Chuck Mills

1928 – 2021

 IN MEMORIUM –  COACH CHUCK MILLS

         On January 18, 2021, we lost our gravelly-voiced, cigar-smoking, big-hearted football coach.  Morton J. “Chuck” Mills was born on December 1, 1928 in Chicago.  He graduated from Illinois State University in 1950 and began his coaching career as an assistant at Chicago’s Mount Carmel High School in 1951.  After the 1952 season, he entered into military service with the US Marine Corp through 1953. Returning to Football in 1954, he had several head coaching stints at high schools in Illinois and California.  He became the line coach at Pomona College in 1957 and was head coach there from 1957-1961. It was in 1961 that he received his first of many recognitions, the honor of being selected as Conference Coach of the Year.

Coach Mills went on to serve as head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (1962-1963), the United States Merchant Marine Academy (1964), Utah State University (1967-1972), Wake Forest University (1973-1977), Southern Oregon University (1980-1988), and the United States Coast Guard Academy (1997).  He was an administrative assistant for Hank Stram’s Kansas City Chiefs in 1966 and often proudly sported his ring from the 1967 Super Bowl.

         Always looking for ways to expand the horizons of his players and coaches and spread his team-building philosophy, Mills was instrumental in bringing American football to Japan.  In 1971, he took his USU football team to Japan to compete against Japanese collegiate all-star teams, marking it the first time a U. S. college team had played in Japan.  In 1974, he returned to Japan with his Wake Forest team.  He also took his 1985 SOU team to Kobe, Japan.  A year later, Kwansei Gakuin University became the first Japanese team to compete in the United States, when it played SOU in Ashland, Oregon. 

As the Japanese Times wrote on January 19, Mills is considered “one of the fathers of American football in Japan.”  Since 1974, the award given to Japan’s top college football player of the year, the Japanese version of the Heisman Trophy, is called the “Mills Cup.”   Most years, Coach Mills traveled to Japan to present the trophy himself. 

         “Fatherhood” is a key word when talking about Coach Mills.  He capably served as a surrogate father to many of his players and to others in need of his help.  He saw his players, coaches, staff and supporters as his extended family and he dedicated his life to keeping his football family members connected.  He formed a community of past players, coaches, staff and supporters from all the schools where he coached, which he dubbed “Brothers & Kuzins.”  His frequent emails to the Bothers & Kuzins were always signed “Luv Chuck.”

Mills was so much more than just a football coach. He was a life coach, as well. He cared for the people he came in contact with as human beings.  He wanted his players to graduate, to succeed and to flourish in life.  His goal was not just to stay connected to his players, but to provide them with platforms where they could form lasting friendships and remain connected to each other.

         A Chuck Mills football practice was always efficient and well-organized; there was no wasted time.  And, that’s how he lived his life—always on the move, always thinking of ways to keep his family of Brothers & Kuzins together. 

Coach Mills spent much of his time staying connected to others during his retirement years in Hawaii. Hawaii is where he chose to settle, as it is warm there year-round and he felt it was a good “middle base” for traveling between Japan and the mainland.

Upon his relocation in 2000, he immediately became a consultant to the Football program at the Marine Corps Base in Hawaii. He continued to immerse himself in football, sharing his knowledge, insights, and wisdom through speaking engagements at high schools and colleges around the Islands. He was appointed to the Pro Bowl committee via the Hawaii Tourism Authority in 2012 as well as being selected to the NFL Hawaii Combine Camp. He was also involved with the development of a Pacific Rim Football League and consulted with the Hawaiian Arena Football League.

Although Coach kept very busy with football, he wasn’t too busy to start his day with morning coffee. It was there that he formed new friendships with a spirited and eclectic group he called “the coffee crew.”  They would listen with bated breath as he regaled them with his football stories. His recall of details was uncanny. He would talk about a play that happened in the 3rd quarter of a game (from 1972), with only 2.5 minutes to go, etc, etc – and he would often follow up with more details about players in the game and what they were doing today, their profession, how many kids and grandkids they had, etc. He had full knowledge and loving memories of hundreds of his “kids.”  As he told his stories, tears would often come to his eyes.

The coffee crew quickly grew to love him deeply.  During the last 20 years, barely a morning coffee was missed. They honored and respected him, watched out for him as age began to slow him down and always listened to his stories, no matter how many times they had been told. Coach remained a force to be reckoned with until the final  end.  Oh, but how, he made everyone smile and laugh.

