Arnie Herber: A new path

Continued from last week

After leaving UW-Madison, Arnie Herber headed back to Green Bay, taking a job with the railroad.

“A prominent family in town persuaded him to go to St. Regis College in Denver, a small Jesuit school that had visions of becoming the third part of a holy trinity of football powers with Fordham and Notre Dame,” Norman L. Macht wrote in “Arnie Herber: The Man Who Invented the NFL Passing Game.”

“The school paid their expenses. Playing under the name Don Herber, he ran and passed and kicked, but the team struggled to a 3-6 record.”

Herber was again showing his presence on the field.

“Arnold Herber… is helping himself to a considerable amount of printer’s ink at Regi’s College, a school of some 200 scholars located near Denver, Colo.,” a Press-Gazette article stated in November 1929.

“’Dutch’ Clark, the Colorado All-American, is finding that Herber is usurping many of his grid honors in the Rocky Mountain state. And this same Clark has three years of service on the football field and also holds a record of scoring in all but one game since he began playing college football.”

On Dec. 6, 1929, Arnie’s wife, Lois, gave birth to a daughter in Denver.

They named her Jean Rondine Herber.

But the idyllic life would be short-lived.

“The 1929 stock market crash swept the school’s dreams of football glory with it. The expense money stopped. So the Herbers, with newborn daughter Jean, went home,” Macht wrote.

On Feb. 11, 1930, the Press-Gazette announced Arnie’s return to Wisconsin and a hope for his return to football.

“Arnold Herber, former West Green Bay High School three-sport star, has again enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, according to word received here today from Madison,” the publication stated.

“Herber is one of the best all-around athletes ever developed and is expected to prove a real asset to Wisconsin teams.

“Herber is expected to be eligible to play with the 1930 Badger grid team.”

“Arnie put on bib overalls and worked in a quarry for a while, but it was hard work, and he was too easygoing for hard work except on the football field,” Macht stated.

But, in the end, Herber would not rejoin the UW-Madison team.

A much better offer would come from a more appealing source.

To be continued