Orville Mohler

Orville Mohler
Mohler during the 1930s
Biographical details
Born(1909-05-29)May 29, 1909
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedNovember 26, 1949(1949-11-26) (aged 40)
near Dixiana, Alabama, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1930–1932USC
Baseball
1930–1932USC
1933Mission Reds
1933Los Angeles Angels
Position(s)Quarterback (football)
Shortstop (baseball)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1943Wright Field
Head coaching record
Overall1–0–1
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards

Orville Ernest Mohler (May 29, 1909 – November 27, 1949), sometimes referred to as Orv Mohler, was an American football and baseball player. He grew up in Alhambra, California, and attended the University of Southern California (USC).[1] At USC, Mohler was the student council president, shortstop for the USC Trojans baseball team, and quarterback for the USC Trojans football team.[2][3] He led the 1931 USC Trojans football team to a national championship and a victory in the 1932 Rose Bowl, and, at the end of the 1931 season, he was selected by the Central Press Association as a second-team All-American fullback and by the Associated Press as a third-team All-American quarterback.[4][5] In 1933, after graduating from USC, Mohler played professional baseball in the Pacific Coast League for the Mission Reds. Mohler was married on August 13, 1933 to Bernadine Olson.[2]

In 1927, Mohler became a United States Army Air Corps pilot. In 1943, with the rank of major, he was stationed at Wright Field near Dayton, Ohio. There he was "Chief of the Power Plant unit", which was tasked with testing aircraft engines.[6] Mohler was also head coach of the 1943 Wright Field Kittyhawks football team.[7] He died on November 27, 1949, in the crash of a North American B-25 Mitchell near Dixiana, Alabama.[8] Mohler was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.[9] He was the son of professional baseball player Kid Mohler (1870–1961).[10]

Mohler was inducted into the USC Hall of Fame in 1995.[11]

  1. ^ "Orville Mohler Looms As Star In Coast Loop: Football Player Follows in the Footsteps of His Father". St. Petersburg Times. May 11, 1933.
  2. ^ a b "Orville Mohler to Wed Former U.S.C. Co-Ed Today". Chicago Sunday Tribune. August 13, 1933. p. 1, part 2 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  3. ^ "Orville Mohler Is Sick". The Spokesman-Review. October 14, 1931.
  4. ^ Bitt, Bill (December 9, 1931). "Real 1931 All-American Team Selected by College Captains". The Evening Independent (Massillon, Ohio).
  5. ^ McLemore, Henry (December 4, 1931). "United Press Selects Stellar All-American". The Piqua Daily Call. Ohio.
  6. ^ Zimmerman, Bill (June 16, 1943). "Maj. Orv Mohler, Trojan Ace, At Field As Engine Expert". The Dayton Herald. Dayton, Ohio. p. 17. Retrieved April 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  7. ^ "Louisville's Beck To Play Against Bombers Today". Courier Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. November 21, 1943. p. 12, section 4. Retrieved April 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  8. ^ "ExUSC Grid Ace, All American Dies In Plane Crash". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. United Press. November 28, 1949. p. 29. Retrieved April 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  9. ^ "Last Rites for Mohler Set Friday". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 30, 1949. p. 1, part 4. Retrieved April 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  10. ^ "Orv Mohler, Killed In Plane Crash, Recalled As All-American Grid Star, Son of Ex-Seal". San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. November 28, 1949. p. 26. Retrieved April 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  11. ^ "USC Athletics Hall of Fame". University of Southern California Athletics. Retrieved April 30, 2023.