 Grange in 1926 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 77 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Halfback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1903-06-13)June 13, 1903 Forksville, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | January 28, 1991(1991-01-28) (aged 87) Lake Wales, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Wheaton (Wheaton, Illinois) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Illinois (1923–1925) | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
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Coaching | |||||||||||||||
Operations | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Harold Edward "Red"Grange (June 13, 1903 – January 28, 1991), nicknamed "the Galloping Ghost" and "the Wheaton Iceman", was an American college and professionalfootballhalfback who played for Illinois, theChicago Bears and the short-livedNew York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize theNational Football League (NFL).[1]
Playingcollege football for theIllinois Fighting Illini, Grange was a three-time consensusAll-American and led his team to a national championship in 1923. He was the onlyunanimous All-American selection in 1924, making him the first player in college football history to receive that honor. The same year, Grange became the first recipient of theChicago Tribune Silver Football award as theBig Ten Conference's most valuable player.[2] In 2008, Grange was named the best college football player of all time byESPN, and in 2011, he was named the Greatest Big Ten Icon by theBig Ten Network.
Shortly after his final college game in 1925, Grange joined the Bears and the NFL, embarking on a barnstorming tour that raised professional football's profile across the country. When his rookie contract expired, he and agentC. C. Pyle formed theAmerican Football League in 1926, with Grange playing for the Yankees. The league lasted just one year before shutting down and the Yankees were assimilated into the NFL. Grange suffered a serious knee injury in 1927 that prevented him from playing the following season, and he returned to the Bears in 1929. He remained with the team until he ended his playing career in 1934, from which he became a backfield coach for the Bears for three seasons.
He is a charter member of both theCollege andPro Football Halls of Fame.
Red Grange was born on June 13, 1903, inForksville, Pennsylvania, a village of about 200 people amonglumber camps.[3] His father, Lyle, was the foreman of three lumber camps.[3] His mother died when he was just five years old.[4] For several years, the Grange family lived with relatives until they could finally afford a home of their own inWheaton, Illinois. In Wheaton, Lyle became the chief of police.[5]
In four years atWheaton High School,[note 1] Grange earned 16varsity letters in football, baseball, basketball, and track;[5] he scored 75 touchdowns and 532 points for the football team.[5] As a high school junior, Grange scored 36 touchdowns and led Wheaton High School to an undefeated season. In his senior year, his team won every game but one in which they lost 39–0 toScott High School inToledo, Ohio.[3] Knocked out in this game, Grange remained unconscious for two days, having difficulty speaking when he awoke.[3] Grange was also an all-state track and field runner. In 1920, he was a state champion in the high jump and placed third and fourth in the 100-yard dash and the 220-yard dash, respectively. In 1921, he won the state title in both the long jump and the 100-yard dash, and in 1922, he placed third in the 100-yard dash and won the 220-yard dash.[6] In a 1974 interview with American Heritage Grange stated that he ran the 100-yard dash in 9.8 seconds [at the time this was just one-fifth of a second off the world (and American) records].
