 Albert in 1949 | |||||||||||||||||||
| No. 63, 13 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Positions | Quarterback Punter | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1920-01-27)January 27, 1920 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Died | September 4, 2002(2002-09-04) (aged 82) Palo Alto, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 166 lb (75 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Glendale (Glendale, California) | ||||||||||||||||||
| College | Stanford (1939–1941) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1942: 1st round, 10th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career AAFC/NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||||||||
| Regular season | 19–16–1 (.542) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Postseason | 0–1 (.000) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career | 19–17–1 (.527) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference | |||||||||||||||||||
Frank Cullen Albert (January 27, 1920 – September 4, 2002) was an American professionalfootball player and coach. He played as aquarterback andpunter with theSan Francisco 49ers in theAll-America Football Conference (AAFC) and later inNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theStanford Indians (now Cardinal), where he led the1940 football team to an undefeated season and the1941 Rose Bowl.
Many who saw Albert in action credit him as being the greatestleft-handed quarterback ever to play the game.[1]
Frankie Albert was born inChicago and attendedGlendale High School inGlendale, California.
He went toStanford University, where he was coached byT formation innovatorClark Shaughnessy. Albert played as Stanford's quarterback and in 1940–41 became an all-American. He was the first collegeT-formation quarterback in modern football history. He led the team of 1940 to a 9–0 regular season, 21–13 victory over Nebraska in the Rose Bowl and a No. 2 national ranking, behind Minnesota. He was also a member of Stanford's chapter of theDelta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
With the outbreak ofWorld War II, Albert, as with most young American men of his generation, went before the Army formilitary draft classification. In December 1941, he was designated 1-B due to his having flat feet.[2]
Wishing to aid the military effort and undeterred by his suboptimal categorization, amidst rumors that the Stanford University campus was to be converted into a training school for aviators,[3] Albert applied to joinUS Navy Reserve as part of its announced physical training program for navy aviators. Albert's application was accepted, along with those of four other Stanford football teammates, and the group were slated to enter basic naval training atNorfolk Naval Air Station in Virginia in April.[4] The physical training program in which they served was under the direction of lieutenant commanderGene Tunney, a former heavyweight boxing champion.[5]
At the same time, theChicago Bears selected Albert in the1942 NFL draft with the 10th overall pick. He would never play with the team, serving instead in the Navy for four years.
After quarterbacking theLos Angeles Bulldogs of thePacific Coast Football League in 1945, he launched his All-Pro career with theSan Francisco 49ers of theAll-America Football Conference in 1946. He played seven seasons with the 49ers.
A founding member of the 49ers, Albert was also the highest-paid member of the team, with a contract paying him $10,000 for the1946 season.[6]
Albert, a 5-foot-9-inch (1.75 m), 166-pound, left-handed passer, was credited for inventing thebootleg play, in which the quarterback fakes a handoff then runs wide with the ball hidden on his hip.[7] In 1948, he had the record for most passing touchdowns in a season in the league's history, and was namedAAFC co-Most Valuable Player withOtto Graham. He played his last two seasons competing withY. A. Tittle.
In 1950, Albert was named to the Pro Bowl when the 49ers joined the National Football League. He had 14 touchdown passes that year, and with his twelfth, he became the third quarterback in NFL history (afterSammy Baugh andSid Luckman) with 100 career touchdown passes, which was the highmark for the position at the time (Otto Graham joined the 100 mark to end the season as well).[8] He retired after the season of 1952. In seven pro seasons, Albert threw for 10,795 yards and 115 touchdowns.
After retiring from playing in the NFL, Albert played one final season with theCanadian Football League'sCalgary Stampeders, before retiring from playing football for good.[9]
After his retirement, the 49ers hired him as a scout and coach. He was namedhead coach in 1956 by ownerTony Morabito.
In hissecond year, Albert led the 49ers to their first winning record since 1954. They won five of their six games before a three-game losing streak had them at 5–4. They won the final three games to finish 8–4. They finished in a tie for first in the Western Conference with theDetroit Lions, with both teams winning against the other at home. As such, they had to play aone-game playoff to determine who would play in the NFL Championship Game, with this being their first playoff game since 1949.
On December 22, they played the Lions atKezar Stadium. Facing backupTobin Rote (subbing in forBobby Layne, hurt two weeks earlier), the 49ers led 24–7 at halftime on the strength of three touchdown passes fromY. A. Tittle. They led by twenty after a field goal in the third quarter, but Detroit roared back in a monumental comeback, scoring 24 unanswered points to win 31–27.[10]
Albert led the team to a 6–6 record the following year before he was replaced byRed Hickey; the 49ers would not threaten for a playoff spot until 1970. He coached the 49ers for three seasons, compiling a 19–16–1 record.
