 Governali,c. 1947 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 4, 41 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1921-01-05)January 5, 1921 The Bronx, New York, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | February 14, 1978(1978-02-14) (aged 57) San Diego, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 194 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Evander Childs (Bronx, New York) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Columbia (1940–1942) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1943: 1st round, 4th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||||
| Career | 11–27–4 (.310) | ||||||||||||||
Paul Vincent Governali (January 5, 1921 – February 14, 1978), nicknamed "Pitchin' Paul", was an American professionalfootball player and coach. He playedcollege football for theColumbia Lions.
Governali played as ahalfback for theColumbia Lions. He was a consensusAll-American in 1942, won theMaxwell Award and was runner-up toFrank Sinkwich for theHeisman Trophy. Governali passed for 1,442 yards in nine games that season, threw for 19 touchdowns, and completed 52% of his passes, all new collegiate records. He was also among the leadingpunters in the nation. He still holds the Columbia Lions record for touchdown passes in one game, with five. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1986.
Upon graduating in 1943, he passed up offers from both professionalbaseball and football teams to enlist in theUnited States Marine Corps, where he served for three years. After the war, he played in theNational Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1948 with theBoston Yanks and theNew York Giants.
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Governali retired from playing following the 1948 season and returned to Columbia, where he worked as an assistant coach while pursuing hisdoctorate in education, which he received in 1951.
He served as the head football coach atSan Diego State University from 1956 to 1960, compiling a record of 11–27–4. He was succeeded as head coach of theSan Diego State Aztecs byDon Coryell.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego State Aztecs(California Collegiate Athletic Association)(1956–1960) | |||||||||
| 1956 | San Diego State | 4–3–2 | 2–1 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1957 | San Diego State | 2–7 | 0–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1958 | San Diego State | 3–5 | 2–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1959 | San Diego State | 1–6–1 | 0–5 | 6th | |||||
| 1960 | San Diego State | 1–6–1 | 0–5 | 6th | |||||
| San Diego State: | 11–27–4 | 4–15 | |||||||
| Total: | 11–27–4 | ||||||||
Governali also had a minor stint as an actor, portraying a professional football player in the 1948 film titled,Triple Threat.[1]
He and his wife, Edna, had four children: Paul, Jeannie, Nicole, and Sam.
Governali died on February 14, 1978, at Kaiser Hospital, inSan Diego, following a long illness.[2]
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