FULL CLASS OF 2022 | HALL OF FAME HOMEPAGE
Alex Yunevich didn't wait long to make his mark on the Purdue Football program. In just his second game with the Boilermakers, he had a performance the Lafayette Journal & Courier called "one of the best performances an Old Gold and Black fullback has ever turned in". Facing mighty Michigan in the 1929 conference opener, the Boilermakers trailed 16-6 through three quarters. That's when Yunevich took over.
It all started when the sophomore from Bickell, Indiana, intercepted a Michigan pass late in the third quarter. On the first play of the final stanza, Yunevich raced for a 26-yard score to make it 16-12. The Boilermakers took an 18-16 lead after Elmer "Red" Sleight blocked a punt and set up Yunevich's second score of the day.
The burly fullback added a third touchdown on Purdue's next drive and the Boilermakers pulled away with a 30-16 win. The Old Gold and Black had scored 24 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, with Yunevich accounting for 18 of those. On the day, the fullback rushed 21 times for 127 yards, single-handedly outgaining the entire Michigan rushing attack combined. It was just the beginning of a very special season for the Boilermakers.
Yunevich along with Ralph "Pest" Welch, Glen Harmesson and John White became known as the "Four Riveters", a take on Notre Dame's famed "Four Horsemen" from the early 1920s, and they were unstoppable. The Boilermakers would surrender just two touchdowns in their final six games, outscoring opponents 187-44 for the season. They finished with a perfect 8-0 record and the program's first outright Big Ten championship.
Yunevich earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and would have been in line for many more regional and national accolades if not for the presence of Minnesota's consensus All-American fullback and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Bronko Nagurski.
As a junior, Yunevich battled injuries for much of the season and split time with teammate Roy Horstmann as new head coach Noble Kizer focused on a two-platoon backfield system and the team finished the year at 6-2. As a senior, Yunevich continued to split time with his future All-America teammate, but there were some very bright spots for "Yuni". He rushed for 200 yards and three scores in a win over Coe College and rumbled 90 yards for a score against Centenary, a record for the longest run in program history that stood for more than four decades and still stands as the second-longest touchdown run in Purdue history.
The 1931 Boilermaker squad finished the year 9-1, 6-1 in the Big Ten and shared the conference title with Michigan and Northwestern. After the season was over, that 1931 Purdue Football team was recognized as having earned a share of the national title by Parke Davis, a title that is endorsed as official by the NCAA. It remains the only national title for Purdue Football to date.
In his time at Purdue, Yunevich also played Freshman Basketball, along with classmate Johnny Wooden, and was a three-year letterwinner for the Track & Field team. Upon graduating from Purdue, Yunevich transitioned to coaching, serving for a year on the Purdue staff before moving on.
After stops at Lehigh and Central Michigan, Yunevich landed at Alfred University in western New York. He began coaching the Saxons in 1937 and was on the sidelines for the next four decades. Coach Yuni posted a 177-85-12 record at Alfred, winning eight conference titles and two Small College National Coach of the Year honors. He earned some additional national acclaim with a feature in Sports Illustrated in October 1974.
"The corn was sticking out of my ears when I got to Purdue," Yunevich is quoted as saying in the article. "But those were good years. We won two Big Ten titles, and I met my wife Anne."
When asked about his philosophy as a coach, Yunevich said that on-field success wasn't necessarily the most important thing.
"People only like you if you win, but that's not the way I feel," he told reporter Larry Keith. "When your kids are busting their tails, what more can you ask?"
Yunevich was inducted into the Alfred Athletics Hall of Fame in 1975 while still coaching at the university. He retired following the 1976 season and moved, with Anne, to Venice, Florida, where they lived until his death in 1992, at age 82.
Now, Yunevich joins fellow "Four Riveters" member Pest Welch, as well as fellow teammate Elmer "Red" Sleight and coach Noble Kizer, in the Leroy Keyes Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame.