TheProfessional Football Researchers Association named Albert to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2007.[11]
After his retirement from both playing and coaching football, Albert got into the real estate business.
Albert married his high school sweetheart, Martha Barringer, in 1942, and remained married to her for 60 years until his death. They had three daughters together: Nancy,Jane, and Terry.[12] Jane would become a well-known tennis player whose accomplishments led her to become the first woman inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame.[13]
Albert died on September 4, 2002, due to complications fromAlzheimer's disease.[14]
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacked | Punting | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Sck | SckY | Pnt | Yds | Avg | Lng | ||
| 1946 | SF | 14 | 11 | — | 104 | 197 | 52.8 | 1,404 | 7.1 | 54 | 14 | 14 | 69.8 | 69 | -10 | -0.1 | — | 4 | — | — | 54 | 2,214 | 41.0 | — |
| 1947 | SF | 14 | 9 | — | 128 | 242 | 52.9 | 1,692 | 7.0 | 60 | 18 | 15 | 74.3 | 46 | 179 | 3.9 | — | 5 | 13 | 119 | 40 | 1,759 | 44.0 | — |
| 1948 | SF | 14 | 9 | — | 154 | 264 | 58.3 | 1,990 | 7.5 | 59 | 29 | 10 | 102.9 | 69 | 349 | 5.1 | — | 8 | 16 | 165 | 35 | 1,568 | 44.8 | — |
| 1949 | SF | 12 | 9 | — | 129 | 260 | 49.6 | 1,862 | 7.2 | 75 | 27 | 16 | 82.2 | 35 | 249 | 7.1 | — | 3 | 14 | 153 | 31 | 1,495 | 48.2 | — |
| 1950 | SF | 12 | 12 | 3-9-0 | 155 | 306 | 50.7 | 1,767 | 5.8 | 43 | 14 | 23 | 52.3 | 53 | 272 | 5.1 | 42 | 3 | — | 311 | 37 | 1,424 | 38.5 | 64 |
| 1951 | SF | 12 | 11 | 6-4-1 | 90 | 166 | 54.2 | 1,116 | 6.7 | 47 | 5 | 10 | 60.2 | 35 | 146 | 4.2 | 34 | 3 | — | 171 | 34 | 1,507 | 44.3 | 66 |
| 1952 | SF | 12 | 7 | 4-3-0 | 71 | 129 | 55.0 | 964 | 7.5 | 60 | 8 | 10 | 67.5 | 22 | 87 | 4.0 | 29 | 1 | — | 177 | 68 | 2,899 | 42.6 | 70 |
| Career | 90 | 68 | 13-16-1 | 831 | 1,564 | 53.1 | 10,795 | 6.9 | 75 | 115 | 98 | 73.5 | 329 | 1,272 | 3.9 | 42 | 27 | 43 | 1,096 | 299 | 12,866 | 43.0 | 70 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacked | Punting | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Sck | SckY | Pnt | Yds | Avg | Lng | ||
| 1949 | SF | 2 | 2 | 1-1-0 | 17 | 41 | 41.5 | 204 | 5.0 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 53.3 | 14 | 92 | 6.6 | — | 0 | 4 | 39 | 14 | 639 | 45.6 | — |
| Career | 2 | 2 | 1-1-0 | 17 | 41 | 41.5 | 204 | 5.0 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 53.3 | 14 | 92 | 6.6 | N/A | 0 | 4 | 39 | 14 | 639 | 45.6 | N/A | |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacked | Punting | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Sck | SckY | Pnt | Yds | Avg | Lng | ||
| 1953 | CAL | — | — | 3-12-1 | 104 | 225 | 48.2 | 1,562 | — | — | 12 | 16 | — | 53 | -25 | -0.5 | — | 2 | — | — | 48 | 1,926 | 40.1 | — |
| Career | — | — | 3-12-1 | 104 | 225 | 48.2 | 1,562 | — | — | 12 | 16 | — | 53 | -25 | -0.5 | — | 2 | — | — | 48 | 1,926 | 40.1 | — | |
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| SF | 1956 | 5 | 6 | 1 | .458 | 3rd in NFL Western | — | — | — | — |
| SF | 1957 | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | T–1st in NFL Western | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to theDetroit Lions in conference playoff game. |
| SF | 1958 | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | 4th in NFL Western | — | — | — | — |
| SF total | 19 | 16 | 1 | .542 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |||
| Total | 19 | 16 | 1 | .542 | ||||||
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