Bob Chappuis obit

Bob Chappuis dies at 89

 

He was not on the list.

Former Michigan star Bob Chappuis, the 1948 Rose Bowl MVP and a College Football Hall of Famer, died Thursday at the age of 89.

Chappuis had been hospitalized at the University of Michigan Hospital after falling earlier this week.

A quarterback and halfback with the Wolverines, Chappuis started his college career in 1942 before leaving school to fight in World War II. He served as an aerial gunner and radio operator on B-25 bombers before being shot down over Italy in his 21st mission, according to an obituary on MGoBlue.com.

Chappuis returned to Michigan in 1946 and played two more seasons, finishing second in the 1947 Heisman Trophy voting to Notre Dame quarterback John Lujack. He led the Wolverines to an undefeated season in 1947 and a national championship.

Chappuis is the Big Ten single season-record holder with a 175.3 passer rating. He also holds the Michigan record for yards per completion at 18.8.

Chappuis' college program was interrupted by military service from 1943 to 1945. During World War II, Chappuis earned the rank of Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces. He flew 21 missions as a radio operator and aerial gunner in B-25 bombers. His crew sunk a cruiser in an Italian harbor, which earned it a citation in September 1944. He flew his first mission, which was targeting a railroad bridge in the heavily fortified Brenner Pass on Christmas Day 1944. At the time he flew this first mission, he was a sergeant. On February 13, 1945, Chappuis flew his 21st mission when he was assigned to fill in for a sick crew member. Chappuis' B-25 bomber was assigned to bomb a railroad tunnel in the Italian mountains north of the Po River. "Over the target, a burst of flak knocked out one engine, then the other engine went out. When the order came to bail out, the tailgunner went out first, and got stuck in the escape hatch, pinned against the rear of it by the wind pressure. Chappuis kicked him in the only accessible place—his head—and knocked him loose. Then he jumped."

Chappuis was rescued by an Italian partisan, Aldo Comucci, a 21-year-old who was in charge of one of the many underground groups operating in the area. Comucci and his band of resistance fighters got to Chappuis before the Germans and hid him and two other American flyers from the same plane for nearly three months until the end of the war. The partisans passed Chappuis and the two other Americans from house to house, and village to village, toward the Swiss frontier. Dressed in shawls — but still wearing G.I. shoes — they once walked undetected past a German sentry.

Chappuis drew considerable attention in the national press for his abilities as a passer, one of the game's first passing "specialists." In November 1947, Time magazine ran a feature article about Chappuis and the 1947 Wolverines (with Chappuis' photograph on the cover) called "The Specialist." The Time article focused on the new era of specialization marked by coach Fritz Crisler's decision to field separate offensive and defensive units in 1947. The article focused on Chappuis as Michigan's "prize specialist," who was described as "Crisler's triggerman." "His job is to throw forward passes and there is no one in 1947 collegiate football who does it better. … In Michigan's first five games, Specialist Chappuis was on the field less than one-third of the time, but of the 27 passes he threw, 19 were complete – five of them for touchdowns... When Chappuis fades back to pass, he is a slow-motion study in coolness and concentration."

Chappuis played his last game for Michigan in a 49–0 win over the USC Trojans in the 1948 Rose Bowl. Chappuis ran for 91 yards, completed 14 of 24 passes for 188 yards, was named the Most Valuable Player, and set Rose Bowl records for total offense and pass completions. The Long Beach Independent reported: "Bob Chappuis was every inch the All-American he has been tabbed. Running, faking and pivoting beautifully, he averaged 7 yards a crack for 13 carries and completed 14 out of 24 pitches for 188 yards … which gave him a new total offense record of 279 yards for the classic."

A sidelight of the Rose Bowl was the Rose Bowl Queen nomination of Ann Gestie, the future wife of Bob Chappuis, which was against the tradition of having a queen from Pasadena, California. Buck Dawson, the manager of the Michigan Yearbook who would go on to marry the daughter of Matthew Mann, was the proponent of the nomination. Although tradition was upheld, Gestie's photograph appeared on the front page of the Los Angeles Times along with the caption "Overlooked Michigan Beauty."

Chappuis was also selected to play for coach Frank Leahy on the College All-Star squad against the Chicago Cardinals, who were the 1947 NFL Champions. In the 15th College All-Star vs. NFL Champion match, the Cardinals scored the biggest victory to date with a 28–0 victory. Among the collegians were Johnny Lujack and Chuck Conerly. The professional athletes included Paul Christman and Charley Trippi. Supposedly, the 1947 class had a void at fullback, which may have been the problem with their offense in the All-Star game shutout.

Chappuis was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and reports in February 1948 indicated that the Steelers had offered him a two-year contract for $20,000 per year. However, Chappuis passed up the Steelers' offer, opting instead to play for the new All-America Football Conference (AAFC). In June 1948, Chappuis signed with Branch Rickey's Brooklyn Dodgers of the AAFC after coach Carl Voyles outbid the Steelers for his services at $17,000. Chappuis had been drafted by the Cleveland Browns, and the Dodgers gave the Browns three draft picks in exchange for the right to sign Chappuis. Rickey had felt that modern football was based on speed and that he could win with a good center, passing quarterback and two tall sprinting ends. Thus, he placed a premium on signing Chappuis, the passing quarterback. The college All-star game caused Chappuis to miss three weeks of practice and he played little in the early season games because he had not learned his plays.

In his first professional game against the San Francisco 49ers, Chappuis ran the ball 37 yards to the 49ers six-yard line in the fourth quarter, giving fans "an indication of what sent all the major professional clubs after his services." Chappuis played in 13 games for the Dodgers in 1948 and shared the quarterbacking responsibilities with Bob Hoernschemeyer who played in all 14 games. Chappuis led the team in total offense (1712 to 1428 for Hoernschemeyer).[42] Chappuis completed 100 of 213 passes for 1,402 yards with 15 interceptions and 8 touchdown passes. He also rushed for 310 yards, for an average of 6.0 yards per carry, and one rushing touchdown. Although Chappuis led the team in total offense, Hoernschemeyer also made eleven receptions and served as both a kick returner and punt returner at various times during the season. The Dodgers finished the season with a 2–12 record and folded after the 1948 season.

In 1949, Chappuis played for the Chicago Hornets, also of the AAFC, but saw only limited playing time as a back-up to Hoernschemeyer and Johnny Clement on a team that went 4–10. When the AAFC went out of existence after the 1949 season, Chappuis retired from football. In announcing his retirement in June 1950, Chappuis said he was through with professional football and that his ambition then was to enjoy a more leisurely lifestyle and to be able to visit Ann Arbor for those fall football games.