Harold Muller
Encyclopedia
Harold Powers "Brick" Muller (June 12, 1901 – May 17, 1962) was a professional football
player-coach
for the Los Angeles Buccaneers
during their only season in the National Football League
in 1926
. He was also an American
track and field
athlete who competed mainly in the high jump
. Muller competed for the United States in the 1920 Summer Olympics
held in Antwerp, Belgium
in the high jump, where he won the silver medal.
and later attended the University of California, Berkeley
. Prior to attending Cal, Muller attended San Diego High School
. When Clarence Price was hired by Cal coach Andy Smith
as one of his Cal assistants, he encouraged his San Diego
High School players to accompany him to Berkeley. Muller and six other graduates from San Diego High School later played on Cal’s undefeated, untied 1920 “Wonder Team”. In the 1921 Rose Bowl
, he completed a touchdown pass to Brodie Stephens that went at least 53 yards in the air. He was later voted the Most Valuable Player of the game. Muller became a star end at Cal and was the first player in the western United States
to receive All-American honors in 1921 and 1922.
Throw.
. During the game, he caught a 27 yard pass for a touchdown
. Ed R. Hughes of the San Francisco Chronicle
wrote in his column: “Remember Muller has been out of college for three years, but right now he is by far the
greatest end in the West, and probably one of the best that ever played!!” This led to Muller being signed by the Los Angeles Buccaneers. He soon became the player and head coach of the team. He led the Buccaneers to a 6-3-1 record in 1926. The team later folded in 1927.
Muller served with the Army Medical School
with the rank of Major
, and in 1956 he served as the Head Team Physician for the United States Olympic Team. However the honors kept coming. In the late 1940s, Colliers Magazine senior editor James N. Young, who had compiled All-America data for almost half a century, chose Muller on his All-Time, All-America eleven.
In 1953, Muller was also inducted by the San Diego Hall of Champions
into the Breitbard Hall of Fame honoring San Diego's finest athletes both on and off the playing surface. and the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1951.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player-coach
Player-coach
A player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. The term can be used to refer to both players who serve as head coaches, or as assistant coaches....
for the Los Angeles Buccaneers
Los Angeles Buccaneers
The Los Angeles Buccaneers were a traveling team in the National Football League during their one season 1926, ostensibly representing the city of Los Angeles, California. Like the Los Angeles Wildcats of the first American Football League, the team never actually played a league game in Los...
during their only season in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
in 1926
1926 NFL season
The 1926 NFL season was the 7th regular season of the National Football League. The league grew to 22 teams, a figure that would not be equaled in professional football until 1961, adding the Brooklyn Lions, the Hartford Blues, the Los Angeles Buccaneers, and the Louisville Colonels, with Racine...
. He was also an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete who competed mainly in the high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
. Muller competed for the United States in the 1920 Summer Olympics
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
held in Antwerp, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in the high jump, where he won the silver medal.
Football
Muller grew up in Dunsmuir, CaliforniaDunsmuir, California
Dunsmuir is a city in Siskiyou County, California, United States. The population was 1,650 at the 2010 census, down from 1,923 at the 2000 census. It is currently a hub of tourism in Northern California as visitors enjoy fishing, skiing, climbing, or sight-seeing...
and later attended the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. Prior to attending Cal, Muller attended San Diego High School
San Diego High School
San Diego High School is an urban public educational complex comprising six small schools located on the southern edge of Balboa Park, in San Diego, California. It is part of the San Diego Unified School District. It is the oldest high school in the San Diego Unified School District and one of the...
. When Clarence Price was hired by Cal coach Andy Smith
Andy Smith (coach)
Andrew Latham "Andy" Smith was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Pennsylvania , Purdue University , and the University of California, Berkeley , compiling a career college football record of 116–32–13...
as one of his Cal assistants, he encouraged his San Diego
High School players to accompany him to Berkeley. Muller and six other graduates from San Diego High School later played on Cal’s undefeated, untied 1920 “Wonder Team”. In the 1921 Rose Bowl
1921 Rose Bowl
The 1921 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1921. In the game, the 7th Rose Bowl, the California Golden Bears defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes by a score of 28-0. It was only the second time a Big Ten team had met a Pacific Coast Conference team. The first was the...
, he completed a touchdown pass to Brodie Stephens that went at least 53 yards in the air. He was later voted the Most Valuable Player of the game. Muller became a star end at Cal and was the first player in the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to receive All-American honors in 1921 and 1922.
Track and field
Muller was also a member of the California track and field team. The Bears won the ICAAAA championships in 1921, ’22, and ’23, and also won the second NCAA championships. Muller placed second in the Broad Jump, third in the High Jump, and fourth in the DiscusDiscus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
Throw.
Los Angeles Buccaneers
After graduating from Cal, Muller wanted to become an orthopedic surgeon. He was accepted into the University of California's Medical School, but was in need of money. To help supplement his income while in medical school, Andy Smith hired Muller to coach the ends on the Cal varsity. While in school Muller coached from 1923–1925, until Smith died from pneumonia in 1926. After he became a physician, Brick played in the first East-West Shrine GameEast-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
. During the game, he caught a 27 yard pass for a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
. Ed R. Hughes of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
wrote in his column: “Remember Muller has been out of college for three years, but right now he is by far the
greatest end in the West, and probably one of the best that ever played!!” This led to Muller being signed by the Los Angeles Buccaneers. He soon became the player and head coach of the team. He led the Buccaneers to a 6-3-1 record in 1926. The team later folded in 1927.
After football
After playing with the Buccanners in 1926, Muller became an orthopedic surgeon. During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Muller served with the Army Medical School
Army Medical School
Founded by U.S. Army Brigadier General George Miller Sternberg, MD in 1893, the Army Medical School was by some reckonings the world's first school of public health and preventive medicine...
with the rank of Major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
, and in 1956 he served as the Head Team Physician for the United States Olympic Team. However the honors kept coming. In the late 1940s, Colliers Magazine senior editor James N. Young, who had compiled All-America data for almost half a century, chose Muller on his All-Time, All-America eleven.
In 1953, Muller was also inducted by the San Diego Hall of Champions
San Diego Hall of Champions
The San Diego Hall of Champions is an American multi-sport museum in San Diego, California. Located in the Federal Building in Balboa Park, the facility recognizes outstanding athletic accomplishments and traditions involving more than forty-two sports...
into the Breitbard Hall of Fame honoring San Diego's finest athletes both on and off the playing surface. and the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1951.