Captain Slade D. Cutter, one of the most celebrated alumni from the U.S. Naval Academy football lore, passed away on June 9. Suffering from Parkinson’s disease, Cutter died of heart failure, according to published reports.

A College Hall of Fame inductee in 1967, Cutter played three years of varsity football at the Naval Academy, earning First Team All-America honors in 1934 as a tackle. That same year, Cutter cemented his legacy in Navy’s rich football history. In front of 79,000 spectators at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Navy recorded their first win against their archrival Army in 13 years with a 3-0 victory thanks to Cutter’s lone field goal. Naval Academy fans heralded him as a hero for decades to come.

But his heroism stretched well beyond the football field. Cutter was the Commanding Officer of the submarine USS Seahorse, which sunk 141,000 tons of Japanese shipping and damaged 9,400 more, during World War II. He dedicated his life and passion to the Naval Academy and his country. His feats during WWII earned him an array of awards— he was the winner of four Navy Crosses, two Silver Star Medals, a Bronze Star, and a Presidential Unit Citation.

Cutter was born on December 17, 1911 in Oswego, Ill., and was raised on his family's corn and alfalfa farm. Sports grew out of favor early in Cutter’s life because of his father’s lack of success as a college athlete due to a severe injury. He began to pursue the flute, and won the interscholastic flute championship at an early age.

Cutter’s athletic career kicked off while at the Severn School in Severna Park, then an Academy preparatory school. At Severn, Paul Brown, the legendary coach of the Cleveland Browns, called Cutter’s father to implore him to sign up his son for football. That ignited his athletic career, which continued in 1931when he entered the Naval Academy. During his tenure, Cutter also won two varsity letters in lacrosse and three in boxing, and was the collegiate heavyweight-boxing champion.

After serving as an assistant football coach in 1938-39, Cutter returned to the Academy following his service duty as the school’s athletic director from 1957-59. He was curator of the Naval War College Museum up until his retirement from the Navy in 1965. Cutter then worked for the Southern Arizona School for Boys in Tucson, Ariz., as a math teacher and a headmaster.

During his career in the Naval Academy, Cutter’s leadership and determination to succeed provided one of the finest moments for their football program. But he was able to provide the country the same dedication while serving during WWII. And his résumé as both a College Hall of Famer and a Naval Submarine Officer validates that Slade Cutter epitomizes heroism.

He is survived by his second wife, Ruth, sister, Louise, two children, Slade Jr. and Anne, three-step children, nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.