| No. 43 | |
|---|---|
| Positions | Quarterback •Kick returner •Punt returner |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1927-12-21)December 21, 1927[1] Wichita Falls, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | April 19, 2014(2014-04-19) (aged 86) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | Wichita Falls |
| College | Texas Christian |
| NFL draft | 1950: 7th round, 89th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| 1950–1951 | Edmonton Eskimos |
| Awards and highlights | |
Lindy Berry (December 21, 1927 – April 19, 2014)[2] was an American professionalfootballquarterback. He playedcollege football for theTCU Horned Frogs atTexas Christian University. Berry was selected in the1950 NFL draft, and played professional football for two seasons with theEdmonton Eskimos in what later became theCanadian Football League (CFL). In 1950, he received theJeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy for the CFL West Division'smost valuable player.
Berry attendedWichita Falls High School inWichita Falls, Texas. While there, he playedfootball under head coachThurman "Tugboat" Jones. During his junior season in 1944, he led the Coyotes to an 8–3 record and the district championship. Nevertheless, Berry said, "There was this café in town where people went on Saturday mornings to rehash the game from the night before. One morning I heard a couple of guys in there talking about me. One said, 'He will never make it.' I said to myself, 'We'll see.'"[3] As a senior in 1945, Berry led Wichita Falls to an 11–1–1 record. The Coyotes' sole loss was to the eventual state champions,Highland Park High School, which eliminated Wichita Falls in the semifinals.[3]
Berry attendedTexas Christian University where he played on theHorned Frogs varsity football team all four seasons. In addition to playing quarterback, he was also TCU'spunt andkickoff returner and playedsafety on defense.[3] Hispassing duo withendMorris Bailey was nicknamed the "Berry-to-Bailey Battery."[4] Wichita Falls'Times Record News reported an incident that demonstrated Berry was "tough as nails".[3] In one unspecified game against theTexas Longhorns, Berry dropped back in thepocket looking to pass. A Longhorns defender,Errol Fry, dodged ablock andsacked Berry. During thetackle, Fry's elbow struck Berry in the face and knocked out two of his front teeth andbroke his jaw. Nevertheless, Berry played the following week, while wearing ahockey mask to protect his jaw that had been wired shut.[3]
He earned his firstletter as a freshman in 1946.[5] In 1947, he led the team in passing with 429 yards, 31completions on 67 attempts, and onetouchdown.[6] He also led the team inrushing with 379 yards on 112 attempts and fourtouchdowns.[7] In 1948, Berry recorded 706 passing yards, 61 completions on 134 attempts, and two touchdowns.[6] Midway through the season, he ranked second in the nation in total offensive yards until surpassed byCharlie Justice ofNorth Carolina.[8] Berry finished the season as the team's rushing leader with 783 yards on 190 attempts and four touchdowns.[7] He was named an All-Southwest Conference selection.[9] He also received the Rogers Trophy as the team'smost valuable player.[10] In 1949, Berry compiled 1,445 passing yards, 106 completions on 220 attempts, and seven touchdowns.[6] He also threw 23interceptions, which to date remains the school record.[6] He was named a first-team All-American and an All-Southwest Conference selection.[9][11] After the season, he participated in theEast-West Shrine Game.[12] During that season, he compiled 1,445 passing yards in 10 games. At the time, only one other TCU quarterback had exceeded that in a season,Heisman Trophy winnerDavey O'Brien, and he had the benefit of playing in one additional game.[3]
During his college career, Berry had recorded 1,745 rushing yards, 1,372 punt return yards, 729 kickoff return yards, 185 interception return yards, and 32 receiving yards. He graduated from TCU as its all-time career leader in all-purpose yardage, a distinction which stood through the mid-1980s when his mark was surpassed byTony Jeffery.[13] Berry's 2,101 total kick return yards set a school record that stood until 2005, when it was broken byCory Rodgers.[14]
Berry was selected in the seventh round of the1950 NFL draft by theSan Francisco 49ers as the 89th overall pick.[15] He played two seasons for theEdmonton Eskimos in what later became known as theCanadian Football League (CFL) from 1950 to 1951.[16][17] He was awarded theJeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy in 1950 as the West Division'smost valuable player.[18] He was named to the CFL's 1950 All-West second team.[19]
| CFL Statistics | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
| Year[20] | Team | GP | Att | Com | % | Yds | TD | Int | Lg | # | Yds | Ave. | Lg | TD |
| 1950 | Edmonton Eskimos | 13 | 254 | 129 | 50.8 | 2201 | 10 | 20 | 100 | 55 | 209 | 3.8 | 0 | 2 |
| 1951 | Edmonton Eskimos | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
In 1951, Berry married Mary, the secretary of his former college coachDutch Meyer.[3] Their grandson, Charlie Berry, played for Highland Park High School and theSMU Mustangs atSouthern Methodist University as adefensive lineman.[21] Since those are both rivals of the elder Berry'salma maters, he said, "It wasn't easy but I had to cheer for Charlie."[3]
Berry was diagnosed withParkinson's disease in 2004.[3] In 2008, he was inducted into theOil Bowl Hall of Fame, which honors the most outstanding past participants of a high school football all-star game between Texas and Oklahoma players.[3][22] That same year,Sports Illustrated listed him among six others as "worthy of consideration" as the best player to have ever worn thenumber 43.[23]
Berry is the great-uncle of Lana Berry, a popular figure on Twitter and other social media sites, and sports podcaster.[24]