Bill George (linebacker)

Last updated

Bill George
Bill George (American football player).jpg
No. 72, 61
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born:(1929-10-27)October 27, 1929
Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died:September 30, 1982(1982-09-30) (aged 52)
Rockford, Illinois, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:237 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school: Waynesburg Central (Waynesburg, Pennsylvania)
College: Wake Forest
NFL Draft: 1951  / Round: 2 / Pick: 23
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions:18
Interception yards:144
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

William J. George (October 27, 1929 – September 30, 1982) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL).

Contents

George was born in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles south of Pittsburgh. He is among numerous legendary football players born in football-rich Western Pennsylvania. He attended college at Wake Forest University, and was the Bears' second-round draft pick in 1951. He began his pro football career the following year as a middle guard in the then-standard five-man defensive front. He was selected to play in eight consecutive Pro Bowls, from 1954 to 1961.

George is credited as the first true middle linebacker in football history and, inadvertently, the creator of the 4–3 defense. [1] Noting during a 1954 game with the Philadelphia Eagles that his tendency to hit the center right after the snap led to the quarterback passing right over his head, he began to drop back from the line, not only enabling him to intercept and otherwise disrupt several passes from that game forward but also creating the familiar 4–3 setup (four linemen and three linebackers).

Hall of Famer Art Donovan had this to say about Bill George: "It's real hard to make the call, but the best linebacker I've ever seen play may have been the Bears' George. He was wild; he'd psyche himself up into a frenzy when he played. Then you'd meet him off the field and he was a completely different guy, another Clark Kent. And he'd line up anywhere on the field.... Quarterbacks would be going out of their mind looking to find out where the hell Bill George was." [2]

In addition to his 18 career interceptions, George also recovered 19 fumbles, and in 1954 scored 25 points on 13 PATs and four field goals. In 1963, he led the Bears defense when they won the NFL Championship. [3]

George's grave at Evergreen Cemetery Grave of William J. George (1929-1982) at Evergreen Cemetery, Barrington, IL.jpg
George's grave at Evergreen Cemetery

George was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974. The Bears retired his uniform number 61. Three of his successors as Chicago middle linebackers are also in the Hall of Fame: Dick Butkus (1965-73), Mike Singletary (1981-92) and Brian Urlacher (2000-12).

In a 1989 article, in which he named his choices for the best athletes ever to wear each uniform number from 0 to 99, Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly not only chose George for number 61, but called him "the meanest Bear ever," no small thing considering the franchise's long history and reputation for toughness. In 1999, he was ranked number 49 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. George was killed in an automobile accident in Rockford, Illinois on September 30, 1982. [4] He was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Barrington.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Bears</span> National Football League franchise in Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NFL Championships, including one Super Bowl, and hold the NFL record for the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the most retired jersey numbers. The Bears have also recorded the second-most victories of any NFL franchise, only behind the Green Bay Packers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sid Luckman</span> American football player (1916–1998)

Sidney Luckman was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1939 through 1950. During his 12 seasons with the Bears, he led them to four NFL championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Blanda</span> American football player (1927–2010)

George Frederick Blanda was an American football placekicker and quarterback who played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). Blanda played 26 seasons of professional football, the most in the sport's history, and had scored more points than anyone in history at the time of his retirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Halas</span> American football player, coach, and team owner (1895–1983)

George Stanley Halas Sr., nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was an American professional football player, coach, and team owner. He was the founder and owner of the National Football League's Chicago Bears, and served as his own head coach on four occasions. He was also lesser-known as a Major League Baseball player for the New York Yankees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Butkus</span> American football player (born 1942)

Richard Marvin Butkus is an American former professional football player, sports commentator, and actor. He played football as a middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1965 to 1973. He was invited to eight Pro Bowls, named a first-team All-Pro six times, and was twice recognized by his peers as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year. He was renowned as a fierce tackler and for the relentless effort with which he played and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most intimidating linebackers in pro football history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Howley</span> American football player (born 1936)

Charles Louis Howley is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. Howley spent his first two seasons with the Chicago Bears, who selected him seventh overall in the 1958 NFL Draft, before playing the remainder of his career for the Cowboys. Recognized as an original member of the Doomsday Defense, Howley received six Pro Bowl selections and five first-team All-Pro honors, while appearing in two consecutive Super Bowls and winning Super Bowl VI. He was also named the MVP of Super Bowl V and is the only player on a losing team to receive the award. For his accomplishments with Dallas, he was inducted to the Cowboys Ring of Honor in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulldog Turner</span> American football player and coach (1919–1998)

