 Mertes in 1947 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 6, 1921 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | January 17, 2002 (aged 80) St. Louis Park, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1941 | Iowa |
| 1942–1944 | Iowa Pre-Flight |
| 1945 | Chicago Cardinals |
| 1946 | Los Angeles Dons |
| 1947–1949 | Baltimore Colts |
| 1949 | New York Giants |
| Position(s) | Running back |
| Coaching career ( HC unless noted) | |
| 1950 | Bradley (backfield) |
| 1951–1952 | Bradley |
| 1953–1954 | Kansas State (backfield) |
| 1955–1959 | Kansas State |
| 1960–1964 | Drake |
| 1965–1966 | Denver Broncos (assistant) |
| 1967–1984 | Minnesota Vikings (assistant) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 50–63–1 |
Bernard James "Bus" Mertes (October 6, 1921 – January 17, 2002) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Iowa and professionally in the National Football League (NFL) and the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) with the Chicago Cardinals, Los Angeles Dons, Baltimore Colts, and New York Giants. Mertes served as the head football coach at Bradley University from 1951 to 1952, at Kansas State University from 1955 to 1959, and at Drake University from 1960 to 1964, compiling a career college football coaching record of 50–63–1.
Coaching career
Kansas State
Mertes was the 24th head football coach at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, and he held that position for five seasons, from 1955 until 1959. His record at Kansas State was 15–34–1. [1]
Drake
After leaving Kansas State following the 1959 season, Mertes became the 19th head football coach at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, serving for five seasons, from 1960 until 1964. His record at Drake was 27–19. [2]
Denver Broncos
After leaving Drake following the 1964 season, Mertes joined the Denver Broncos of the American Football League as an assistant coach. He coached with Denver for two seasons.
Minnesota Vikings
After leaving the Denver Broncos, Mertes joined Bud Grant's coaching staff on the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. He coached the running backs and special teams, working with players such as Bill Brown, Dave Osborn, Ed Marinaro, Chuck Foreman, Ted Brown, Darrin Nelson, Greg Coleman, and Fred Cox. As an assistant with the Vikings from 1967 to 1984, he coached in four Super Bowls.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradley Braves ( Missouri Valley Conference) (1951) | |||||||||
| 1951 | Bradley | 4–5 | 0–3 | 7th | |||||
| Bradley Braves (Independent) (1952) | |||||||||
| 1952 | Bradley | 4–5 | |||||||
| Bradley: | 8–10 | 0–3 | |||||||
| Kansas State ( Big Seven / Big Eight Conference) (1955–1957) | |||||||||
| 1955 | Kansas State | 4–6 | 3–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1956 | Kansas State | 3–7 | 2–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 1957 | Kansas State | 3–6–1 | 2–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 1958 | Kansas State | 3–7 | 2–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1959 | Kansas State | 2–8 | 1–5 | 7th | |||||
| Kansas State: | 15–34–1 | 10–20 | |||||||
| Drake Bulldogs ( NCAA College Division independent) (1960–1964) | |||||||||
| 1960 | Drake | 4–5 | |||||||
| 1961 | Drake | 5–4 | |||||||
| 1962 | Drake | 8–2 | |||||||
| 1963 | Drake | 4–4 | |||||||
| 1964 | Drake | 6–4 | |||||||
| Drake: | 27–19 | ||||||||
| Total: | 50–63–1 | ||||||||
References
- ^ Kansas State Coaching Records Archived December 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Drake Coaching Records Archived July 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- Bus Mertes at Find a Grave
- 1921 births
- 2002 deaths
- American football running backs
- Baltimore Colts (1947–1950) players
- Bradley Braves football coaches
- Chicago Cardinals players
- Denver Broncos coaches
- Drake Bulldogs football coaches
- Iowa Hawkeyes football players
- Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks football players
- Kansas State Wildcats football coaches
- Los Angeles Dons players
- Minnesota Vikings coaches
- New York Giants players
- San Francisco 49ers players
- Players of American football from Chicago