Fred Wallner was born on April 28, 1928 in Greenfield, MA. Wallner played guard for the Fighting Irish at Notre Dame from 1948 to 1950. Wallner then played four years in the NFL (1951-52, 54-55) with the Chicago Cardinals. Wallner returned to play one season in the AFL when it formed in 1960 with Houston Oilers. Wallner was part of that first AFL championship team. Wallner started his coaching career also in 1960, working as an assistant coach while playing for the Oilers. From there, Wallner went on to become an assistant coach at Tulane and then to being an assistant coach and head coach in the Atlantic Coast League. Wallner was the Head Coach of the Hartford Knights in 1971 and then spent one year as an assistant coach with the Montreal Alouettes in 1972. Wallner served as the defensive coach and offensive line coach under head coach Sam Etcheverry. Fred Wallner passed away on November 4, 1999.
