Bob Asmussen | For Dick Noel, Zuppke was much more than a famous coach

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He called him Mr. Zuppke. Always Mr. Zuppke.

As the University of Illinois gets set to honor the 100-year anniversary of the greatest moment in its football program's history, Dick Noel has stories about the man who brought Red Grange to Champaign-Urbana: College Football Hall of Fame coach Bob Zuppke.

Now 93 (Noel will turn 94 in January), the lifetime C-U resident spent quality time as a kid with the Mr. Zuppke. Not that they ever talked football.

Before diving into Noel's memories of the great coach, first a bit of background.

Noel was born to Bud and Melissa Noel in 1930. His family lived on Champaign's University Avenue, across from Dr. Howard Elementary School.

Melissa was a homemaker, who helped with the Red Cross during World War II. Bud managed Noel Farms, which included property in downtown Champaign and land in several area counties.

Dick Noel attended Dr. Howard. At a young age, Noel had serious ear issues that required major surgery. The doctor who handled the operation suggested to the family that Dick Noel move someplace warm in the winter.

"There was no medications back then for this, they didn't exist," Noel said.

So in the late 1930s, Bud stayed in C-U to run the family business, while Dick, his mom and sister Melissa Ann moved to the Phoenix area.

Dick's sister Melissa Ann was tragically killed in a horse-riding accident while living in Arizona. She was going on 7 at the time.

Dick Noel had to be ready to take the bus for school each day at 7 a.m.

"We stayed at Camelback Inn, which had just started," Noel said. "At that time of the morning, no one was up except an old geezer that came out and painted. His name was Bob Zuppke."

A fast friendship was born between the 9-year-old Noel and the aging coach, who retired at Illinois after the 1941 season.

Noel still has photos of himself in the early 1940s wearing western gear and posed with Zuppke.

"He looked after me after I lost my sister," Noel said. "We became close friends."

The Noels would return to C-U each spring, after the weather improved. They continued the annual trek until Dick Noel started junior high school at Urbana Uni.

Noel eventually left Uni to attend a prep school in Asheville, N.C.

"Uni High didn't have football and I wanted to play football," Noel said. "Asheville did."

He played end on both sides of the ball.

As he wrapped up his time Asheville School, Noel started to apply to colleges. His top choice was Dartmouth, then Michigan, then Miami (Ohio). A mumps epidemic at Asheville caused him to miss the Dartmouth application deadline. So, Noel was off to Michigan.

Helping hand

Guess who wrote one of his recommendation letters to Michigan? Mr. Zuppke, who had many on-field battles with the Ann Arbor school.

Zuppke remained an important part of Noel's life.

"He came to our wedding and gave us a painting of Camelback Mountain for our wedding present," Noel said.

The painting is a prized possession for the Noel family and hangs in the home of Dick's son Dan.

Noel's parents were longtime friends of the coach, attending cocktail parties and dinners together.

Coaching was not a 365-day-a-year job like it is now. After the season ended, Zuppke went to Arizona for winters, where he could paint, then return to C-U for spring ball. Zuppke spent the summers in Michigan.

During the Zuppke era, the team had dinner on Friday nights before home games at Champaign Country Club, a tradition that continues to this day. But it was more than just dinner in the 1930s.

"They also slept out there," Noel said. "They had to put cots in the ballroom."

In their time together, Noel and Zuppke didn't talk much about sports.

"Just visited," Noel said.

After Noel's sister passed away, Zuppke invited Bud to go with the team for a game at Southern California. They went by train, stopping along the way for the team to work out.

The game was played at the L.A. Coliseum. A member of the chain gang called in sick and Zuppke recruited Bud Noel to fill in.

"Can you imagine that today?" Dick Noel said

U-M days

Noel majored in history at Michigan. The study in his Champaign home is lined with books from floor to ceiling.

During his junior and senior years in Ann Arbor, Noel enlisted in the Air Force. He was sent for basic training to Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul. He was a weapons instructor and spent the bulk of his time at Chanute.

"Then I went back to finish at Michigan," he said.

After graduation, Noel returned to the family business.

He met his wife Rosann in Champaign. She was a UI graduate, who made trips to see Dick at his school.

"She almost became a Michigan fan except when we played Illinois," Noel said.

They were married 65 years when she passed away in 2018.

The couple had three sons. Dan runs the family business and lives in Champaign. Matt is a retired electrical engineer living in California.

A third son Tony passed away in 1997. His battle with kidney disease led the Noels to start a research foundation in Tony's name.

The Noels were both interested in the arts and donated to Krannert Art Museum at the UI and the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA).

"My wife got me interested," Noel said. "She loved art."

Noel is a lifelong season-ticket holder at Memorial Stadium though he stopped attending games a few years back. He roots for both Illinois and Michigan and watches their games each weekend.

He likes the idea of the teams celebration Grange's historic performance with a game Oct. 19, 2024. His dad was at the matchup on Oct. 18, 1924.

"My dad knew Red," Noel said.

Noel still drives and makes daily trips to his Noel Farms office on Fox Drive. He is recovering from heart surgery in May and is again working out regularly at Carle's cardiac rehab facility.

He has an active social life, having regular dinners with friend Tim Harrington, who shared Noel's amazing story with The News-Gazette.