Louis Gilbert
Encyclopedia
Louis Matthew Gilbert was an American football
player. He played at the halfback
position for the Michigan Wolverines football
teams from 1925 to 1927. He was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference
player in 1927 and was selected by Fielding H. Yost in 1941 as the greatest punter of all time.
in 1906, but moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan
as a boy. His father, Rufus Gilbert
(1885–1962), coached football and baseball at Kalamazoo College
in the mid-1900s, served as the school's first physical director from 1908 to 1909 and played minor league baseball for several years. The family lived in Peoria, Illinois
, for several years during Gilbert's childhood, as his father pitched for the Peoria Distillers
, and coached the football team at the Bradley Institute
in Peoria. In 1917, when Gilbert was 10 years old, his father had been a player-manager for a minor league baseball club in Terre Haute, Indiana
; he then became a coach at Rose Polytechnic Institute in Terre Haute. Gilbert attended high school in Kalamazoo.
team as a starter at the halfback
position from 1925 to 1927. He played largely in the shadow of all-time Michigan football legends Benny Friedman
and Bennie Oosterbaan
during the 1925 and 1926 seasons, but blossomed into a nationally known football star in 1927.
Gilbert and Oosterbaan were the offensive stars for the 1927 Michigan Wolverines football team
, the first team to play in Michigan Stadium
. Gilbert helped lead Michigan to a 4–0 start early in the 1927 season, outscoring opponents 89 to 0. On October 1, 1927, in the first game played at Michigan Stadium, Gilbert had a hand in every point scored in a 33–0 win over Ohio Wesleyan. Gilbert scored two touchdowns, kicked three extra points, and threw three touchdown passes in the game. In its account of the game, the Chicago Daily Tribune
wrote, "Louis Gilbert, the back field ace who has borne the brunt of the Wolverine kicking for the last two years, was the outstanding performer of today's play."
In the official dedication game for the new stadium, played three weeks later, Gilbert scored the only points of the game on three touchdown receptions and three extra points as the Wolverines defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes
, 21–0.
Gilbert drew particular praise for his kicking. A Chicago Daily Tribune profile on the Wolverines in late October 1927 noted:
An injury to Gilbert's arm kept him out of the Illinois
game, which Michigan lost, 14–0. When it was announced that Gilbert would be back in time for the game against the Chicago Maroons
, newspapers across the country touted the return of Michigan's star halfback. A United Press story published prior to the Chicago game noted:
The Chicago Daily Tribune called him "the kickingest young man in the Big Ten" and "the best advertised player at Stagg field
Saturday." The Tribune noted that, although he had not received public acclaim in his sophomore and junior years because of the spotlight on Benny Friedman
, he had become the focus of attention in Ann Arbor and "one of the leading ladies' men in the Big Ten."
In his return to the lineup against Chicago, Gilbert and Oosterbaan led Michigan to a 14–0 victory. Oosterbaan threw a touchdown pass to Gilbert for the first score, and Gilbert threw a touchdown pass to Oosterbaan for the final score. The Chicago Daily Tribune again focused its coverage on Gilbert's status as a ladies' man, referring to him as "the campus sheik from the neighborhood of Kalamazoo," and noting that he "wears bear grease on his hair and dances a mean black bottom
."
After the Chicago game, Gilbert ranked second in scoring in the Big Ten with eight touchdowns and 12 extra point conversions. Interviewed in November 1927, Michigan's first-year head coach Elton Wieman
told reporters he "never knew two men in his life more unconcerned in the heat of battle than Gilbert and Benny Friedman, last year's Michigan all-American quarterback whom Gilbert succeeded as a forward-passing partner of Beanie Oosterbaan." At the end of the 1927 season, and although he did not start any games at quarterback, he was selected by the Big Ten Conference coaches as the first-team quarterback for the International News Service (later merged with the United Press into UPI) All-Big Ten team. He was also selected as a first-team All-Big Ten halfback by both Billy Evans
and Walter Eckersall
. In selecting Gilbert, Eckersall wrote: "Gilbert of Michigan is selected for left halfback. This player was one of the best punters in the country. His kicks were well placed and put Michigan in scoring positions many times. He was also an accurate place-kicker. He carried the ball well on end runs and off tackle slants, did his share of the blocking and played a strong defensive game." He was also selected as a second-team All-American by the Central Press Association, billed as the "Real" All-American team with selections based on fan input with cooperation from "hundreds of newspapers throughout the country." The United Press and Billy Evans both selected Gilbert as a third-team All-American.
At the time of his retirement in 1941, Fielding H. Yost named Gilbert as the greatest punter of all time.
, for 45 years. He was also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
, a county commissioner in Barry County, Michigan
, for two years and the Barry County road commissioner for five years.
After retiring, Gilbert moved to St. Petersburg, Florida
. In May 1987, he died in St. Petersburg at age 80. He was survived by his wife, Harriett C. Gilbert, two sons, Bartlett and Bradley, two daughters, Nancy Boersma and Eleanor Holiday, nine grandchildren, and three great-granddaughters.
