Devaney, "Bob" (Robert S.)
Football
b. April 13, 1915, Saginaw, MI
d. May 9, 1997
Devaney spent three years working in a foundry after graduating from high school and then entered Alma College in Michigan, where he played football. He graduated in 1939 and became a high school coach.
In 1953, he joined the coaching staff at Michigan State University. Devaney got his first job as a college head coach in 1957 at the University of Wyoming, where his teams won 35 games while losing only 10 and tying 5 through the 1961 season.
The University of Nebraska hired him in 1962 to rebuild a sad program. Devaney took a team that had gone 3-6-1 the previous year to a 9-2-0 record in his first season, and Nebraska beat the University of Miami 36-34 in the Gotham Bowl.
Devaney's teams won national championships in 1970 and 1971, won eight Big Eight Conference titles, and compiled a 101-20-2 record in his 11 seasons. He retired from coaching after the 1972 season but remained at Nebraska as athletic director. His overall winning percentage of .806, on 136 victories, 30 losses, and 11 ties, is tenth best in the history of NCAA Division I football.