Clyde Douglas "Bulldog" Turner was an American football player and coach. He was elected, as a player, to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1960 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966. He was also selected in 1969 to the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George McAfee</span> American football player (1918–2009)

George Anderson McAfee was an American professional football player who was a back for the Chicago Bears from 1940 to 1941 and 1945 to 1950 in the National Football League (NFL). As an undergraduate at Duke University, McAfee starred in baseball and track and field as well as college football. McAfee was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As of 2018, he still holds the NFL record for punt return average in a career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Gradishar</span> American football player (born 1952)

Randy Charles Gradishar is an American former professional football player who was a middle linebacker in the 1970s and 1980s for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Ohio, Gradishar was a two-time consensus All-American for the Ohio State Buckeyes, before playing ten seasons for Denver, where he was the centerpiece of their "Orange Crush Defense".

Wilber Buddyhia Marshall is an American former professional football player who was a outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for five teams from 1984 until 1995. Marshall played college football for the Florida Gators, was twice recognized as a consensus All-American, and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

The Chicago Bears American football franchise is a charter member of the National Football League (NFL), and has played in all of the league's 100 seasons. The team has captured nine NFL championships – eight NFL championships and one Super Bowl – second most all time behind the Green Bay Packers. The franchise has also recorded more victories than any other franchise (739), retired the most uniform numbers (14), and have the most members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (29). The Bears have played in over a thousand games since becoming a charter member of the NFL in 1920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paddy Driscoll</span> American football and baseball player (1895–1968)

John Leo "Paddy" Driscoll was an American professional football and baseball player and football coach. A triple-threat man in football, he was regarded as the best drop kicker and one of the best overall players in the early years of the National Football League (NFL), where he played for 10 seasons. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Wade</span> American football player and coach (1930–2016)

William James Wade was an American football quarterback who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL). He is considered one of the greatest athletes in Nashville and Vanderbilt University history. Wade is a member of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. He is best known for being the starting quarterback on the Chicago Bears' 1963 NFL championship team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Sprinkle</span> American football player (1923–2014)

Edward Alexander Sprinkle was an American professional football player for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He was known to many as "The Meanest Man in Pro Football" and was nicknamed "The Claw." He played for 12 seasons with the Bears and is credited with calling attention to the NFL's defensive players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Brown (quarterback)</span> American football player (1928–2007)

Charles Edward Brown was an American football quarterback and punter in the National Football League.

The 1963 Chicago Bears season was their 44th regular season and 12th post-season appearance in the National Football League. The team finished with an 11–1–2 record to gain their first Western Conference championship since 1956, and the berth to host the NFL Championship Game against the New York Giants (11–3–0).

The 1963 NFL Championship Game was the 31st annual championship game, played on December 29 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. The game pitted the visiting New York Giants (11–3) of the Eastern Conference against the Chicago Bears (11–1–2) of the Western Conference.

The 1940 NFL Championship Game, sometimes referred to simply as 73–0, was the eighth title game of the National Football League (NFL). It was played at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. on December 8, with a sellout capacity attendance of 36,034.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Connor (American football)</span> American football player (1925–2003)

George Leo Connor was an American professional football player for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1948 to 1955. He played offensive tackle on offense, and on defense was recognized as one of the sport's first linebackers. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and of the College Football Hall of Fame. He attended both the College of the Holy Cross and the University of Notre Dame. He won the first Outland Trophy as the best college lineman in 1946. Sportswriter Grantland Rice once observed Connor was "the closest thing to a Greek God since Apollo."

The George Halas Award is given by the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) to a National Football League (NFL) player, coach or staff member who overcomes the most adversity to succeed.

References

  1. ↑ Rand, p. 84.
  2. ↑ Donovan, Arthur (1987). Fatso: Football When Men Were Really Men. p. 161. ISBN   0-688-07340-9.
  3. ↑ Youmans and Youmans, Chapter 4.
  4. ↑ UPI "Bill George, Bears Linebacker". October 1, 1982. The New York Times . retrieved June 24, 2013. (subscription required)

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.