Top
GALLERY
Click on a thumbnail image to view full size images and descriptions.
30
1930 - UofD Marquette
175
Interview on Milwaukee radio station WISN of the Coaches and Captains prior to the Marquette University vs. Detroit game. (Left to Right) - Arthur 'Red' Bultinan - Marquette rn Captain; Frank Murphy - Marquette Coach; Bill Stories - Detroit Captain; Gus Dorais - Detroit Coach
1931 - Forward Pass Coaching
57
Dorais wrote a highly acclaimed book in 1931, THE FORWARD PASS and It's Defense - thought to be the 'bible' on the subject at the time. Here is a picture from the book where Gus is teaching the fundamentals of the pass to some of his UofD players.
Dorais wrote a highly acclaimed book in 1931, THE FORWARD PASS and It's Defense. Thought to be 'the bible' on the subject at the time. This a picture of Dorais from the book.
1931- Dorais Forward Pass
107
A still from a 1931 video where Dorais explains the evolution of the forward pass in football.
1931 - Bill and Tom Dorais
154
Gus' sons were often seen on the practice field and at games at Dinan Field. Here are the boys Bill(left) and Tom(right).
ca1931 - Billy & Tommy Dorais
242
Newspaper photo of Gus Dorais with his sons Billy(left) and Tommy(right).
Colorized picture of University of Detroit coach Gus Dorais.
1931 - Gus Dorais Theater
170
Dorais appeared in a play in Detroit at the Fenkell Theater.
ca1932 - Dorais and Harper
23
Gus Dorais with his former coach Jesse Harper at Notre Dame. ca early 1930's. Likely taken shortly after Rockne's death when Harper returned to Notre Dame temporarily.
1932 University of Detroit Head Coach Gus Dorais.
Coach Dorais(center) on the bench with other coaches watching pregame activities on the field.
1932 - Dorais & McCracken
205
Coach Dorais discussing the finer points of football with one of his player Earl 'Midget' McCracken.
1932 - UofD Football Team
280
1932 University of Detroit Titans football team. Coach Dorais is front row second from left.
Coach Dorais on Dinan Field at the University of Detroit.
University of Detroit Titans - 1933.
From a page in a University of Detroit football game.
1933 - UofD Grid Clinic
281
Gus Dorais innovated a program to get the fan base more interested in the football program. He held public grid clinics to explain the rules of the game where his players demonstrated various plays.
1933 - UofD Football Staff
306
Dorais had the same coaching staff nearly every year at the University of Detroit.(left to right) Lloyd Brazil, Arthur 'Bud' Boringer, Michael 'Dad' Butler, Gus Dorais.
1934 - Michigan HoF Coaches
293
1934 athletic directors of Michigan schools, all members of Michigan's Sports Hall of Fame. From left; Fielding H. Yost, University Of Michigan; Gus Dorais, University of rnDetroit: Ralph H. Young, Michigan State. and David L. Holmes, Wayne State.
1933-34 yearbook entry for Gus Dorais listing his credentials.
1934 - UofD Coaching Staff
172
University of Detroit core coaching staff throughout Dorais' tenure. Left-to-Right: Gus Dorais, Arthur 'Bud' Boeringer, Lloyd Brazil & Michael 'Dad' Butler.
1935 - Coaching School
77
Dorais conducted coaching clinics every year while he was a college coach - sometimes multiple clinics during the summer months. This is a typical advertisement that appeared in the athletic publications of the day.
1935 - UofD Faculty Board
238
University of Detroit faculty board. Dorais(far left) was a member of the faculty board for most of his tenure at UofD.
Picture of Coach Dorais from the University of Detroit yearbook in 1935.
1935 - Gus & Vi Camping
307
The Dorais’ owned a home on Tecon Lake in Michigan. Gus was an avid fly fisherman. Gus and Vi always enjoyed the outdoors during the summer.
Old time Notre Dame Football stars discuss the “Good old days†at the Annual Testimonial Banquet given the 1935 squad by the Notre Dame club of St. Joseph Valley in South Bend, Indiana on Jan. 14, 1936. Left to right: Elmer Layden, coach; Howard Edwards, Captain of the 1909 team; Gus Dorais, University of Detroit coach and captain of the 1912 team. (AP Photo)
Coach Dorais on the bench(wearing fedora) during the Bucknell game.
1937 - All Star Vote - Martha Raye
101
1937 - Actress Martha Raye is photographed at her desk with a Gus Dorais for All-Star coach poster on display.
1937 - Dorais & Potts
202
Coach Dorais with his longtime assistant Frank Potts pose for a picture on Dinan Field. Potts led the efforts to get Dorais nominated and elected as head coach of the 1937 College All-Star team.
A picture of Head Coach Gus Dorais on the field at the University of Detroit.
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