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...
player. He played at the halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
position for the Michigan Wolverines football
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
teams from 1925 to 1927. He was selected as a first-team All-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...
player in 1927 and was selected by Fielding H. Yost in 1941 as the greatest punter of all time.
Early years
Gilbert was born in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
in 1906, but moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
as a boy. His father, Rufus Gilbert
Rufus Gilbert
Rufus W. Gilbert was an American football and baseball player and coach in the United States. He was one of college football's head coaches with non-consecutive tenure.-Coaching career:...
(1885–1962), coached football and baseball at Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo College, also known as K College or simply K, is a private liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1833, the college is among the 100 oldest in the country. Today, it produces more Peace Corps volunteers per capita than any other U.S...
in the mid-1900s, served as the school's first physical director from 1908 to 1909 and played minor league baseball for several years. The family lived in Peoria, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
, for several years during Gilbert's childhood, as his father pitched for the Peoria Distillers
Peoria Distillers
The Peoria Distillers were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off from 1894 to 1917. They played in the Western Association from 1894 to 1896; the Central League in 1900, 1904 and 1917; the Western League from 1902 to 1903; and the Three-I League from 1905 to 1917.-League...
, and coached the football team at the Bradley Institute
Bradley University
Bradley University, founded in 1897, is a private, co-educational university located in Peoria, Illinois. It is a small institution with an enrollment of approximately 6,100 undergraduate and postgraduate students and a full-time faculty of approximately 350....
in Peoria. In 1917, when Gilbert was 10 years old, his father had been a player-manager for a minor league baseball club in Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
; he then became a coach at Rose Polytechnic Institute in Terre Haute. Gilbert attended high school in Kalamazoo.
University of Michigan
Gilbert enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1924. He played football for the Michigan Wolverines footballMichigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
team as a starter at the halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
position from 1925 to 1927. He played largely in the shadow of all-time Michigan football legends Benny Friedman
Benny Friedman
Benjamin "Benny" Friedman was an American football quarterback who played for the University of Michigan , Cleveland Bulldogs , Detroit Wolverines , New York Giants , and Brooklyn Dodgers .He is generally considered the first great passer in professional football...
and Bennie Oosterbaan
Bennie Oosterbaan
Benjamin Gaylord "Bennie" Oosterbaan was a three-time first team All-American football end for the Michigan Wolverines football team, two-time All-American basketball player for the basketball team and an All-Big Ten Conference baseball player for the baseball team...
during the 1925 and 1926 seasons, but blossomed into a nationally known football star in 1927.
Gilbert and Oosterbaan were the offensive stars for the 1927 Michigan Wolverines football team
1927 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1927 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1927 college football season. The team's head coach was Elton Wieman...
, the first team to play in Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 and had an original capacity of 72,000. Before playing football at the stadium, the Wolverines played on Ferry Field...
. Gilbert helped lead Michigan to a 4–0 start early in the 1927 season, outscoring opponents 89 to 0. On October 1, 1927, in the first game played at Michigan Stadium, Gilbert had a hand in every point scored in a 33–0 win over Ohio Wesleyan. Gilbert scored two touchdowns, kicked three extra points, and threw three touchdown passes in the game. In its account of the game, the Chicago Daily Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
wrote, "Louis Gilbert, the back field ace who has borne the brunt of the Wolverine kicking for the last two years, was the outstanding performer of today's play."
In the official dedication game for the new stadium, played three weeks later, Gilbert scored the only points of the game on three touchdown receptions and three extra points as the Wolverines defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes
1927 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1927 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1927-1928. The Buckeyes compiled a 4–4 record but still won the point battle 131-92. They lost to Michigan for the sixth straight season....
, 21–0.
Gilbert drew particular praise for his kicking. A Chicago Daily Tribune profile on the Wolverines in late October 1927 noted:
"Long punts and place kicks by Louis Gilbert and short, accurate passes by Benny Oosterbaan were the features of the Wolverines' workout today ... Standing on or behind the 30 yard line Gilbert consistently launched his place kicks squarely between the posts, the longest effort being 47 yards. Standing in midfield he then vied with Coach KipkeHarry G. KipkeHarry George Kipke was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He was the head football coach at Michigan State College in 1928 and at the University of Michigan from 1929–1937, compiling a career record of 49–30–5...
in placing his punts offside within the five yard line."
An injury to Gilbert's arm kept him out of the Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...
game, which Michigan lost, 14–0. When it was announced that Gilbert would be back in time for the game against the Chicago Maroons
Chicago Maroons football
The Chicago Maroons are the college football team representing the University of Chicago. The Maroons play in NCAA Division III as a member of the University Athletic Association. From 1892 to 1939, the Maroons were a major college football power...
