A while back I caught up with one of the
most interesting people I have ever met, former Bearcat Don
McMillan.
Don attended UC just after WWII, at that
time almost all college players were older than we would see today. Don was a 24
year old freshman in 1946. Back in
those days players went both ways, Don was a Quarterback and Defensive Back.
UC’s coach was NFL great Ray Notling for the first 3 years running mostly a full
house backfield with a back in motion.
The 1946 season was memorable for Don and
UC. On the schedule was defending Big 10 Champion Indiana, who returned 35
letterman that season. The Bearcats came away with the win against the Hoosiers
and also beat Michigan State that season to go 9 -2. The season
ended with UC’s first ever bowl game, the Sun Bowl where they beat Virginia Tech
(known as VPI).
In 1949 the Bearcats had a coaching change
for Don’s senior year. Coach Sid Gillman took over the program introducing an
aggressive passing game. Coach Gillman is considered the Grandfather of the West
Coast offense, Don McMillan very well may have been the first quarterback to run
this offense.
The 1949 season ended in UC’s second bowl
victory, the Bearcats defeated Toledo in the
Glass Bowl on a snowy cold day in Northern
Ohio. Don recalled that it wasn’t much a bowl game but it was
probably more of a grudge match for Toledo. Prior to the start of the season UC and
Toledo
scrimmaged, in that era schools could play one pre-season game. The Bearcats
dominated all 4 quarters, but both teams decided to play a 5-th quarter. UC
went with all backups and lost the final quarter 13 – 0. The final quarter
result seemed to embolden the Toledo faithful as if they had won the game so
UC was given an invite to the post season Glass Bowl. UC dominated again and
won.
After graduation from UC, Don went into
coaching at the high school level. His coaching careen spanned 26 years with
stops in Montpellier, Wapakoneta, and 22 years at
Taylor (Three
Rivers).
Outside of coaching Don also spent 32 years
as a Bengal’s statistician. He and Paul Brown
became friends during his years with the Bengal’s, he told me they often would sit in Coach Brown’s
office and talk football.
Considering Don had been a coach himself
and played or worked for Ray Nolting, Sid Gillman, and Paul Brown I thought I
would get his impression of Coach Kelly and his staff. He was very complimentary
of the staff and Brian Kelly; he was particularly pleased to see the push to get
past players involved.
Don’s Bearcat pride is still running strong; He doesn’t make it to
Nippert these days for games but still follows closely. He expressed the pride
that he felt during last years Rutgers game and
laughingly admitted that the he shed a few tears of joy. I know he wasn’t’ the
only one.