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1945 - Detroit Elections
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Advertisement in the Detroit Free Press sponsored by the Labor party to endorse certain candidates for the upcoming city elections in Detroit. Gus was running (and was elected) for his fourth term on the Common Council.
1945 - Detroit Lions Dorais & Cawthon
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Detroit Lions Head Coach Gus Dorais with his new assistant coach Pete Cawthon who was with the Lions for two years.
Coach Dorais(center) with Bill Callihan(left) and Frank Szymanski(right) of the Detroit Lions posing for a picture at the Polo Grounds in New York.
The 1946 Detroit Lions held training camp in the city of Alma, Michigan. Dorais is being given the key to the city by the mayor.
1946 Detroit Lions team photo. Dorais is standing at the far right. The 1946 Lions were Dorais' worst team under his leadership, finishing 1-10-0.
1946 - Councilman Dorais
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Councilman Charles Dorais of Detroit Common Council in his 4th and final term.
1946 - NFL Rules Committee
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NFL commissioner Elmer Layden, right, confers with Washington Redskins' coach Dud De Groot, left, Detroit Lions coach Charles Dorais, second from left and New York Giants' coach Steve Owen, as the annual meeting of the Professional Football Rules Committee gets underway in New York City, Jan. 10, 1946. (AP Photo/John Rooney)
In 1946 the new All-America Football Conference, a rival to the NFL, began operations. The NFL, owners and select coaches met in New York at the Commodore Hotel to strategize on how to compete with the AAFC. L-R: Gus Dorais, Detroit Lions coach, Arthur Sampson, Boston Yanks manager, NFL Commissioner Elmer Layden and Wellington Mara, owner of the New York Giants.
NFL coaches Don Hutson(Packers), George Halas(Bears), Gus Dorais(Lions), Earl Neale(Eagles) and Jack Richardson(Steelers) meet in New York City to set up the 1946 schedule. (AP Photo)
An example of a play from Gus Dorais' Detroit Lions playbook.
1947 - Detroit Lions Coach
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Signed picture of Detroit Lions coach Gus Dorais.
An example of a play from Gus Dorais' Detroit Lions playbook.
1947 - Gus Dorais Sketch
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Sketch of Gus Dorais in 1947 by Frank Williams.
1947 - Dorais & LeForce
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Detroit Lions coach Gus Dorais press photo with newly signed quarterback Clyde LeForce.
1947 - Detroit Lions Management
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Detroit Lions management including (L-R) Head Coach Gus Dorais, Team Physician Dr. Forsyth, Assitant Coach Joe Bach and Owner Fred Mandel.
1947 - Detroit Lions Coach
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One of a series of pictures of Detroit Lions Head Coach Gus Dorais.
1947 - Detroit Lions Coach
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One of a series of pictures of Detroit Lions Head Coach Gus Dorais.
1947 - Detroit Lions Coach
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One of a series of pictures of Detroit Lions Head Coach Gus Dorais.
1947 - Detroit Lions Coach
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One of a series of pictures of Detroit Lions Head Coach Gus Dorais.
1947 - Detroit Lions Coach
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One of a series of pictures of Detroit Lions Head Coach Gus Dorais.
1947 - Detroit Lions Staff
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News clipping - Detroit Lions' Coach Gus Dorais goes over last-minute details of the club's training camp problems with Line Coach Joe Bach (right) and Tommy Dorais, chief scout (left). The signs are an aftermath of the bribe case involving the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants the previous season.
1947 Detroit Lions team photo. Dorais is in the middle row, third from right. Also in this picture is his son Tom Dorais who was a scout and assistant for the team. Tom is in the first row, far right. The 1947 Lions, Dorais' last as head coach, finished 3-9-0.
1947 Lions - Dorais Dudley
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1947 was the last year Dorais coached the Detroit Lions. He coaxed 'Bullet' Bill Dudley, reigning NFL MVP out of retirement to help the hapless Lions, who finished last in the West Division with a 3-9 record.
1947 Detroit Lions Coach Gus Dorais seen on the practice field during his last season.
The coaching brain trust of the Detroit Lions. Head Coach Gus Dorais is flanked by his assistant coaches, Robert Winslow (left), Joe Bach(right).