Coach Mills will be missed immensely, but the impact of his legacy will live on through the hundreds of friendships he forged and through the “Luv” he shared and fostered.

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Memories & condolences

As we remember Chuck, please write your tributes, condolences, and memories below.

40 thoughts on “In Memory of Coach Chuck Mills”

  4. Here is a good personal recollection from Wake Forest “Superfan” Lawson Deaton, who traveled with our team to Japan for our three-week, 2-game tour in 1974, and saw every one of the Mills-coached home games. He recalls, as do I, the rather amazing start as we defeated Florida State in our debut! We then went 20 straight without winning again.
    ——————————————–
    By Lawson Deaton, Wake Forest 1964

    Former Wake Forest head football coach Chuck Mills (at Wake 1973-1977) passed away two days ago.
    Here is the Chuck Mills I remember…
    (The text from the picture slide is below. If you’re not on a desktop, the text included with the picture slide, I realize, is hard to read:
    In his Wake Forest debut on Saturday night, September 15, 1973 in Groves Stadium, Chuck Mills’ Demon Deacons upset the visiting Florida State Seminoles, 9-7, thanks to three Chuck Ramsey field goals. According to the box score, 18,000 of us attended. I was one of those and, to my recollection, the crowd was smaller—hardly an intimidating gathering, in other words. What I do remember very vividly, regardless of the number, is how spirited the Deacon faithful, in fact, were on that Saturday evening. According to the Winston-Salem Journal (I’m doing this from recollection; I was unable to Google-find the article), Florida State Head Coach Larry Jones pointed to the strength of the raucous outpouring by the Deacon faithful as well, complaining that the noise generated by our fans interfered with the Seminoles play calling. I found this hard to believe but, at the same time, extraordinarily satisfying and exhilarating reading.
    One of Coach Mills’ passions, both before, during and well after his time at Wake, was the promotion of the game of American football to colleges in Japan. (There is a college football most valuable player award these days in the Land of the Rising Sun that’s named after him.) In January 1974, Mills took his Wake Forest team to Japan for two games against Japanese college all star club-level teams. My late wife Dotty and I traveled on the team’s plane from Greensboro to Tokyo along with the coaches and the players, including defensive linemen Lou Tilley and John Sabia, who are friends of mine now, plus the great Bill Armstrong, Terry Athas and the rest of the team. As expected, before national Japanese television audiences, the Deacons handily won both contests against the slower, vastly undersized, largely novice opponents.
    Coach Mills certainly was funny and, as was mentioned elsewhere here, his strength was not necessarily person-to-person communication but was oriented more towards a stand-up comedy kind of routine. I mean, he could “work a (Deacon Club) room”, maybe not like Jerry Seinfeld can work a room, but he was good. (I don’t say this pejoratively in any way; that’s just “who he was” as they say down home.)
    His humor stuck with me. In 1976, Mills’ Demon Deacons, on the way to a 5-6 record (easily his high water mark), shut out the Kansas State Wildcats 13-0 in Manhattan, Kansas. In those days, the Wildcats, who then sported the worst all-time winning percentage among major colleges, were year-to-year, the patsies of the highly-rated Big Eight, a league that included perennial powerhouses Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Nebraska. (The Big Eight would later absorb the University of Texas and others when the Southwest Conference folded, becoming today’s Big Twelve.) Nevertheless, Wake, an underdog to the home standing Wildcats, pitched the aforementioned shutout prompting Coach Mills to note, with a bit of tongue-in-cheek and more than a hint of sarcasm: “It’s always nice to win in the Big Eight.”
    RIP. (Say “hi” to Dr. Larry Hopkins.)
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  5. We were Chucks Mills’ first class, a mix of west coast recruits carried over from the staff’s success at Utah State, sprinkled in with local North and South Carolina kids leftover from the outgoing Wake coaches, and a strange but thick vein of city kids from (of all places) Philadelphia – thanks to a prescient and ambitious assistant coach Steve Bernstein who would take chances on kids never previously sought-after. I was one of those. All of those kids, meeting new faces and races for the first time when we arrived at Kitchen dorm in Winston-Salem 4 weeks before the real students filed in. For many of us, some of whom said no to powerhouses, we repeated the same: “We are going to Wake because we get to go to a great, small school, but to play a big time schedule.” Coach Chuck must have come up with that – and he could sell it. He convinced my Mom to send me 600 miles south, when I had never been further south than – South Jersey. Wildwood By the Sea to be exact. That, and a tantalizing promise that made my imagination bulge: We would fly away ever further – to the other wide of the world! For almost a month! To Japan! Could this all be true? We wouldn’t know until we played a game.