To help the family earn money, he took a part-time job as an ice toter for $37.50 per week,[5] a job which helped him to build his core strength and from which he got the nicknames "Ice Man" and "the Wheaton Ice Man."[7]
After graduation, Grange enrolled at theUniversity of Illinois, where he joined theZeta Psi fraternity.[5] At first he had planned to compete only inbasketball and track, but changed his mind once he arrived and joined coachBob Zuppke'sFighting Illini football team. Grange was the roommate of college basketball player and future college basketball coachJohn Mauer. Grange also modeled for local men's clothing store, Jos. Kuhn and Co., as a floor model, common for Illini athletes at the time,[8] and was an amateur boxer.[9]General Grange played for the team from1923 to1925. In his first collegiate football game, he scored threetouchdowns againstNebraska.[5] In seven games as a sophomore, he ran for 723 yards and scored 12 touchdowns, and led Illinois to an undefeated season and theHelms Athletic Foundation national championship.[10] His younger brotherGarland also played football for the school.[11]
He drew national attention for his performance in the October 18,1924, game againstMichigan, in the grand opening game of the newMemorial Stadium, built as a memorial to Illini students and alumni who had died inWorld War I.[5] The Michigan Wolverines entered the game as favorites, having won a national title the previous year. Grange returned the opening kickoff for a 95-yard touchdown. He then scored three more touchdowns on runs of 67, 56, and 44 yards, all in the first 12 minutes of the game.[10] In the second half, Grange scored a fifth touchdown on an 11-yard run and also threw a 20-yard touchdown pass. To top it off, playing defense, he intercepted two passes. Michigan coachFielding Yost said, "All Grange can do is run," to which Zuppke, referring to a famed opera star of the age, responded, "And allGalli-Curci can do is sing."[12]
The game inspiredGrantland Rice to write this poetic description:
A streak of fire, a breath of flame
Eluding all who reach and clutch;
A gray ghost thrown into the game
That rival hands may never touch;
A rubber bounding, blasting soul
Whose destination is the goal — Red Grange of Illinois![13]
Chicago sportswriterWarren Brown nicknamed Grange "The Galloping Ghost". When asked in a 1974 interview, "Was it Grantland Rice who dubbed you the Galloping Ghost?" Grange replied, "No, it was Warren Brown, who was a great writer with theChicago American in those days."[5]
Before the1925 season, Grange was approached by Champaign movie theater ownerC. C. Pyle, who asked, "How would you like to make one hundred thousand dollars, maybe even a million?"[14] After Grange agreed, he was told to stay in contact but remain silent on their meeting. Grange and Pyle eventually came to an agreement that they would split all proceeds 60–40, with Pyle paying all promotional expenses out of his share.[15]
_signing_professional_contract_with_the_Chicago_Bears_in_November_1925_as_George_Halas_(left)_and_Grange%2527s_manager_C._C._Pyle_look_on.jpg)
Pyle traveled to Chicago to meetChicago Bears ownersGeorge Halas andEdward Sternaman to outline a professional contract for Grange, organizing a barnstorming tour that spanned 19 games and 67 days, including games in Florida. As part of their agreement, the Bears received 50 percent of the ticket gate, while Pyle and Grange got the other half.[16][7] Pyle returned toChampaign shortly afterwards and let Grange know that arrangements had been made for him to join the Bears after his last game playing for Illinois.[15]
Considering Grange's popularity, rumors began surrounding his future after completing his senior year, including professional football and acting. A petition was also created to convince him to run for theRepublican Party'sat-large nomination for the70th United States Congress; although he was only 22 years old at the time, supporters argued he would be within six months of the minimum age of 25 when the Congress opened in December 1927.[17] Despite the speculation, Grange and those connected with him tried to dodge any inquiries that might affect his college athlete eligibility; when approached about a career in pro football, he denied it. He also turned down a potential college coaching career owing to low pay.[18]
Featuring a roster of mostly sophomores and backups, the Illini opened the season 1–3, including losing 14–0 in the season opener to Nebraska for their first loss at Memorial Stadium. This was followed by a 16–13 win overButler and two straight losses toIowa andMichigan; although Grange was contained against Nebraska and Michigan, he scored two touchdowns against Butler and on the opening kickoff against Iowa.[19] During the Michigan game, Zuppke moved Grange toquarterback, but was a "marked man" in the defeat.[20]
In the Illini's next game against theUniversity of Pennsylvania, they faced a Quaker team considered one of the best in the eastern United States. In front of 60,000 fans, Grange recorded a career-high 237 yards through deep mud and scored three touchdowns; Penn struggled to keep up, prompting some Illinois lineman to call "Illinois rules the East!" prior to each play. On one play, Grange debuted theflea flicker, atrick play designed by Zuppke in which fullbackEarl Britton received the snap from a fake field goal formation, which he threw to right endChuck Kassel, who lateraled back to Grange and ran for the score.[21] As Illinois won 24–2,Laurence Stallings, a famed war correspondent for theNew York World, said, "This story's too big for me. I can't write it."[10]
Columnist Damon Runyon wrote in his game recap, "This man Red Grange of Illinois is three or four men, and a horse rolled into one for football purposes. He isJack Dempsey,Babe Ruth,Al Jolson,Paavo Nurmi andMan o'War. Put them all together. They spell Grange."[22] When the team returned the next Monday, a contingent of 20,000 that included students and the mayors ofUrbana andChampaign greeted them; when Grange tried to dodge the crowd, he was spotted and carried to his fraternity house.[23] After the game, his number 77 was retired by the University of Illinois.[note 2]
Against theChicago Maroons, Grange recorded –8 total rushing yards and 64 all-purpose yards in abysmal conditions.[25] The following week againstWabash, he only appeared in the fourth quarter to call signals and did not record stats, as the backups played much of the game.[26]
Grange's final college game came againstOhio State in Columbus. Before the game, theChampaign News-Gazette conducted an interview with Grange and confronted him about signing a professional contract, which he firmly denied before leaving.[27] In Columbus, Grange restricted himself to his hotel room to avoid the media, including having a teammate impersonate him for a pre-game parade.[28] NFL PresidentJoseph Carr, who had owned the local NFL teamColumbus Panhandles, considered attending the game before he was hospitalized withappendicitis.[29] In front of 85,000 fans, Grange recorded 113 rushing yards on 21 carries and 42 passing yards on nine throws as Illinois won 14–9.
