The Official Site of the Fighting Saints

Johnny Brace was an outstanding offensive and defensive halfback from Conneaut, Ohio, with a gifted passing arm and foot-speed to match. His sophomore year, he ran for three touchdowns during Mount Saint Charles’ win over Intermountain, when the team set a school record for total offense. A quadruple threat in the backfield, Johnny “played a splendid game” in the 21-0 shutout of Gonzaga, firing a pair of TD passes, for 17 and 27 yards. 

“John Brace ripped off yardage on end runs, helped out blocking and performed remarkable work on kick returns,” the paper reported. “But above all was his accurate passing, straight and true as an arrow.” In 1928, MSC went 7-1 and captured the Quad-State (MT-ND-SD-WY) championship. He tallied 3 scores in each win over the Butte Hubs and Montana Mines; 2 TD runs and a clutch interception in the 19-0 whitewash over the Montana State Bobcats; and 4 touchdowns vs. Intermountain. Brace finished with 25 career TDs – 18 running (long of 80 yards), 4 passing and 3 catches.