 Guglielmi on a 1955 Bowman football card | |||||||||
| No. 3, 9, 17 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1933-06-26)June 26, 1933 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | January 23, 2017(2017-01-23) (aged 83) Wallace, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Notre Dame | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1955: 1st round, 4th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Ralph Vincent Guglielmi (June 26, 1933 – January 23, 2017), sometimes known by the nickname "the Goog",[1] was an Americanfootballquarterback.
Guglielmi playedcollege football forNotre Dame from 1951 to 1954, leading the 1953 team to a 9–0–1 record and the 1954 team to a 9–1 record. He was a unanimous All-American pick in 1954 and finished fourth in theHeisman Trophy voting. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
Gugilelmi also played nine season in theNational Football League (NFL) for theWashington Redskins (1955–1960),St. Louis Cardinals (1961),New York Giants (1962–1963), andPhiladelphia Eagles (1963). In 1960, he ranked among the NFL leaders with 125 completed passes (fifth), 1,547 passing yards (seventh), 19 interceptions (fourth), and 320 yards lost on sacks (first).[2]
Guglielmi was born in 1933 inColumbus, Ohio. He playedhigh school football atGrandview Heights High School in Columbus.[2]
Guglielmi playedcollege football at theUniversity of Notre Dame from 1951 to 1954.[1] He led the1952,1953, and1954 Notre Dame teams to a combined record of 25–3–2. As a senior in 1954, he ranked fourth in the nation with 1,160 passing yards (68 of 127 passes) and led Notre Dame to a 9–1 record and the No. 4 ranking in theAP poll.[3][4] At the end of the 1954 season, he won theWalter Camp Memorial Trophy as the best collegiate back, was a consensus first-team pick as the quarterback on the1954 All-America college football team and finished fourth in theHeisman Trophy voting.[1] Guglielmi also set Notre Dame records with 3,117 passing yards and 34 consecutive games completing a pass (four games in 1951 and 10 each in 1952, 1953, and 1954). He also played on defense where he tallied 10 interceptions (five each in 1953 and 1954).[3]
Guglielmi was selected by theWashington Redskins in the first round, third overall pick, of the1955 NFL draft.[5] He played for the Redskins in 1955 and from 1958 to 1960. In 1960, he fourth in the NFL with a 56.1% pass completion percentage, sixth with 1,474 yards oftotal offense, and seventh with 1,547 passing yards. He also ranked fourth in the NFL with 19 interceptions.[2]
On September 12, 1961, the Redskins traded Guglielmi to theSt. Louis Cardinals in exchange forGeorge Izo.[6] Guglielmi appeared in nine games for the Cardinals, completing 56 of 116 passes for 927 yards.[2]
In May 1962, the Cardinals traded Guglielmi to theNew York Giants in exchange forBill Triplett and a high 1963 draft pick.[7] Guglielmi was a backup toY. A. Tittle in 1962, completing 14 of 31 passes for 210 yards.[2]
In 1963, Guglielmi began the season with the Giants but was traded to theSan Francisco 49ers on September 24, 1963.[8] Guglielmi quit the NFL rather than report to the 49ers.[9] He was then signed by the Philadelphia Eagles on October 24, 1961.[10] He appeared in six games in 1963 (four for the Giants, two for the Eagles), completing seven of 24 passes for 118 yards, zero touchdowns, and three interceptions.[2]
Guglielmi played seven years in the NFL, appeared in 66 games (27 as a starter), completed 292 of 626 passes (46.6%) for 4,119 yards, 24 touchdowns, 52 interceptions, and a 46.5 quarterback rating.[2]
After retiring from his playing career, Guglielmi owned a Cadillac automobile dealership and restaurants in theWashington–Baltimore metropolitan area. He also founded a computer forms company and worked as an insurance agent.[11][3] He was married to Linda Doeringer and had a son, Ralph David Guglielmi and Lisa Marie Hoffman.[3]
Guglielmi was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 2001.[1]
Guglielmi moved toWallace, North Carolina, in 2003. He died in January 2017 at age 83 due to complications from a stroke inWallace, North Carolina.[11]