    The first? A humid Saturday night. The opponent – Florida State! And when that old guy kicked his third field goal of the night at the buzzer – how far away WAS he? – 47 yards? No way! Yes! He made it! We win! I’ve got it made! (That kicker looked SO OLD to me -with an actual mustache. Chuck Ramsey looks young to me now. He shaved. So did I.) … And – we didn’t win again for 20 more games. We beat Furman in the last game of 1974. Maybe. I know. I was a linebacker on that fourth down play from what…. 40 yards out? Backpeddling and setting up on my own goal line as the pass sailed over my head to the back of the endzone, and my heart sank. I looked to heaven. But then I heard cheers, looked down and saw an official waving it off as … incomplete. I was right by the field house, and I did not exactly charge into a celebration. That ended “the year.” That was the season with the schedule that helped hook us. A flat out shameless cash grab as it turned out. Road games at #1 Oklahoma (see the Sports Illustrated cover? – that’s as close as I got to the top. See the gold pants buttock on the lower left? Yep, that was my first national media exposure.) I’ve since had some others since. With um, my better half.
    The years get fuzzy no? The NC State win was my personal fave – in Raleigh, 1975 – Holtz’s team was ranked #13. I had 3 sacks on blitzes. Only a late, meaningless TD made he final score Wake 30-NC State 22. Holtz was FURIOUS! Lou recalls it vividly, as I make it a point to remind him every time I see him. We were sure we had turned a corner. The UVA rout and the Chapel Hill wins followed … 1975.
    And in 1976, a 2-point loss to #!8 Maryland, followed by a 1-point heartbreaking loss to UVA lead to a 5-6 finish, that might have been 6-5 or even 7-4! And then in 1977! 1-10. The end for Coach Chuck and his staff.
    We are all very close. Players and coaches. I was there in Winston on that sun-splashed day to see the Deacons thrash Utah State in 2017. We were having our now annual reunion of players … 33 players from those years present and Coach Chuck as our special guest as the opponents were the school where Chuck had his hey-day: Utah State. Many of his talented assistants were there that day as well, including Bill Hayes, Win Headly (HOF), Don Brown, Steve Bernstein, Cliff Yoshida, Harry Elliot and Mike Ellison – which gives you some idea of how close we all remain. Billy Armstrong was my roommate as freshmen and made a too-rare return. I suffered a career-ending injury back in that 1975 season, but Coach Mills And Dr. Hooks gave me a truly rare opportunity to become a part of the radio broadcast team while still a teen-aged undergrad, as I continued on as a student assistant coach. I would quickly join the broadcast team full-time in 1976 alongside Gene Overby and Frank Donaldson, and then join the basketball announce team a year after as well. And I was proud to broadcast, on WSJS radio, alongside my fellow student, friend and WFDD production wiz Paul Ingles, the Wake Forest Baseball ACC title run, with so many of my football mates playing key roles. John Zeglinski now in the HOF for his amazing “doulbe” – All-ACC in both sports! He and I had battled each other since we were around 8 – competing against each other in the little leagues of inner-city Philadelphia. We all see each other regularly, and are still one of the most active alumni groups of Deacons. And we do NOT need to be reminded of our won-loss record! 🙂 We are extremely proud of our perseverance, and our list of professional accomplishments may be without peer. Judge John Dowdell, Judge Albery Kirby, Sen. Richard Burr, Dr. Tom Ferhing. So many more. All good, solid men of character and honor. Some no longer with us. Too many. They – make me – so proud. I am happy to say, I was among those who made Coach Clawson aware of this legacy – and he has often referred to the trials and tests of our group in relating the “true Wake Forest experience” to his current players. The fact that we stayed so close even as we pursued life scattered around the world, is testament to Coach Chuck MIlls, along with our very special “teammate” Johnny Foster, who was our student equipment manager and unofficial dorm mom back then – and now! And who was recently the honoree of the “Dr Gene Hooks” award for lifetime achievement.
    It was God’s gift that every individual I have mentioned in this little story, was there at Groves Stadium in September of 2017, to live it all over. I hope I get to do so again, and again. Its been quite a ride. It really is a great story. I wish someone would do a documentary on it. Hmmm ….
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  6. Teammates and Friends, I had forgotten this. In the summer of 2015, Chuck Mills once again invited players and coaches from the Wake Forest and Utah State years to gather in Las Vegas. My father was gravely ill, but I thought I had enough time to fly in for a day or so. I took my LTMedia film crew along. I was building something of a documentary. I got Chuck Mills to sit down for about 8 minutes. The topics: our friend Johnny Foster, The early, and tough years on the field at Wake, The amazing success stories they would become in life, and Chuck’s great achievements with the Japanese. At the end of this I got a text to come home immediately. I just made it home to say goodbye to my father. I forgot about the footage. My producer and colleague Leo Switucha saw the story of Chuck’s passing and located this, now timeless clip, and passed it along for us:

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  10. I met coach around 2013 at Muddy Waters in Kailua HI. Part of a group of folks that were quite like-minded and as real as they get. We had many laughs together and tried to stay in touch after I left the Island back to San Diego about a year later. His news letters were the glue that made that happen. Such great memories of that time in my life. Coach was huge part of those memories. I especially remember his generosity and overall Philanthropy. His stories were a real bonus.

    The picture I am posting needs clarification. Although it appears I was being disrespectful, in fact, Coach let me wear his Championship Ring for the photo op and I was simply showing its pride. To this day, when I see that picture, I just shake my head and smile.

    We are all blessed to know Coach Chuck Mills.

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    1. Special weekend seeing coach as well all did at his SOU HOF induction. I appreciated the role he provided me in the Raider admin. He prepped me like no one else could toward moving on to Oregon State University in 1981 and my 23 years there. Here’s to a full life lived to the betterment of so many of us internationally.

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    1. God Bless Coach Mills. Great memories, Great TEAM!

      1987 Football – First NAIA National Playoffs in SOU history

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  14. Chuck Mills loved football and loved his players. Several coaches describe him perfectly.
    Vince Lombardi said, ” Coaches who can outline plays on a blackboard are a dime a dozen. The ones who win get inside their players hearts and motivate them.”
    Mack Brown said, ” A good coach can change a game but a great coach can change a life.”
    John Wooden said, ” Coaching out of fear is temporary, coaching out of love lasts forever.”
    When I would visit with him he always would tell me stories about his former players and how proud he was of them. Coach had a long life because he fully understood that to live fully, you must learn to use things and love people; and not to love things and use people.

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    1. Coach,

      Thank you for your comments about Coach Mills.

      I want you to know that I admire and respect you. You were one of only two Great coaches that I ever had.

      I cherish the opportunity I had to play for you at USU and I cherish our friendship!

      Love you, Phil

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  15. Transferred to Wake from University of Kentucky after co championing the SEC and winning the Peach Bowl—he treated me like shit like he did everybody else—will always love and respect him for that—& being the “Philosopher”—always appreciated the Bros & Cousins reunion he put together in Vegas—a true man

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  17. I wanted to join with my Brothers and Kuzins, friends & family to share a few thoughts about the legacy of Coach Mills’ life. While his win/loss record as a coach is remarkable, I think his greatest accomplishment was the positive impact he’s had on the lives of so many. When we use the term “Coach” to describe him, it’s intended to convey a sincere message of admiration, honor, respect and appreciation.

    I’ve heard it said that the true measure of a person is not seen in what they’ve done for themselves, but is more accurately reflected in what they’ve done for others. While Coach Mills was a bit rough around the edges and had a tendency to ruffle feathers with some of the tough decisions he made at times, he earned a well-deserved reputation for being objective and for sincerely caring about all who crossed his path.

    As I think about it, it’s hard to believe that he and I shared a personal friendship that spanned more than a half-century. My Mother was quite a fan of his too, even with his ever-present cigar. The two of them became pen pals in the 1970s and traded letters on a regular basis for many years.

    I consider it both an honor and a blessing to have had the opportunity to play on three of Coach Mills’ football teams at Utah State. Highlights were being only 7 points from an undefeated season in 1967, winning 7 of 10 games games in 1968 and beating in-state opponents Utah & BYU as well as San Diego State, Wisconsin, Memphis State, West Texas State and Army.