Inductees or their representatives will be publicly honored at Mackey Arena during the Purdue Men's Basketball game against Ohio State on Sunday, Feb. 19. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
By Cory Palm, Director of Broadcast Services - Purdue Athletics
Alex Yunevich didn't wait long to make his mark on the Purdue Football program. In just his second game with the Boilermakers, he had a performance the Lafayette Journal & Courier called "one of the best performances an Old Gold and Black fullback has ever turned in". Facing mighty Michigan in the 1929 conference opener, the Boilermakers trailed 16-6 through three quarters. That's when Yunevich took over.
It all started when the sophomore from Bickell, Indiana, intercepted a Michigan pass late in the third quarter. On the first play of the final stanza, Yunevich raced for a 26-yard score to make it 16-12. The Boilermakers took an 18-16 lead after Elmer "Red" Sleight blocked a punt and set up Yunevich's second score of the day.
The burly fullback added a third touchdown on Purdue's next drive and the Boilermakers pulled away with a 30-16 win. The Old Gold and Black had scored 24 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, with Yunevich accounting for 18 of those. On the day, the fullback rushed 21 times for 127 yards, single-handedly outgaining the entire Michigan rushing attack combined. It was just the beginning of a very special season for the Boilermakers.
Yunevich along with Ralph "Pest" Welch, Glen Harmesson and John White became known as the "Four Riveters", a take on Notre Dame's famed "Four Horsemen" from the early 1920s, and they were unstoppable. The Boilermakers would surrender just two touchdowns in their final six games, outscoring opponents 187-44 for the season. They finished with a perfect 8-0 record and the program's first outright Big Ten championship.
Yunevich earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and would have been in line for many more regional and national accolades if not for the presence of Minnesota's consensus All-American fullback and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Bronko Nagurski.
As a junior, Yunevich battled injuries for much of the season and split time with teammate Roy Horstmann as new head coach Noble Kizer focused on a two-platoon backfield system and the team finished the year at 6-2. As a senior, Yunevich continued to split time with his future All-America teammate, but there were some very bright spots for "Yuni". He rushed for 200 yards and three scores in a win over Coe College and rumbled 90 yards for a score against Centenary, a record for the longest run in program history that stood for more than four decades and still stands as the second-longest touchdown run in Purdue history.
The 1931 Boilermaker squad finished the year 9-1, 6-1 in the Big Ten and shared the conference title with Michigan and Northwestern. After the season was over, that 1931 Purdue Football team was recognized as having earned a share of the national title by Parke Davis, a title that is endorsed as official by the NCAA. It remains the only national title for Purdue Football to date.
In his time at Purdue, Yunevich also played Freshman Basketball, along with classmate Johnny Wooden, and was a three-year letterwinner for the Track & Field team. Upon graduating from Purdue, Yunevich transitioned to coaching, serving for a year on the Purdue staff before moving on.
After stops at Lehigh and Central Michigan, Yunevich landed at Alfred University in western New York. He began coaching the Saxons in 1937 and was on the sidelines for the next four decades. Coach Yuni posted a 177-85-12 record at Alfred, winning eight conference titles and two Small College National Coach of the Year honors. He earned some additional national acclaim with a feature in Sports Illustrated in October 1974.
"The corn was sticking out of my ears when I got to Purdue," Yunevich is quoted as saying in the article. "But those were good years. We won two Big Ten titles, and I met my wife Anne."
When asked about his philosophy as a coach, Yunevich said that on-field success wasn't necessarily the most important thing.
"People only like you if you win, but that's not the way I feel," he told reporter Larry Keith. "When your kids are busting their tails, what more can you ask?"
Yunevich was inducted into the Alfred Athletics Hall of Fame in 1975 while still coaching at the university. He retired following the 1976 season and moved, with Anne, to Venice, Florida, where they lived until his death in 1992, at age 82.
Now, Yunevich joins fellow "Four Riveters" member Pest Welch, as well as fellow teammate Elmer "Red" Sleight and coach Noble Kizer, in the Leroy Keyes Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame.
Inductees or their representatives will be publicly honored at Mackey Arena during the Purdue Men's Basketball game against Ohio State on Sunday, Feb. 19. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
By Cory Palm, Director of Broadcast Services - Purdue Athletics