George "Butch" Addison Nash (December 13, 1915 – July 18, 2005) was an American football collegiate player and coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He played for the Golden Gophers from 1935 to 1938. During that time, he played the end position. Nash earned second-team Associated Press All-Big Ten Conference honors for his efforts in his senior 1938 season. He was later an assistant coach for the Golden Gophers from 1947 through 1980 (43 seasons) as primarily a defensive ends specialist. He then returned in 1984 as the junior varsity coach. He then worked as a volunteer coach from 1985 to 1991. He fully retired from coaching after the 1991 season. During his career, he worked under seven head coaches: Bernie Bierman, Wes Fesler, Murray Warmath, Cal Stoll, Joe Salem, Lou Holtz, and John Gutekunst.
Nash's career is highlighted by several key moments including National Football Championships in 1935 and 1936 as a player. As a coach, he earned a National Championship in 1960, a Rose Bowl victory in 1962, and bowl participation in the 1961 Rose Bowl and 1977 Hall of Fame Bowl
Another key highlight is the role he played in the 1977 and 1986 victories over the Michigan Wolverines. He delivered pre-game speeches to the team telling them the importance of the rivalry and the history of the "Little Brown Jug."
Nash also played basketball for the Golden Gophers and was on the 1936–1937 Big Ten Championship team.
Awards and championships
Role Year Award or Championship End1935National Champions End1935Big Ten ChampionsEnd1936National Champions End1937Big Ten Champions Guard1937Big Ten Champions (Basketball) End1938Big Ten Champions End1938Associated Press All Big Ten 2nd Team Head Coach1941Big Nine Champion (Winona, Minn High School) Asst. Coach1960National Champions Asst. Coach1960Big Ten Champions Asst. Coach1962Rose Bowl Champions
Personal life Nash was married to Mary Leona "Lee" Nash and had three children.
Early life Nash was born in Northeast Minneapolis, Minnesota on December 13, 1915. He attended Edison High School in Minneapolis and was a standout athlete in Basketball and Football.
He died July 18, 2005, at the age of 89.
George "Butch" Nash Scholarship The George "Butch" Nash Scholarship is awarded each year to a Golden Gopher Football Player. The recipient for the 2024–25 season is Kenric Lanier II, Wide Receiver, Decatur, GA.
The Butch Nash Player Award Since 1984, the Golden Gopher football team awards the Butch Nash award to player(s) that are "competitive on the field and in the classroom." The recipient list is below.
Year Player Position 1984 John Kelly C 1985 Andy Hare FL 1986 Anthony Burke OT 1987 Brian Bonner OLB 1988 Ross Ukkelberg DT 1989 Dan Liimatta OT 1990 Frank Jackson CB 1991 Joel Staats LB 1992 Russ Heath LB 1993 Omar Douglas WR 1994 Justin Conzemius DB 1995 Justin Conzemius LB 1996 Cory Sauter QB 1997 Parc Williams LB 1998 Parc Williams LB 1999 Ben Mezera LB 2000 Ben Hamilton C 2001 Derek Burns OG 2002 Dan Kwapinski DT 2003 Greg Eslinger C 2004 Mark Setterstrom OG 2005 Greg Eslinger C 2006 Dominic Jones CB 2007 John Shevlin LB / S 2007 Steve Shidell OT 2008 Jeff Tow-Arnett OL 2009 Jon Hoese FB 2009 Steve Shidell OT 2010 Ryan Collado CB / D 2010 D.J. Burris C 2011 Aaron Hill LB 2012 Aaron Hill LB 2013 Jon Christenson C 2014 Jon Christenson C 2015 Jon Christenson OG 2016 Scott Ekpe DT 2017 Brandon Lingen TE 2017 Andrew Stelter DL 2018 Payton Jordahl DL 2018 Gary Moore DL 2018 Sam Renner DL 2019 Sam Renner DL2019 Blaise AndriesOL
The Butch Nash High School Assistant Coach Award The Butch Nash High School Assistant Coach Award given to outstanding Minnesota high school football coaches based on the criteria that they are an active coach, could be coaching at the varsity or lower levels, have a sufficient years of service to their program, along with other criteria mentioned on the Minnesota Football Coaches web site.
You can see a full list of past award recipients at the Minnesota Football Coaches Association web site
References