Lakes

Naval Station Great Lakes is the home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near the city of North Chicago, Illinois, in Lake County. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Command, Training Support Center and Navy Recruiting District Chicago...

. That year Terlep starred for coach Paul Brown's Great Lakes team and led his team to victory over his Notre Dame alma mater.

In 1946 he was discharged and signed with the Buffalo Bills /Buffalo Bisons of the All-America Football Conference

All-America Football Conference

The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...

 and was the starting quarterback.

During the 1948 season he was sold to the Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 to again play for Coach Paul Brown and won a NFL championship with his new team.

Coaching career

Terlep's coaching career began in 1949 as the Backfield coach at the University of South Carolina

University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...

. From 1951-52 he was an assistant at Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...

. Another assistant on the team, Steve Belichick

Steve Belichick

-External links:...

, father of Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick

William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...

, was one of Terlep's closest friends until Belichick's death in 2005.

In 1953 he was hired by Lisle Blackbourn

Lisle Blackbourn

Lisle "Liz" Blackbourn was an American football coach who was the third head coach of the Green Bay Packers. He coached the Packers from 1954 to 1957....

 to coach the same position at Marquette University

Marquette University

Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...

. When Blackbourn was hired to coach the Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...

 the following season, he moved to the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

. In 1956 he moved to the Indiana University to coach the Hoosiers backfield.

In 1957

1957 in Canadian football

-Canadian Football News in 1957:The Canadian Football Council allowed interference to be legal up to third 5-yard stripe by eligible blockers.The 45th annual Grey Cup game was televised live from coast to coast in Canada for the first time...

 he was hired by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...

 as backfield coach. He was hired as head coach by the Saskatchewan Roughriders

Saskatchewan Roughriders

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...

 in 1958

1958 CFL season

The 1958 CFL season was the fifth season in modern Canadian professional football, although officially it would become known as the inaugural season of the Canadian Football League .-CFL news in 1958:...

. After a 7-7-2 season and a Western Semi Finals loss, he and quarterback Frank Tripucka

Frank Tripucka

Francis Joseph Tripucka is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback, at Notre Dame, in the National Football League, in the Canadian Football League, and in the early American Football League.-Notre Dame Fighting Irish:Tripucka was backup quarterback to Heisman Trophy...

 were dismissed and moved to the Ottawa Rough Riders

Ottawa Rough Riders

The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...

.

After 10 games in 1959

1959 CFL season

The 1959 CFL season was the sixth season in modern Canadian professional football, although officially it was the second season of the Canadian Football League.-Final regular season standings:...

 he was promoted to General Manager

General manager

General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...

. In 1960

1960 CFL season

The 1960 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 7th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 3rd Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1960:...

 the Rough Riders defeated the Edmonton Eskimos

Edmonton Eskimos

The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...

 16-6 in the 48th Grey Cup

48th Grey Cup

The 48th Grey Cup was the Canadian Football League's championship game of the 1960 season on November 26, 1960.The Ottawa Rough Riders defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 16 to 6 at Vancouver's Empire Stadium before a crowd of 38,102 fans-Box Score:...

. After a disappointing 6-7-1 season in 1962

1962 CFL season

The 1962 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 9th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 5th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1962:The Canadian Football Hall of Fame was established in Hamilton....

 he resigned and was replaced by the team's former wide receiver Red O'Quinn. During the season he had many disagreements with the coaching staff and there were many reports that Terlep was to be fired before his resignation.