Detroit Lions coaches Gus Dorais(L) and Joe Bach(R).
After leaving the Detroit Lions at the end of 1947 Dorais intended to take time off and contemplate what he would do in retirement. He was soon inundated with various offers from all ranks of football. He would go on to scout for many pro teams most notably the New York Yankees(1948) and Chicago Hornets(1949) both of the All-American Football Conference.
1948 - Dorais & Leahy
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Gus Dorais(left) and Frank Leahy(right) lay a wreath at the grave of Knute Rockne in South Bend, IN.
1949 - Gus Dorais Chevrolet
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Gus standing next to a car being serviced at his new automobile dealership - Gus Dorais Chevrolet.
1949 - Gus Dorais Chevrolet
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In early 1949, Gus along with his son Bill, opened the “Gus†Dorais Chevrolet Automobile Agency in Wabash, Indiana.
VIDEOS
1927 - University of Detroit football team beats South Dakota State in the final game of the season - 38-0.
1927 - University of Detroit football team training for the upcoming season at Camp Ozanam in Lexington, Michigan - north of Port Huron.
1928 - Gus Dorais puts his University of Detroit football team through drills in preperation for the upcoming 1928 season. The Titans would go on to have an undefeated season at 9-0. Parke Davis eventualy named the 1928 National Champions as a tie between Detroit and Georgia Tech.
1928 - University of Detroit beats Loyola at Dinan Field, 27 to 0. Captain Tom Connell makes the first touchdown for U of D. Malony breaks thru for a 60 yard run. Connell passes to Brazil for a 20 yard gain.
1928 - University of Detroit undefeated football team are guests of Delta Sigma Pi at annual football banquet.
1936 - Gus Dorais Interview regarding the development of the Forward Pass. Howard Jones - USC Head Coach - interviews Gus. Courtesy of University of Notre Dame Archives.
The 2013 college football season marks the 100th anniversary of Notre Dame's victory over Army - when Gus Dorais and Knute Rockne utilized the forward pass to upset the Cadets and establish Notre Dame as a national football power. The work that Dorais and Rockne did was commemorated by the University and Cedar Point in the summer of 2013. Dorais and Rockne's great grandsons reenact the scene on the beach.
2013 - Fighting Irish Digital Media investigates Dorais and Rockne and the storied 1913 season, the forward pass, Sorin Hall, ND Archives, Cedar Point and more.
"2018 Finalist Award from American Book Fest"
"... It is a story researched and told lovingly, one that helps provide immense context and understanding not just of Dorais' life and competitive fire but of Notre Dame's rise as a power and the foundation of American football itself. The game today, of course, is the forward pass. With his then-unique throwing style, Gus Dorais was the pioneer who pointed the way and thus defined the pass. His story is the game's story. With a timing that meant everything."
- Roland Lazenby - Most prolific sports author of our time - Latest book, Michael Jordan: The Life 2018
"This book tells the unknown story of one of football's early pioneers - Gus Dorais. From his humble beginnings, to his influence on the sport as a player, scout and coach, this well-researched and well written account of Dorais' life will fascinate readers. The combination of Joe Niese and Bob Dorais have told the story of a football lifer that is long overdue."
- Chris Willis, Head of Research Library, NFL Films
"As teammates at Notre Dame, Gus Dorais and Knute Rockne changed how the game of football was played. Great friends and coaching colleagues, they shared a passion for the game and what it could achieve as a means of molding young lives. They influenced so many under their tutelage, helping cement the best elements of football as a staple in American life and culture. It's an enduring legacy that has positive effects still felt today. Joe Niese and Bob Dorais have done a remarkable job of capturing the life and importance of Rock's cherished pal."
- Jim Lefebvre, Notre Dame football scholar & award-winning author: "Coach For A Nation: The Life and Times of Knute Rockne"
"Gus Dorais is an excellent biography about one of the legendary coaches of college football history who is unfortunately forgotten today for that aspect of his career. This important book belongs in every football historian's personal library."
- Ray Schmidt, Football Historian/President College Football Historical Society
"The book leaves no doubt that Dorais was an innovative coach in designing plays and offensive formations...The authors have done a splendid job of describing an era in football when it was undergoing significant change and following the life of a player and later a coach who was responsible for many of those changes."
- Michigan in Books
