.jpg) Cassadyc. 1953 | |||||||||||||||
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| Positions | Halfback Split end | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1934-03-02)March 2, 1934 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | September 20, 2019(2019-09-20) (aged 85) Tampa, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 183 lb (83 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Central (Columbus, Ohio) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Ohio State (1952–1955) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1956: 1st round, 3rd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Howard Albert "Hopalong"Cassady (March 2, 1934 – September 20, 2019) was an American professionalfootballhalfback andsplit end who played in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theOhio State Buckeyes, where he won theHeisman Trophy in 1955. Cassady played in the NFL for eight seasons, seven of them for theDetroit Lions, with whom he won the1957 NFL Championship Game. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
Cassady was born inColumbus, Ohio and attended the now closedCentral High School.
Cassady played football for theOhio State Buckeyes from 1952 to 1955. During his college career, he scored 37 touchdowns in 36 games. He played both sides of the ball, and was regarded as an outstandingdefensive back. He was twice selected as aunanimous All-American, in 1954 and 1955. The1954 Buckeyes finished the season 10–0 and won a consensus national championship. That year Cassady finished third in the vote for theHeisman Trophy, behindAlan Ameche ofWisconsin. In 1955, he won theHeisman Trophy (by the largest margin at the time) and theMaxwell Award, and was named theAssociated Press Athlete of the Year. During his playing days, he was 5'10" and 170 pounds.
Cassady earned the nickname "Hopalong" during his first game as a freshman for Ohio State.Columbus sportswriters who saw him play said he "hopped all over the field like the performing cowboy", a reference to the fictional characterHopalong Cassidy. In that game, Cassady came off the bench to score three touchdowns in a win overIndiana University.
Cassady held some Ohio State career records for many years following his graduation. He held the career rushing record (2,466 yards) until it was surpassed byJim Otis in 1969, the career all-purpose yards record (4,403 yards) until surpassed byArchie Griffin in 1974, and the scoring record (222 points) until surpassed byPete Johnson in 1975.
Cassady also playedbaseball for Ohio State. He led the team inhome runs in 1955, andstolen bases in 1956. He also became a member of theSigma Chi fraternity there.
He was a member ofThe Pigskin Club Of Washington, D.C. National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll.
Cassady played eight seasons in theNational Football League: seven (1956–1961, and 1963) for theDetroit Lions, and one season (1962) split between theCleveland Browns and thePhiladelphia Eagles. In the NFL he was an all-purpose back, playing both receiver and running back and scoring 27 career touchdowns.
After retiring from football, Cassady became an entrepreneur forming a company manufacturing concrete pipe. He then served as a scout for theNew York Yankeesbaseball team, and as thefirst base coach for their formerAAA affiliate, theColumbus Clippers.
His sonCraig Cassady played defensive back at Ohio State, and briefly in the NFL for theNew Orleans Saints in the 1970s.[1]
Cassady died on September 20, 2019, at his home in Tampa, Florida.[2][3] He is one of at least 345NFL players to be diagnosed after death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE),[4] which is caused by repeated hits to the head.[5][6]