Metzger went on to play guard for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football teams of 1928–1930,[3] the latter two of which were recognized as national champions. Only 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm) and 155 pounds (70 kg),[4][b] Metzger was sometimes referred to as a "watch-charm guard"[c] because of his relatively small size.[3][d] He was named to the 1930 College Football All-America Team by some selectors. Remarking on the final game of his college career, a 27–0 Notre Dame win over USC in December 1930, the United Press wrote, "Metzger seemed to be in on every play. His vicious tackling, hard charging and perfect blocking featured in almost every play."[7] Coach Knute Rockne said Metzger was the best guard he had ever seen.[3]
Metzger was a 1931 graduate at Notre Dame.[8] He then worked at Bowman-Dean Foods for 43 years;[9] starting as a milkman, he became a company executive.[3] He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982.[4] He is also an inductee of the athletic hall of fame at Loyola Academy.[10]
In the summer of 1931, Metzger's engagement to Marian E. Masterson of Chicago was announced, with a spring 1932 wedding.[11] The couple had two sons;[e] Marian died in June 1965.[12] Metzger died in 1986 at the age of 77; he was survived by his second wife, Dorothy, and four children.[3]
Notes
^Some online sources list Metzger's middle name as Leo; however, his Draft Registration Card of October 1940 listed "Bertram L. Metzger" as his full name.[1]
^Metzger's listed college playing weight varies somewhat by source; 155 pounds is per the College Football Hall of Fame.
^A watch charm is "a small ornament designed to dangle from a watch chain."[5]
^The "watch-charm" descriptor was used for small guards at Notre Dame as far back as the 1923 season.[6]
