In the early 20^th century, the Miller family of Defiance, Ohio, earned the honor of being the “first family of Notre Dame football.” For nearly two decades, at least one Miller boy had been attending Notre Dame and playing football. There were five in all — and they were scholars, gentlemen and excellent ambassadors for the university as they went out into the world.

The oldest brother, Harry “Red” Miller, enrolled at Notre Dame in 1906. He had starred on several of the first football teams at Defiance High School, including the undefeated 1904 squad. At Notre Dame, he started at left half all four years and served as captain of the 1908 team. His teams produced an overall record of 27-2-2.

Harry played a major role in the one of the most historic events in Notre Dame football history. On November 6, 1909, at Ferry Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Harry helped Notre Dame score its first victory over mighty Michigan, 11-3. In eight previous meetings dating back to Notre Dame’s first game in 1887, Michigan had prevailed. On this day, Harry broke the hex. Such was his prominence that one Detroit paper simply declared “Miller Defeats Michigan.” For his season-long exploits, Miller was named to Walter Camp’s All-America team, just the second Notre Dame gridder to be so honored, after another “Red,” fullback Louis Salmon in 1903.

Next in line was Ray, among the most accomplished students in the Miller clan. He was a champion orator at Defiance High School. Ray enrolled at Notre Dame in 1910 alongside a young Knute Rockne. Ray backed up Rockne at left end on the undefeated 1912 team. Ray earned his law degree, but he had little time to establish his career before another mission took precedent, as he served in France during the Great War.

The unbroken string of years with a Miller brother at ND continued in 1914, when Walter enrolled shortly after Ray’s graduation. Walter became a contemporary of the great George Gipp, starting at fullback in 1917 alongside the legendary star. He sat out the war-and-flu-shortened 1918 season and played more fullback in 1919, Gipp’s next-to-last year. The Irish went 9-0-0 for the first unbeaten season under Rockne.

In the fall of 1921, the fourth and fifth brothers — Gerry and Don — arrived on campus together. Gerry was older than Don, but he had missed some school due to illness. They carried the hopes of their family — and hometown of Defiance — to continue the Miller tradition of excellence at Notre Dame. (A sixth brother, Richard, had died in a fire in a wood shed on the family property when he was just shy of six years old.)

Don and Gerry had starred together at Defiance High. One report said of Gerry, “When this clever half got away he wriggled thru the broken field time and again, throwing off tacklers and dazzling the opposing defense.” Such a description of Gerry’s running style helped brand him as the Miller most exciting to watch. Don’s contributions were considerable and consistent, but it was Gerry who more often brought the crowd to its feet.

As a freshman in September 1921, Don was disheartened when the Notre Dame football togs were distributed and he received mere scraps. Gerry, meanwhile, became the star of the freshmen team. He was set to take his place as the next great Miller when he opened the 1922 season as a varsity halfback.

Don simply went to work to become the best football player he possibly could be. Gathering his resolve, he worked tirelessly, often alone. Even from the sidelines, he mimicked the moves made by those in the fray, tossing aside any self-consciousness to build his skills.

In a few weeks’ time, the brothers’ football fortunes would undergo another stark reversal. In the second game of the season, a 26-0 win over St. Louis, Gerry suffered a season-ending leg injury. Don, meanwhile, got increasing playing time, and became the first of the 1922 sophomores to start regularly, supplanting another speedster, Red Maher, at right half. Years of steady, constant effort had paid off. Don Miller, like Harry, Ray and Walter before him, was starting for the Irish.

Don finished his sophomore year second on the team with 472 rushing yards. As a junior in 1923, he led the Irish in rushing (689 yards on 89 carries, with 9 touchdowns), receiving (9 catches for 149 yards and a TD) and scoring (60 points).

Don had established himself as a leader on campus and was elected senior class president for the 1924-25 school year. His determination, rock-steady persona and conscientious nature made him a natural choice. On the football field, he was the definition of a Notre Dame man — playing hard, always according to the rules, never complaining or making excuses, and accepting the result with grace and dignity.

But the result was overwhelmingly positive. Rockne would later call him the greatest open field runner he ever had at Notre Dame. As a senior in 1924, Don again led the Irish in rushing (107 carries for 763 yards and 5 TDs) and receiving (16 catches for 297 yards and 2 TDs) as the team rolled past 10 opponents and captured a consensus national championship. Along with his backfield mates, he rode to widespread fame as one of the Four Horsemen

Against nemesis Nebraska on Nov. 15, Miller notched touchdown runs of 10 and 18 yards as the Irish whipped the Huskers, 34-6. In the regular-season finale at Carnegie Tech, he caught a pass from Jim Crowley and raced 52 yards for a score.

After graduation with a law degree, Don Miller began coaching football along with practicing law. He served as backfield coach at Georgia Tech and later coached at Ohio State before going into law full-time. 

By the 1920s, the Millers had gone on to varied pursuits. Harry coached football at Creighton University in Omaha and named his first son after the school. Creighton Miller became an all-American halfback at Notre Dame for the 1943 national champions, a lawyer for NFL players and helped found the NFL Players Association.

Ray Miller rose to become the mayor of Cleveland during the Depression and served as long-time chairman of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party. He founded and owned several radio stations in Ohio.

And Don Miller? He became U.S. attorney for northern Ohio and eventually a highly respected federal judge, rubbing shoulders with the highest level of leaders including Presidents Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy. In 1970, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

His greatest legacy would be his family. It is estimated that more than 50 descendants of Don Miller have earned degrees from Notre Dame or St. Mary’s College.