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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 28, ISSUE 1 33 The DeMoss Descendants BY ALAN KARPICK AKarpick@GoldandBlack.com B ob Griese tells it like it is about his coach, mentor and friend. "If it weren't for Bob DeMoss, I wouldn't be where I am. It's that simple," said Griese, the two-time All-America quarterback whose position coach was DeM- oss from 1964-66. "All of the things I have accomplished since playing for him, I owe to him." Ask Dale Samuels, Len Dawson, Mike Phipps and the entire list of signal-calling pupils, and they'll give the same refrain. Purdue lost one of its all-time legends on July 23 when DeMoss died at age 90. For 72 years dating back to the end of World War II, DeMoss was around the Purdue foot- ball program. After his playing career, he spent 20 years as Purdue's quarterbacks coach, three as its head coach and another two decades as an athletic administrator at the school. From all accounts, it was a great life lived, from a man that never stopped loving Purdue … 'til his last breath. A story told at his July 28 funeral says it all. "After a stroke had left him able to hear, but presum- ably unable to speak, he was visited by one of his grand- daughters," Phipps said, recalling the story told by DeM- oss' youngest son, David. "She played the Purdue fight song and he started to wave his finger back and forth to the beat of 'Hail Purdue.' "At the end, she said, 'Grandpa, we love Purdue.' And DeMoss looked back at her and said, 'I love Purdue.' "Those were his last words." It was a fitting ending to an amazing love story. It began when DeMoss entered Purdue as a gangly freshman off the train from Dayton, Ky., in August 1945. He wasted little time making an impact. The War had just ended and the football roster was a bit thin, giving oppor- tunity to a freshman quarterback like DeMoss. Less than two months later, DeMoss led Purdue to one of its greatest upsets ever, a 35-13 win at No. 4 Ohio State. That day — Oct. 20, 1945 — might very well be the P R E S E N T S L A FAY E T T E L E G E N D B O B D E M O S S Forever Waving Purdue's Flag DeMoss flourished for eight decades as a Boilermaker Dale Samuels (1950-52) Led Purdue to Big Ten title in 1952 Len Dawson (1954-56) Purdue's Golden Boy was Super Bowl champion (1958-60) Bernie Allen MLB standout, Ross Fichtner NFL All-Pro DB