In his 20-game college career, Grange ran for 3,362 yards, caught 14 passes for 253 yards, and completed 40 of 82 passes for 575 yards. Of his 31 touchdowns, 16 were from at least 20 yards, with nine from more than 50 yards.[10] He scored at least one touchdown in every game he played but the Nebraska game. He earnedAll-America recognition three consecutive years and appeared on the cover ofTime on October 5, 1925.[10]
In 2002, the NCAA published "NCAA Football's Finest," researched and compiled by the NCAA Statistics Service.[30] For Grange they published the following statistics:
| Year | Carries | Rush yards | Average | Pass attempts | Completions | Pass yards | Interceptions | Plays | Total offense | Touchdowns | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | 129 | 726 | 5.6 | 9 | 4 | 36 | 0 | 138 | 762 | 12 | 72 |
| 1924 | 113 | 743 | 6.6 | 44 | 26 | 433 | 4 | 157 | 1,176 | 13 | 78 |
| 1925 | 146 | 605 | 4.1 | 29 | 10 | 106 | 7 | 175 | 711 | 6 | 36 |
| Total | 388 | 2074 | 5.4 | 82 | 40 | 575 | 11 | 470 | 2649 | 33 | 186 |
After the 1925Ohio State game, Grange formally announced his intention to sign with theChicago Bears, but other NFL teams also expressed interest in signing him. TheRochester Jeffersons made a last-ditch effort to sign him at a salary of $5,000 per game, but were unable to do so, a key factor in the team's demise.[31] TheNew York Giants also reportedly offered $40,000 to him, a claim denied by team executiveHarry March while ownerTim Mara noted the NFL did not allow college players to sign with teams and also had limits on how much money a team could offer.[32] Still, Mara visited Chicago the same day that Grange signed with the Bears and secured a game against them in December.[29]
Grange's decision was vilified by those in college football; at the time, professional football was viewed as a commercialized, weaker brand of its college counterpart. Head coachesAmos Alonzo Stagg and Yost of theUniversity of Chicago,University of Michigan,University of Illinois athletic directorGeorge Huff, and Zuppke were noted opponents.[33] Yost once commented, "I'd be glad to see Grange do anything else except play professional football."[29] During their return to their hotel from the Ohio State game, Zuppke repeatedly ordered their taxi driver to take various routes to prolong the ride and allow him to convince Grange to reconsider his decision. In response, Grange questioned why he should not be allowed to be paid for playing football if Zuppke was receiving pay as a coach. The two would not meet again until an Illini team banquet weeks later; during his speech, Zuppke openly criticized Grange, prompting an incensed Grange to leave.[34] In January 1926, Herbert Reed ofThe Outlook wrote an article titled "De-Granging Football" that used Grange's surname as a verb: to "grange" a game means to exploit it.[35]
On November 22, he formally hired Pyle as his agent and signed with the Bears.[36] The contract earned him a salary and share of gate receipts that amounted to $100,000, during an era when typical league salaries were less than $100/game.[10] Prior to joining his new teammates, he attended the Bears' game against theGreen Bay Packers atCubs Park, a game they won 21–0.[29] FormerYale playerTim Callahan also announced he had secured Grange for a December Florida league he had organized.[37]
Grange is the last player to play both college football and in the NFL in the same season. In 1926, the NFL passed the "Red Grange Rule" to forbid further players from doing the same, along with requiring NFL hopefuls' graduating classes to have left college, though both clauses would be tested in various instances.[29][38] In 1930, the Bears signedNotre Dame fullbackJoe Savoldi although he had withdrawn from school and been kicked off the team, a violation of the Grange Rule's graduating class prerequisite. The Bears argued that since Savoldi had been expelled, he was technically no longer a member of his Class of 1931; the team would be fined $1,000 for each game Savoldi played in.[39][40][41] The NFL also maintained the rule prohibiting players from appearing in college and NFL games in the same season whenTCU running backKenneth Davis attempted to join the league after being suspended one game into his senior year in 1986.[42]
