John Charles Depler (January 6, 1899 – December 5, 1970) was an American professional football player and coach. Prior to his professional career, he played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team of the University of Illinois. There he helped lead Illinois to its second national championship in 1919, and earned first-team All-American honors in 1920. After graduation, Depler played for the Hammond Pros of the National Football League (NFL). The following year, he was hired as an assistant coach to Frank "Buck" O'Neill, at Columbia University, where he stayed for the next eight seasons.
 | |
| Date of birth | January 6, 1899 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Lewistown, Illinois, U.S. |
| Date of death | December 5, 1970 (aged 71) |
| Place of death | Lewistown, Illinois, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Tackle, center |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| US college | Illinois |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| 1922–1928 | Columbia Lions (assistant) |
| 1929 | Orange Tornadoes |
| 1930–1931 | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| As player | |
| 1921 | Hammond Pros |
| 1929 | Orange Tornadoes |
| As owner | |
| 1930–1933 | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career stats | |
| |
In 1929, Depler rejoined the NFL as a player-coach with the Orange Tornadoes. In following season, he bought the Dayton Triangles and relocated the team to Brooklyn, New York, with the help of Bill Dwyer, an early Prohibition gangster and bootlegger. Depler was now the co-founder and coach of the NFL's new Brooklyn Dodgers. He took most of the members of the 1929 Tornadoes with him for the new Dodgers team.
After a successful first season, little went right for the club. After the team's second season, Depler resigned as coach and the team was sold to Chris Cagle and Shipwreck Kelly.[1]
References
edit- ^ Maxymuk, John (August 2, 2012). NFL Head Coaches: A Biographical Dictionary, 1920-2011. McFarland Press. p. 364. ISBN 978-0786465576.