Win Brockmeyer
Encyclopedia
Win Brockmeyer was an American football
coach from Wausau, Wisconsin
.
on September 16, 1907, the son of Otto and Margaret Brockmeyer. He attended the University of Minnesota
where he played football under two legendary college football coaches, Doc Spears and Fritz Crisler
. He played halfback for the Gophers in a backfield that included none-other than the fabled Bronco Nagurski. His best college day came in 1928 when he not only gained 166 yards rushing, but scored all the points in the Gophers’ upset of highly-ranked Purdue University
. He ran 46 yards for one touchdown and passed for two more and UM won 18-0.
from 1931-1933 and Faribault, Minnesota
from 1933-1937. In 1937, he came to Wausau and found a home. In his forty years of coaching high school football, his teams had a combined record of 265 wins, 43 losses and 14 ties. His record at Wausau High was even better – 230 wins, 33 losses and 9 ties. Over those 34 seasons, his team either won outright or shared in 26 conference championships. “Win” didn’t just win at football. For years he coached basketball, among other sports, and his basketball teams compiled a record of 128 wins against 88 losses, and won the State Championship in his first year with the team.
But, it was at football that he really excelled, and Wausau High’s record in the early to mid-1940s has never been equaled in the state. In 1939, Wausau won seven games and lost one. That one was the last game they would lose for years. In 1940, they not only went undefeated, but outscored their opponents 299 to 12, not giving up a single point until the final quarter of the final game of the year. In 1941, they went undefeated again and then again in 1943 and in 1945. They finally lost a game in 1946, but their winning streak of 46 straight may never be broken. Mr. Brockmeyer's winning percentage of games is .845, making him the winningest football coach in the history of the state of Wisconsin.
Both Football Hall of Famers
Elroy Hirsch
and Jim Otto
learned the basics of football from Win Brockmeyer when they played for him at Wausau High School. Mr. Brockmeyer is, in fact, the only man ever to have coached two members of the NFL Hall of Fame in high school. While coaching high school in Minnesota, he also coached another Hall of Fame member, Bruce P. Smith the only man to win the Heisman Trophy
(1941) from the University of Minnesota
.
In the 1954 movie Crazylegs
the story of Elroy Hirsch
, Coach Brockmeyer was played by Hollywood great Lloyd Nolan
. To this day, it is the only Hollywood movie to ever premiere in Wausau.
Mr. Brockmeyer was inducted as a charter member into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 1980, and in 1984 was inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations along with 12 other inductees including Jack Nicklaus
and Red Grange
. IN 2004 he was inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
As coach at Wausau High School
from 1937 to 1970, Brockmeyer had a 230-33-9 record. He was undefeated in 13 seasons. His teams won 26 conference titles. In the 1940s, he had a 72-2-4 record that included a 46 game winning streak. A scholarship was later inaugurated in his honor.
and other members of the UW athletic staff when he was stricken with an apparent heart attack and died. In a tribute to Wausau, the city which Mr. & Ms. Brockmeyer loved so much, both of them were cremated and had their ashes scattered in within the city.
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...
coach from Wausau, Wisconsin
Wausau, Wisconsin
Wausau is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city. The city is adjacent to the town of Wausau.According to the 2000 census, Wausau had a population of 38,426 people...
.
Background
Winfred Otto Brockmeyer was born in Mankato, MinnesotaMankato, Minnesota
Mankato is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 39,309 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest city in Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The county seat of Blue Earth County, it is located...
on September 16, 1907, the son of Otto and Margaret Brockmeyer. He attended the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
where he played football under two legendary college football coaches, Doc Spears and Fritz Crisler
Fritz Crisler
Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler was an American football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of...
. He played halfback for the Gophers in a backfield that included none-other than the fabled Bronco Nagurski. His best college day came in 1928 when he not only gained 166 yards rushing, but scored all the points in the Gophers’ upset of highly-ranked Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
. He ran 46 yards for one touchdown and passed for two more and UM won 18-0.
