 Palmer during his Browns career | |||||||||
| No. 40, 42, 72 | |||||||||
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| Position | Tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1922-08-27)August 27, 1922 Breckenridge, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | February 22, 2009(2009-02-22) (aged 86) Cleburne, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Albany (TX) | ||||||||
| College | TCU | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1943: 6th round, 49th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL/AAFC statistics | |||||||||
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Derrell Palmer (August 27, 1922 – February 22, 2009) was an American professionalfootballtackle who played eight seasons in theAll-America Football Conference (AAFC) and in theNational Football League (NFL), mainly with theCleveland Browns.
Palmer grew up inTexas and played college football atTexas Christian University, where he became the defensive captain and was named anAll-American in 1943. After three years in theU.S. Marines, Palmer began his professional career with theNew York Yankees in the AAFC. The Yankees won their division in 1946 and 1947, but lost in the AAFC championship game both years to the Browns. Palmer was traded to the Browns before the 1949 season and remained with the team through 1953. Cleveland won the AAFC championship in 1949 and the NFL championship in 1950. After retiring in 1953, Palmer moved back to Texas and worked forSherwin-Williams for 32 years. He was inducted into TCU's hall of fame in 1978. He died in 2009.
Palmer grew up inBreckenridge, Texas and played football,baseball and was on thetrack and field team atAlbany High School near his hometown.[1][2] He suffered a hip injury in high school, and doctors told him he would never play football again.[1] Palmer, however, graduated and enrolled atTexas Christian University inFort Worth, Texas, where he playedcollege football for theTCU Horned Frogs.[1][3]
Palmer played for TCU as a tackle starting in 1940, hissophomore year.[4] The team finished with a 3–7win–loss record under head coachDutch Meyer in his first year. In 1941, however, the team improved to a 7–3–1 win–loss–tie record and met theUniversity of Georgia Bulldogs in theOrange Bowl.[5] Palmer, by then ajunior and the defensive captain, played well in the game, but TCU lost 40–26 to a Georgia team led by quarterbackFrank Sinkwich.[1][6] Palmer continued to be a leader for TCU in 1942 and was named anAll-American by sportswriters. The team finished with a 7–3 record.[1][5]
TheChicago Bears of theNational Football League (NFL) selected Palmer in the 1943 draft, but he decided to put off his professional career to serve in theU.S. Marines duringWorld War II.[1] He went toOfficer Candidates School and graduated as asecond lieutenant.[2] He then served in thePacific War and spent two and a half years as amilitary policeman atPearl Harbor inHawaii.[2] He played for his base's football team.[1][2]
After his discharge from the Marines in 1946, Palmer signed a $4,500-a-year contract to play for theNew York Yankees of theAll-America Football Conference in the league's first year of play.[1][7] He played in 13 games in his first year with the Yankees and became a regular starter at left tackle in 1947 and 1948.[3] The team won the AAFC's Eastern Division in 1946 and 1947 and advanced to theAAFC Championship, but lost to theCleveland Browns in both seasons.[8][9] With the Yankees, Palmer was part of a potent offense that featured Sinkwich and starhalfbackSpec Sanders, who in 1947 had 3,631 running, passing and kick return yards and 19 touchdowns.[1]
Palmer, who played as a tackle on both offense and defense, saw his playing time reduced in 1948 after head coachRay Flaherty was replaced four games into the season byRed Strader.[1] The team finished with a 6–8 record, and Palmer was traded after the season to the Browns in exchange for the draft rights to centerAlex Sarkisian.[1][10] In Cleveland, Palmer played mainly on defense, but substituted occasionally for the team's regular offensive tackles,Lou Groza andLou Rymkus.[1] The Browns beat theSan Francisco 49ers to win the AAFC championship in 1949, but the league dissolved after the season and the Browns, along with the 49ers andBaltimore Colts, were absorbed by the NFL.[7][11]
The Browns continued to win in the NFL, beating theLos Angeles Rams for the championship in 1950.[12] Led by head coachPaul Brown and an offense that featuredquarterbackOtto Graham,fullbackMarion Motley andendsDante Lavelli andMac Speedie, the Browns won the NFL East Division each year from 1951 to 1953 but lost theNFL Championship Game each of those seasons.[7] After Rymkus retired in 1951, Palmer saw increased playing time on offense as he shared tackle duties withJohn Sandusky.[1] He retired after the 1953 season.[7] Brown called him one of the two best defensive tackles he ever coached.[7]
After leaving football, Palmer and his wife Barbara moved back to Texas.[2] Palmer opened the firstSherwin-Williams paint store inCleburne, Texas and worked for the company for 32 years.[2] He also served on the Cleburne city council, was president of the localLion's Club and worked for a variety of other civic groups and projects.[2] Palmer was inducted into TCU's hall of fame in 1978 and retired from business in 1985.[2] He died in Cleburne in 2009.[7] Palmer and his wife had two children.[2] His son Scott played on a University of Texas football team that won the national championship in 1969, and had a two-year career as a tackle in the NFL.[1]
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