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| Position | Center /Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1916-06-01)June 1, 1916 Rogers, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | March 12, 1983(1983-03-12) (aged 66) Temple, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 207 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Temple (TX) | ||||||||
| College | TCU | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1939: 1st round,1st overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Charles Collins "Ki" Aldrich (June 1, 1916 – March 12, 1983) was an American professionalfootball player. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1960.
Aldrich was born inRogers, Texas, and attendedTemple High School inTemple, Texas, where he was named All-State as a center in 1934.[1] He was anAll-Americancenter atTexas Christian University inFort Worth, Texas. At TCU, he played alongside two legendary quarterbacks—Sammy Baugh andDavey O'Brien. Aldrich's senior year, 1938, theHorned Frogs won the National Championship, finishing 11-0 and winning theSugar Bowl.
TheChicago Cardinals made Aldrich the first selection in the1939 NFL draft, in which his TCU teammates O'Brien andI. B. Hale also were selected in the top ten.[2] He played two seasons for the Cardinals before moving to theWashington Redskins. After two seasons in Washington, he left to serve in theNavy during World War II.[3] He returned to the Redskins in 1945, and retired in 1947. During his professional career, Aldrich averaged 50 minutes of playing time per game.[1]
After retiring from football, Aldirch served as the superintendent at the Lena Pope Orphanage inFort Worth, Texas.[3] His first wife was the daughter of the founder. He died March 12, 1983, inTemple, Texas.[3]
His coach at TCU,Dutch Meyer, said of Aldrich: "That boy wanted to play football more than anyone I ever knew."[3] Baugh called him "the toughest player I ever knew."[3] Aldrich was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1960[3] and was named to theSouthwest Conference's All-Time Team in 1969.