| No. 78, 71, 75 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Offensive tackle |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1944-05-23)May 23, 1944 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | September 21, 2013(2013-09-21) (aged 69) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Schenley (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Missouri |
| NFL draft | 1966: 1st round, 10th overall pick |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
Coaching | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Head coaching record | |
| Career | 13–51–2 (.212) |
Stats atPro Football Reference  | |
Francis G. Peay (May 23, 1944 – September 21, 2013) was an Americanfootballoffensive tackle andhead coach. William N. Wallace of theNew York Times once described him as "an intelligent beautifully constructed athlete".[1]
Peay was born on May 23, 1944, inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Francis Sr. and Amy Peay. He attendedSchenley High School, located in Pittsburgh'sOakland neighborhood. As a junior, he playedcenter on the football team, at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), 185 pounds (83.9 kg).[2][3][4] As a senior, he was a 200-pound or 210-pound tackle.[5][6] He was named to the 1961 All-City (Pittsburgh) League team atguard.[7] Schenley did not win any football games during his freshman and sophomore years, but in his senior year it only lost one game.[8] As a high school player, Peay idolized New York Giants' Hall of Fame offensive tackleRosey Brown (who retired the year before Peay joined the Giants).[9][10]
Among other notable people who attended Schenley before it closed areNational Football League (NFL) running backLarry Brown, artistAndy Warhol,Nobel Prize winnerClifford Shull, musicianGeorge Benson,Harvard's first black tenured professorDerrick Bell,National Basketball Association starMaurice Lucas, andprofessional wrestlerBruno Sammartino.[11]
Peay received an athletic scholarship to theUniversity of Arizona,[4] but then transferred to Cameron State Agricultural College (nowCameron University) inLawton, Oklahoma, playingcollege football (1963-64) as an offensive right tackle at 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 230 pounds (104.3 kg). While at Cameron, his team had an 8–2 record and averaged just over 230 rushing yards per game, mostly running the ball behind Peay as a blocker.[12][13]
Peay later transferred to theUniversity of Missouri, where he played under head coachDan Devine. He was anAll-American and All-Big Eight offensive tackle as a senior at Missouri, and his team was ranked third in the nation inrushing. He played in theSenior Bowl and1966 Sugar Bowl (a 20–18 Missouri victory over theUniversity of Florida).[13][14][15][16] He was a first-teamTime All-American as selected by 22 professional scouts.[17]
Peay was selected in the first round of the1966 NFL draft by theNew York Giants (10th overall).[18] TheKansas City Chiefs selected him in the second round of the1966 American Football League draft (15th overall).[19] Recently retired Giant Rosey Brown befriended Peay during the college all-star camp, and had Peay to his home.[9]
As a professional, his playing weight was 250 pounds (113.4 kg).[20] He played two seasons for the Giants (1966-67), starting eight games as a rookie at right tackle, but fracturing a bone in his foot during the second half of his rookie season. He only started two games in 1967, playing behindCharlie Harper at offensive tackle. He had a knee injury in training camp and chronic foot issues that delayed his development. He had never been injured before in high school or college.[3][1][21]
Before the start of the 1968 season, the Giants traded Peay to theGreen Bay Packers for linebackerTommy Crutcher and offensive linemanSteve Wright.[1] The Packers' general manager trading for Peay was Hall of fame legendVince Lombardi.[8][22] He started only one game in 1968, but was the Packers starting left offensive tackle from 1969-71.[3] After an argument with Packer assistant coaches during training camp in 1971, Peay cleared out his locker and left the team, but came back to start all 14 games that season.[23][3]
Peay was injured in the Packers second game of the 1972 season against theOakland Raiders. He later lost his starting job toBill Hayhoe. Peay was traded to the Chiefs after the 1972 season for defensive endAaron Brown, and started nine games at right tackle for the Chiefs in 1973, after starterDave Hill suffered a leg injury.[24][25][3] Peay played in 10 games for the Chiefs in 1974, but started only one.[3] Peay announced his retirement after the Chiefs traded him to theNew Orleans Saints for a draft pick in July 1975.[26][27]
When his playing career ended, Peay became an assistant coach at theUniversity of Notre Dame for two years, under his former Missouri coach Dan Devine, beginning as coach of the freshman team in 1976. He then coached the defensive line and outside linebackers at theUniversity of California for three years.[18][28][4]
Peay next served as an assistant coach atNorthwestern University underDennis Green (1981-85). Peay worked his way up from linebacker coach to defensive coordinator. After Green left for theSan Francisco 49ers, Peay became Northwestern's head football coach (1986-91). His four-win season in 1986 was the team's best performance in over a decade, though various structural problems in the football program limited the opportunity for any significant improvement in the near future.[16][18]
He was the second black head coach in theBig Ten Conference, after his predecessor Green.[18] His coaching record at Northwestern was 13 wins, 51 losses, and two ties. This ranks him 12th at Northwestern in total wins and 24th at Northwestern in winning percentage.[29] His record was superior to his predecessors,Rick Venturi (1–31–1 from 1978-80) and Green (10–45 from 1981-85), both of whom became NFL head coaches.[30][29] He was succeeded at Northwestern in 1992 byGary Barnett.[16] After leaving Northwestern, he spent two seasons as the defensive line coach under head coachTed Marchibroda and defensive coordinator Rick Venturi for theIndianapolis Colts.[31][32][33]
In 1990 he was named to Missouri's All-Century team, and in 1991, Peay was inducted into the University of Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame.[16] In 2017, he was inducted into the Cameron Athletics Hall of Fame.[13]
Peay died on September 21, 2013, at the age of 69.[34]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern Wildcats(Big Ten Conference)(1986–1991) | |||||||||
| 1986 | Northwestern | 4–7 | 2–6 | T–8th | |||||
| 1987 | Northwestern | 2–8–1 | 2–6 | 9th | |||||
| 1988 | Northwestern | 2–8–1 | 2–5–1 | T–7th | |||||
| 1989 | Northwestern | 0–11 | 0–8 | 10th | |||||
| 1990 | Northwestern | 2–9 | 1–7 | T–8th | |||||
| 1991 | Northwestern | 3–8 | 2–6 | T–8th | |||||
| Northwestern: | 13–51–2 | 9–38–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 13–51–2 | ||||||||