Russ Rebholz
Russ Rebholz (Russell “Doss” Rebholz) was a notable American athlete and coach born September 11, 1908, in Portage, Wisconsin, and died August 1, 2002, in Portage. He played college football and basketball at the University of Wisconsin, earning football letters from 1929–1931 and basketball letters in 1930–1931. In 1930 he led UW in scoring with 48 points and played in the 1932 East–West Shrine Game.
From 1933–1938 he played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Canada as a versatile halfback and kicker, wearing number 66. He helped the Bombers win the 1935 Grey Cup and was nicknamed “The Wisconsin Wraith.” He was one of the first American imports to play in Canada, and in a 1934 exhibition game he threw a 68-yard TD pass.
After his playing days, Rebholz became a coach. He worked at Stevens Point, Racine Horlick High School, and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee from 1952–1963. At Horlick High School his basketball teams were nicknamed Rebholz’s Rebels. As the UW–Milwaukee basketball coach, he posted a .539 winning percentage (123–105), including an 18–4 record in 1959–60 (10–2 WIAC), the program’s first postseason appearance.
Rebholz received several honors: he was a charter member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1963, inducted into the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Hall of Fame in 1984, and inducted into the UW–Milwaukee Hall of Fame in 2000.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:01 (CET).