Red Grange

Harold (Red) Edward Grange (June 13, 1903 – January 28, 1991), was a professional and college American football player. He was a charter member of both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Early life, college career

He was born in Forksville, Pennsylvania. When he was five, his mother died and his father moved the family to Wheaton, Illinois. In high school, he lettered in four sports (football, baseball, basketball, and track) during each of the four years he was there, and scored 75 touchdowns.

After graduation he went to the University of Illinois, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity. He had initially planned to play only basketball and track, but changed his mind once he arrived, and in his first football game scored three touchdowns against Nebraska. In seven games as a sophomore he ran for 723 yards and scored twelve touchdowns, leading Illinois to an undefeated season as the national champion.

But it was his performance in an October 18, 1924 game against Michigan which began his legend. He opened the game with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Within the next twelve minutes he scored three more touchdowns in three runs totaling 167 yards. These four touchdowns were as many as Michigan had given up in the two previous seasons.

The game inspired Grantland Rice to give him the nickname "The Galloping Ghost" and write the following poetic description:

A streak of fire, a breath of flame
Eluding all who reach and clutch;
A gray ghost thrown into the game
That rival hands may never touch;
A rubber bounding, blasting soul
Whose destination is the goal — Red Grange of Illinois!

He earned All-America recognition three years running, and appeared on the October 5, 1925 cover of TIME.

His number of 77 was retired at the University of Illinois in 1925.

NFL career

He signed with the NFL's Chicago Bears the day after his last college game; player/manager George Halas agreed to a contract for a 19-game barnstorming tour which earned Grange a salary and share of gate receipts that amounted to $100,000, during an era when typical league salaries were less than $100/game. That 67-day tour is credited with legitimizing professional football in the United States.

It has to be kept in mind that at the time, college football was far more popular than professional football. Fans preferred cheering on a college alma mater than professional paid athletes. It is Grange, more than any other single player in history, who is credited with changing that view and bringing professional football into the mainstream.

Famous Comments about Grange

"I was interviewing George Halas and I asked him who is the greatest running back you ever saw. And he said, 'That would be Red Grange.' And I asked him if Grange was playing today, how many yards do you think he'd gain. And he said, 'About 750, maybe 800 yards.' And I said, 'Well, 800 yards is just okay.' He sat up in his chair and he said, 'Son, you must remember one thing. Red Grange is 75 years old.'" -- Chris Berman on ESPN's SportsCentury show. ^*

Trivia

As a high school junior, Grange scored 36 touchdowns in leading Wheaton (Ill.) High School to an undefeated season. Each time he scored, his father gave him a quarter.
For delivering ice in Wheaton during the summers, he earned $37.50 a week.
As a college senior, Grange was on the cover of Time magazine (Oct. 5, 1925).
When Illinois played at Penn in 1925, it was such a big game that Laurence Stallings, a famed war correspondent who had co-written What Price Glory?, covered the game for the New York World. After Grange accounted for 363 yards in leading Illinois to a 24-2 upset of the Ivy League powerhouse, Stallings said, "This story's too big for me. I can't write it."
On Dec. 6, 1925, more than 65,000 showed up at the Polo Grounds to watch Grange, helping save the New York Giants' franchise. Grange scored a touchdown on a 35-yard interception return in the Bears' 19-7 victory. Offensively, he ran for 53 yards on 11 carries, caught a 23-yard pass and completed 2-of-3 passes for 32 yards.
Grange married his wife Margaret, nicknamed Muggs, in 1941 and they were together until his death in 1991. She was a flight attendant, and they met on a plane. The couple had no children.
To commemorate college football's 100th anniversary in 1969, the Football Writers Association of America chose an all-time All-America team. Grange was the only unanimous choice.

Retirement

He retired from pro football in 1934, earning a living in a variety of jobs including motivational speaker and sports announcer.

His autobiography, first published in 1953, is The Red Grange Story (1993 paperback edition: ISBN 0252063295). The book was written "as told to" by Ira Morton, a syndicated newspaper columnist from Chicago.

External links