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Grange made hisNational Football League debut on November 26,Thanksgiving Day, against theChicago Cardinals. With only three days of practice in the Bears'T formation (he had played in thesingle wing offense in college), he recorded 92 rushing yards and an interception in the scoreless tie.[44] A crowd of 40,000 attended the game.[45] In the next game against theColumbus Tigers, he threw a touchdown pass and recorded 171 yards as the Bears won 14–7.[46] Shortly after, Britton signed with the Bears, reuniting him with Grange.[47]
In December, the Bears' schedule grew with eight games between December 2 and 13, including three against local all-star teams.[48] The first game, against the Donnelly All-Stars atSportsman's Park in St. Louis, saw Grange score four touchdowns in a 39–6 blowout.[49] On December 5, he scored two touchdowns including the game-winner against theFrankford Yellow Jackets.[50] The next day, between 65,000 and 73,000 people showed up at thePolo Grounds to watch Grange, helping save the Giants' franchise from financial debt.[10][51] Grange scored a touchdown on a 35-yard interception return in the Bears' 19–7 victory. Offensively, he ran for 53 yards on 11 carries, caught a 23-yard pass, and completed two of three passes for 32 yards.[10] Before their next game against aWashington, D.C. all-star team, Pyle and Grange elected to remain in New York to promote themselves, receiving various endorsements.[52]
In Washington, D.C., the Bears visited PresidentCalvin Coolidge; when he was introduced to the team and shook hands with Grange, Coolidge responded, "Glad to meet you. I always did like animal acts."[43][53] Although the Bears defeated Washington 19–0, Grange recorded only 16 rushing yards, no receiving and return yards, failed to complete a pass attempt (including one interception), and missed a field goal.[54]
Despite the victories, the grueling schedule led to a rise in injuries. Grange had been hit in the left arm during the Giants game, causing it to swell by the team's next game against theProvidence Steam Roller. The pain from the injury was too great for Grange, who could not bring himself to return a punt and allowed it to sail over his head; he was eventually pulled in the 9–6 loss.[55] The match was widely criticized by fans and media, with one article commenting the "Grange bubble appears dangerously near the bursting point. Beneath the withering, pitiless spotlight of publicity, the red-headed youngster's fame may melt away like some of his own ice, leaving only a little dank, malodorous saw-dust."[56] College football figures proclaimed the game as evidence of professional football's inferiority; referee E. J. O'Brien described it as a "dismal failure." However, others likePrinceton andYale University players Herbert Treat and Carl Flanders defended the sport and the Bears. Flanders added that, in his view, professional football had "a bright future."[57]
"I was booed for the first time in my football career in the Boston game," Grange wrote in his autobiography. "It made me aware of something I had never thought of before—that the public's attitude toward a professional football player is quite different from the manner in which they view a college gridder. A pro's performance is evaluated much more critically and he is less likely to be forgiven when a mistake is made. A pro must deliver, or else."[58]
Following the game, Grange hired E. B. Cooley as his personal doctor.[59] Cooley was the father of Grange's friend and personal adviser Marion "Doc" Cooley, who was serving the position alongside their university classmate Dinty Moore. At Grange's father's request, his close friend Lyman "Beans" DeWolf also joined the team as a confidant.[60]
