Dan Devine & The Community

Dan Devine and the Community by Packertoons

In October of 1974, Time magazine ran a short article about Dan Devine and his relationship with the fans.1The picture it painted was not flattering to the people of Green Bay. It related many shameful actions of aggressive Packers fans, including calling Devine’s house in the middle of the night to harass him, calling his daughters sluts, and spreading dishonest rumors about the state of his marriage.2Lahey responded to the Time article without shame, blaming Devine and the poor performance of the team for the bad press in a national magazine. The game shown in Image 1 was the home game against the Buffalo Bills, which ended in a 27-7 loss for the Packers and resulted in several critical injuries on the team.3

There were rare moments of support for Devine from Packer’s fans. Shown in Image 2 are multitudes of fans offering him a new dog. His old dog had been shot (it was believed that this was done by a disgruntled fan, but that is not true4), but shortly after the Packers won a game. Any kind of support for Devine was spotty, though, and he said the criticism and lack of loyalty sapped him of his energy.5Devine left as head coach of the Packers in 1974, after just four years there.

He returned to coaching college football for Notre Dame, and had a very successful six years there, winning three out of the four Sugar Bowls he took the team to and finished with a 53-15-1 record.6Meanwhile, the Packers continued to struggle even in Devine’s absence. Lahey ruefully acknowledges Devine’s success in Image 3, which connects with a previous one he did that showed Devine looking hopelessly at Lombardi’s grinning face in place of the moon.

 

What year was Dan Devine inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame?
Results

Correct Answer: 1985

  1. “Haunted in Green Bay.” Time Magazine, 104 (15):82. 
  2. Ibid, 82.
  3. Karbon, Dick, “James Breaks Pack’s Back.” Green Bay Press-Gazette, (Green Bay) 10/7/1974, B1.
  4. Berghaus, Bob, “Devine’s dog dead? Here’s the real story.” Green Bay Press-Gazette, (Green Bay), 5/10/2002. C2.
  5. “Haunted in Green Bay.” 1974. Time Magazine, 104 (15):82
  6. Bansch, John, “Purdue, Irish prepare for the Bowls.” Indianapolis Star, (Indianapolis), 12/21/1980.