Lou D’Achille - College Football
Lou D’Achille is rated one of the most gifted athletes to come out of Beaver Falls High School, but he is best known for his football prowess there and at Indiana University. In high school, he earned nine letters in football, basketball, and baseball from 1946 to 1949. He started his grid career as a halfback in the eighth grade but was switched to quarterback the next year. In his junior year (1947), he threw eleven touchdown passes and led the Tigers to an 8-2 record. As a senior, Lou threw twelve touchdown passes and the Tigers compiled a fine 8-1-1 record. He was named first team All-WPIAL in his senior year and second team All-State.
Lou threw a touchdown passes in the 1949 Dapper Dan All Star football game and set up two other touchdowns as the Dapper Dan’s beat the Allegheny County Stars, 18-13. Several days later, Lou was among 30 Western Pennsylvania baseball players picked for the Third Annual American Legion Baseball All Star Game at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.
Lou received a football scholarship from Indiana University in the Big 10 where he quarterbacked for 3 years (freshman were not eligible to play back then). In his first start, Lou broke a Big 10 record with a 91 yard touchdown pass. He also set conference records for pass completions, passes attempted and total yards in a single game and in a season. Highlights of his sophomore season in 1950 included a 91 yard touchdown pass against Iowa, a record setting 20 completions against Ohio State, and a 20-7 triumph over a Notre Dame team that included his high school teammate, Bucky Mutscheller, the first Hoosier win over the Irish in 44 years. Injuries plagued Lou his junior year, but he had a fine senior season in 1952 and he played in the Blue-Gray Game. Following graduation, Lou spent 2 years in the Air Force where he played for Hamilton Air Force team.
Lou was inducted into the Beaver County Hall of Fame in 1986. Lou passed on September 11, 1996. He was survived by his wife, Barbara and children.