Don Miller (American football, born 1902)

Not to be confused with Don Miller (American football coach).

Don "Midnight" Miller (March 29, 1902 – July 28, 1979) was an American football player and coach. He was one of the famous "Four Horsemen" of the University of Notre Dame's backfield in 1924, when the Fighting Irish won the 1924 National Title. Miller was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1970.

Don Miller

Miller in 1925
Biographical details
Born	(1902-03-29)March 29, 1902 Defiance, Ohio, U.S.
Died	July 28, 1979(1979-07-28) (aged 77) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Playing career
1922–1924	Notre Dame
1925	Providence Steamrollers
Position(s)	Halfback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1925–1928	Georgia Tech (backfield)
1929–1932	Ohio State (backfield)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
National (1924)
Awards
2× All-American (1923, 1924)
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1970 (profile)

College career

Miller's three brothers attended Notre Dame before he did. The most famous of these being Harry "Red" Miller, captain of the 1908 squad. Notre Dame head coach Knute Rockne called Miller "the greatest open field runner I ever had." Another brother, Ray T. Miller, later had a lengthy career in politics in the Cleveland area.^[1]

In 2002, the NCAA published "NCAA Football's Finest," researched and compiled by the NCAA Statistics Service.^[2] For Miller they published the following statistics:

Year	Carries	Rushing Yards	Average	Receptions	Receiving Yards	Average	Touchdowns	Points
1922	87	472	5.4	6	144	24.0	5	30
1923	89	698	7.8	9	149	16.6	10	60
1924	107	763	7.1	16	297	18.6	7	42
Total	283	1933	6.8	31	590	19.0	22	132

Professional football career

In 1925, Miller played professional football for the National Football League's Providence Steamrollers^[3] and the then-independent Hartford Blues.^[4]

After his playing career, Miller coached at several colleges, including Georgia Tech and Ohio State.^[5] He became the head football coach of St. Xavier High School of Louisville, Kentucky in 1934.

Law career

Miller eventually quit coaching and practiced law, in which he was successful in the Cleveland area.^[6]

On February 5, 1957, Miller appeared on To Tell the Truth.