, newspapers across the country touted the return of Michigan's star halfback. A United Press story published prior to the Chicago game noted:
"The 'kick' is once more in Michigan's lineup. Louis Gilbert is back. The Kalamazoo flash, a punter probably without a peer in the Big Ten, and a forward passer without compunction for enemy defenses, rejoined the Maize and Blue today after an absence since Saturday morning when a sudden arm injury jerked him from the Illinois-Michigan game which subsequently ruined Michigan's chances to again cop the prized Big Ten gonfalon for 1927. His return served as a tonic for his teammates, as he is expected to boot the oval with usual accuracy and distance against Coach Stagg's Maroons Saturday. Gilbert practiced kicking while his mates polished up its offensive and his uncanny forward pass receiver, Bennie Ooslerbaan, limbered up for his notorious end sneaks."
The Chicago Daily Tribune called him "the kickingest young man in the Big Ten" and "the best advertised player at Stagg field
Stagg Field
Amos Alonzo Stagg Field is the name of two different football fields for the University of Chicago. The earliest Stagg Field is probably best remembered for its role in a landmark scientific achievement by Enrico Fermi during the Manhattan Project. The site of the first nuclear reaction received...
Saturday." The Tribune noted that, although he had not received public acclaim in his sophomore and junior years because of the spotlight on Benny Friedman
Benny Friedman
Benjamin "Benny" Friedman was an American football quarterback who played for the University of Michigan , Cleveland Bulldogs , Detroit Wolverines , New York Giants , and Brooklyn Dodgers .He is generally considered the first great passer in professional football...
, he had become the focus of attention in Ann Arbor and "one of the leading ladies' men in the Big Ten."
In his return to the lineup against Chicago, Gilbert and Oosterbaan led Michigan to a 14–0 victory. Oosterbaan threw a touchdown pass to Gilbert for the first score, and Gilbert threw a touchdown pass to Oosterbaan for the final score. The Chicago Daily Tribune again focused its coverage on Gilbert's status as a ladies' man, referring to him as "the campus sheik from the neighborhood of Kalamazoo," and noting that he "wears bear grease on his hair and dances a mean black bottom
Black Bottom (dance)
Black Bottom refers to a dance. which became popular in the 1920s, during the period known as the Flapper era.The dance originated in New Orleans in the 1900s. The theatrical show Dinah brought the Black Bottom dance to New York in 1924, and the George White's Scandals featured it at the Apollo...
."
After the Chicago game, Gilbert ranked second in scoring in the Big Ten with eight touchdowns and 12 extra point conversions. Interviewed in November 1927, Michigan's first-year head coach Elton Wieman
Elton Wieman
Elton Ewart "Tad" Wieman was an American football player and coach and college athletic director. He played football for the University of Michigan from 1915 to 1917 and 1920 under head coach Fielding H. Yost. He was a coach and administrator at Michigan from 1921 to 1929, including two years as...
told reporters he "never knew two men in his life more unconcerned in the heat of battle than Gilbert and Benny Friedman, last year's Michigan all-American quarterback whom Gilbert succeeded as a forward-passing partner of Beanie Oosterbaan." At the end of the 1927 season, and although he did not start any games at quarterback, he was selected by the Big Ten Conference coaches as the first-team quarterback for the International News Service (later merged with the United Press into UPI) All-Big Ten team. He was also selected as a first-team All-Big Ten halfback by both Billy Evans
Billy Evans
William George Evans , nicknamed "The Boy Umpire," was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1906 to 1927...
and Walter Eckersall
Walter Eckersall
Walter "Eckie" Eckersall was an American football player, official, and sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.-Early life:...
. In selecting Gilbert, Eckersall wrote: "Gilbert of Michigan is selected for left halfback. This player was one of the best punters in the country. His kicks were well placed and put Michigan in scoring positions many times. He was also an accurate place-kicker. He carried the ball well on end runs and off tackle slants, did his share of the blocking and played a strong defensive game." He was also selected as a second-team All-American by the Central Press Association, billed as the "Real" All-American team with selections based on fan input with cooperation from "hundreds of newspapers throughout the country." The United Press and Billy Evans both selected Gilbert as a third-team All-American.
At the time of his retirement in 1941, Fielding H. Yost named Gilbert as the greatest punter of all time.
Later years
Gilbert graduated from Michigan in 1928. He worked as a national sales executive for James River Corporation, a paper mill in Parchment, MichiganParchment, Michigan
Parchment is a city in Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,936 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the parchment company that used to manufacture there.Parchment is just north of the city of Kalamazoo.-History :...
, for 45 years. He was also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an American fraternal order and social club founded in 1868...
, a county commissioner in Barry County, Michigan
Barry County, Michigan
-Highways:* M-37* M-43* M-50* M-66* M-78* M-79* M-89* M-179-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 56,755 people, 21,035 households, and 15,986 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 23,876 housing units at an average density of...
, for two years and the Barry County road commissioner for five years.
After retiring, Gilbert moved to St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
. In May 1987, he died in St. Petersburg at age 80. He was survived by his wife, Harriett C. Gilbert, two sons, Bartlett and Bradley, two daughters, Nancy Boersma and Eleanor Holiday, nine grandchildren, and three great-granddaughters.