Gonzaga Athletic Hall of Fame
The name of Gus Dorais became legendary about the same time he first threw a forward pass to Notre Dame teammate Knute Rockne. On a storied occasion in 1913, All-American quarterback Dorais, described by the New York Times as a “fragile youth of 145 pounds,” used football’s newest weapon for a 35-13 rout of Army. After graduation, Gus lost a coin flip – another legend – to Rockne for the Notre Dame coaching job. A coaching stint at Loras College and World War I service followed and he came here in 1920 to coach all major sports. In five seasons Dorais’ football teams, from a student body of 200, rose to national prominence. Gonzaga earned entry into the Northwest Conference in 1923, lost narrowly to West Virginia in a holiday game and then won the conference title in an undefeated 1924 season. Gus was coach and athletic director at the University of Detroit from 1925 to 1942, then coached the pro Detroit Lions until his retirement in 1947.