Accomplishments
After his graduation from UM, he played semi-pro ball with the Minnesota All Stars, but his greatest ability was in coaching, and he quickly gave up his player role to concentrate on coaching. He started at Fergus Falls, MinnesotaFergus Falls, Minnesota
Fergus Falls is a city in and the county seat of Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,138 at the 2010 census.-Today:...
from 1931-1933 and Faribault, Minnesota
Faribault, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,818 people, 7,472 households, and 4,946 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,644.8 people per square mile . There were 7,668 housing units at an average density of 605.8 per square mile...
from 1933-1937. In 1937, he came to Wausau and found a home. In his forty years of coaching high school football, his teams had a combined record of 265 wins, 43 losses and 14 ties. His record at Wausau High was even better – 230 wins, 33 losses and 9 ties. Over those 34 seasons, his team either won outright or shared in 26 conference championships. “Win” didn’t just win at football. For years he coached basketball, among other sports, and his basketball teams compiled a record of 128 wins against 88 losses, and won the State Championship in his first year with the team.
But, it was at football that he really excelled, and Wausau High’s record in the early to mid-1940s has never been equaled in the state. In 1939, Wausau won seven games and lost one. That one was the last game they would lose for years. In 1940, they not only went undefeated, but outscored their opponents 299 to 12, not giving up a single point until the final quarter of the final game of the year. In 1941, they went undefeated again and then again in 1943 and in 1945. They finally lost a game in 1946, but their winning streak of 46 straight may never be broken. Mr. Brockmeyer's winning percentage of games is .845, making him the winningest football coach in the history of the state of Wisconsin.
Both Football Hall of Famers
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
Elroy Hirsch
Elroy Hirsch
Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch was an American football running back and receiver for the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Rockets, nicknamed for his unusual running style.-Early life:...
and Jim Otto
Jim Otto
James Edwin Otto is a former Professional Football center for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League.-Wausau High School and University of Miami:...
learned the basics of football from Win Brockmeyer when they played for him at Wausau High School. Mr. Brockmeyer is, in fact, the only man ever to have coached two members of the NFL Hall of Fame in high school. While coaching high school in Minnesota, he also coached another Hall of Fame member, Bruce P. Smith the only man to win the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
(1941) from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
.
In the 1954 movie Crazylegs
Crazylegs (film)
Crazylegs is a 1953 film about Elroy Hirsch's football career. In college his unconventional dynamic running style allowed him to change directions in a multitude of ways. The media dubbed him "Crazylegs". The name stuck all through his professional career and life. The bulk of this film is...
the story of Elroy Hirsch
Elroy Hirsch
Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch was an American football running back and receiver for the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Rockets, nicknamed for his unusual running style.-Early life:...
, Coach Brockmeyer was played by Hollywood great Lloyd Nolan
Lloyd Nolan
Lloyd Benedict Nolan was an American film and television actor.-Biography:Nolan was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Margaret and James Nolan, who was a shoe manufacturer...
. To this day, it is the only Hollywood movie to ever premiere in Wausau.
Mr. Brockmeyer was inducted as a charter member into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 1980, and in 1984 was inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations along with 12 other inductees including Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
and Red Grange
Red Grange
Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost", was a college and professional American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and for the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League...
. IN 2004 he was inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
As coach at Wausau High School
Wausau East High School
Wausau East High School is a comprehensive public secondary school in the Wausau School District, located in the city of Wausau, Wisconsin. Originally named Wausau High School, it became Wausau East with the opening of Wausau West High School in the early 1970s. As of 2007, the school enrolls 1,322...
from 1937 to 1970, Brockmeyer had a 230-33-9 record. He was undefeated in 13 seasons. His teams won 26 conference titles. In the 1940s, he had a 72-2-4 record that included a 46 game winning streak. A scholarship was later inaugurated in his honor.
Personal life
The son of Otto and Margaret Brockmeyer, "Brock" was married on Thanksgiving Day 1932 to Helen Mae Date. They raised three children. On March 14, 1980, Mr. Brockmeyer, 73, was on a golf outing in Florida with UW Athletic Director Elroy HirschElroy Hirsch
Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch was an American football running back and receiver for the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Rockets, nicknamed for his unusual running style.-Early life:...
and other members of the UW athletic staff when he was stricken with an apparent heart attack and died. In a tribute to Wausau, the city which Mr. & Ms. Brockmeyer loved so much, both of them were cremated and had their ashes scattered in within the city.