    I’m thankful for the investment Coach Mills made in me both as a player and as a person. Wherever I’ve gone and in whatever I’ve done, I’ve tried to make him proud. I always knew that he was out there watching and that he was cheering for me.

    I love you Coach Mills. I consider it an honor to call you my Coach and my Friend.

    Phil Olsen
    USU 1967-70

    Here’s a poem that reflects the power of Coach Mills’ continuing impact on our lives even though he’s no longer with us.

    Do not stand at my grave and forever weep.
    I am not there; I do not sleep.
    I am a thousand winds that blow.
    I am the diamond glints on snow.
    I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
    I am the gentle autumn’s rain.
    When you awaken in the morning’s hush
    I am the swift uplifting rush
    Of quiet birds in circled flight.
    I am the soft stars that shine at night.
    Do not stand at my grave and forever cry.
    I am not there. I did not die

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    1. Coach Mills at USU with his 1968 Coaching Staff. Sid Lane had been a talented player at USU and Coach Mills hired him as a member of his coaching staff. He was the first Black Assistant Coach in Division I football.

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  19. Coach Mills connected with me and , all of his players on the field and off and kept us in touch with him and each other as “Brothers and Kuzins” and a few years ago in Vegas. A great guy, I will not forget.
    AND I fully support the idea of a scholarship .in his memory .

    Ted Armbrister

    ( Pomona College, Class of 1962 )

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  20. This is Tom Haas. I retired from the USCG many years ago and recently named President Emeritus at GVSU (a pretty good football program that was led for many years by Coach Kelly, now at ND). While a faculty member at the USCGA I volunteered to coach…first as an assistant with the baseball team and then Coach Mills approached me with the opportunity to be a head coach for softball…I immediately said yes and never regretted that decision. I was able to work for Coach and support the development of these future officers…he understood the mission!…it was a true joy in both regards.
    Then fast forward, my son attended CGA and was able to play for Coach when he brought his friends along to support the program…Coach was able to touch both generations of CG Haas’. He was a pillar…and by the way when he was downsizing my wife and I purchased a few items that we still have at our cottage…but want we still have in our hearts are the memories and lessons learned about life…for that we are grateful for the character of this man!

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  21. Chucky,

    I met you 20 years ago when you moved to Kailua, Hawaii. We lived together off and on and you adopted me as you “God Daughter,” and guided me through life. I’ve learned about “love,” through you, “you showed up for people you care.” You heart was gentle, kind and generous and your mind was clear and sharp. You love.. and you were loved by so many people, especially me. You are in my heart as my spirit guide now; for that I am grateful and blessed. Tess Yong, your God daughter

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  22. Chucky,

    Although I will never get to hear you call me “Captain Crisis” or “Kid” again I am appreciative of all the many memories we had the chance to make over the years.

    From the very 1st time I met you in 2008 in the lobby of the Monte Carlo, awaiting the arrival of your reunion members, to the last time I saw you years later in the same hotel for the same reason I have felt blessed to have you in my life.

    You were a constant reminder that when times got bad there were always reasons to smile. I can specifically remember my 1st trip to Hawaii when I got very seasick on a catamaran. I can remember your doing everything you could to make me feel better including dancing! Yet, the highlight of the evening would come when we arrived on land and you laughed hysterically. When I finally asked you why you were laughing you advise me that you had told everyone on the boat that I was a famous strip club owner in Las Vegas Nevada (this explained why everyone was so nice to me) … we would laugh about that for years to come.

    I can’t thank you enough for all the times you believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. Thank you for the: Resume writing, Business card making, and simply vouching for me at every turn. And although our friendship wasn’t one that was football based I thank you for treating me like a true “Brothers & Kuzins.”

    Thank you Chucky for just being a true friend even when I may have felt you were being “as mean as they come” you were doing it out of love and for that I too am grateful.

    I know that you would end with “Love Chuck” and to that my response “okay ok bye!”

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  24. Memories and inspirational moments too numerous to mention. I was 1 step from fame in terms of having known him and the people he knew well. (Woody Hayes, Lou Holtz and on and on.) I mentioned to him a couple of years back that I had never had a total joint arthroplasty. I said., jokingly…”didn’t I play hard enough?” He replied,,,,,,,”Maybe!”
    Requiem In Pace

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  27. No llevo mucho período usando Internet, quizá sea porque no sabía lo suficiente.

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    Muchas gracias por todo y deseo poder colaborar en mi aporte.

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