Sport(s) | Football |
---|---|
Biographical details | |
Born |
Churchville, Iowa |
December 4, 1901
Died | January 13, 1985 Westwood, Los Angeles, California |
(aged 83)
Playing career | |
1922–1924 | Notre Dame |
Position(s) | Center |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1925–1928 | Santa Clara |
1929–1933 | Yale (line) |
1934 | Harvard (line) |
1935–1942 | Bowdoin |
1944 | Harvard (line) |
1945–1946 | Cleveland/LA Rams |
1947–1958 | Bowdoin |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 80–85–11 (college) 15–5–1 (NFL) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
1 NFL (1945) | |
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1968 (profile) |
Adam Walsh (December 4, 1901 – January 13, 1985) was an American football player and coach. He played college football as a center at the University of Notre Dame where he was an All-American and captain of the 1924 team under Knute Rockne. Walsh then served as the head football coach at Santa Clara University from 1925 to 1928 and at Bowdoin College from 1935 to 1942 and again from 1947 to 1958, compiling a career college football record of 80–85–11. He also coached the Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL) in 1945 and 1946, tallying a mark of 15–5–1. Walsh was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1968.
Walsh was an outstanding athlete at Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, and earned varsity letters in basketball, track, and football at the University of Notre Dame. Walsh was an All-American center and captain of the 1924 Notre Dame football team under head coach Knute Rockne. Walsh anchored the team's offensive line, dubbed the "Seven Mules," who blocked for the famed "Four Horsemen" backfield. The 1924 team completed an undefeated season with a win over Stanford in the Rose Bowl. Walsh played every minute of the game against Army in 1924 with two broken hands, never missed a single snap of the ball, was involved in 75 percent of the tackles on defense, and intercepted a pass in the final minutes of the game to preserve a Notre Dame victory. He remains the offensive center on the All-time Notre Dame Team.