The Bears' next game against a Pittsburgh all-star group saw the team in poor condition; before kickoff, former All-AmericanBo McMillin visited the team in the locker room and advised Grange to not play upon seeing his arm.[61] At the start, only ten players were on the field, forcing Halas to choose between two injured linemen to serve as the required 11th man; centerGeorge Trafton was selected as he was able to at least stand and walk. Trainer Andy Lotshaw, who had never played football, was called upon to play tackle.[55] Twelve minutes into the game, Grange attempted to block for halfbackJohnny Mohardt, but suffered a torn ligament and a broken blood vessel in his arm, the latter of which resulted in artery hemorrhaging.[62] The Bears ultimately lost 24–0.[61]
With Grange hurt, Chicago canceled a game against an all-star team in Cleveland, prompting the organizer to sue forbreach of contract.[63] Although Grange expressed confidence in playing the next game against theDetroit Panthers, he was forced to miss it after a blood clot developed in his arm; the Bears lost 21–0.[64][65] The final game of the December tour against the Giants ended in a 9–0 defeat.[66] "No other team before or since has ever attempted such a grueling schedule as the 1925 Bears and I'm sure never will," Grange wrote in his autobiography.[67]
In ten games, the Bears went 5–4–1.[48]
On December 21, the Bears traveled to Florida to play in Callahan's Florida league.[68] To avoid further injuries like in the first tour, the team elected to have week-long breaks between stretches in which they played games on consecutive days.[69] In their first game four days later against aCoral Gables, Florida team, Grange scored the lone touchdown and recorded 89 rushing yards in the 7–0 win.[70]
In the days leading to the next game against theTampa Cardinals on January 1, 1926, rumors surfaced of Grange participating in a boxing match, but he did not accept.[9][71] The evening before the game, Grange, driving a car accompanied by golfersJim Barnes andJohnny Farrell and Olympic swimmerHelen Wainwright, was arrested for speeding at 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) (the speed limit was 45 mph (72 km/h)). The four were released after Grange gave the police officer $25.[72] In the Bears' 17–3 victory over the Cardinals, he scored on a 70-yard touchdown run.[73]
Before departing Tampa, Grange and Pyle invested $17,000 apiece in real estate to capitalize on theFlorida land boom of the 1920s, but hurricanes led to the period's end.[74] The day after the Cardinals game, the Bears played a Jacksonville team featuring formerStanford All-AmericanErnie Nevers. Although Nevers excelled in the game, Grange threw a 30-yard touchdown pass in the 19–6 win.[75]
Following a one-week rest period, the Bears took on a Southern-based all-star team inNew Orleans.[76] Grange had 136 rushing yards and a touchdown, along with a 51-yard punt return that was nullified by a holding penalty, as the Bears shut out New Orleans 14–0.[75] Afterwards, the team went toLos Angeles to play theLos Angeles Wildcats, led byWashington Huskies football starGeorge "Wildcat" Wilson, an admirer of Grange who agreed to participate as the game offered the chance to play against him.[77] Wilson would also lead future opponents on the tour inSan Francisco,Portland, andSeattle. With approximately 65,000 in attendance at theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Bears defeated the Tigers 17–7 as Grange scored a touchdown.[78] The Bears followed by winning 14–0 against a team inSan Diego, a game in which Grange considered himself "listless throughout" until he recorded a two-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.[79] Against the San Francisco Tigers inKezar Stadium, he was limited to 41 rushing yards and threw an interception in the 14–9 loss.[80][81]
In Portland, Grange and Britton combined for five touchdowns, including three by the latter.[82] Grange threw a 15-yard touchdown pass toLaurie Walquist and ran 45 yards for a second,[83][84] but exited the 60–3 win before halftime after getting hurt in a pile-up.[85]
On January 31, a day after the Portland game, the Bears played the Seattle All-Stars. Grange scored two touchdowns (36-yard run and 31-yard pass) and recorded 99 rushing yards in the 34–0 victory,[86] while Wilson and teammateRollie Corbett suffered injuries; the latter broke his leg, leading to Grange, Pyle, and Wilson establishing a fund to support him. The three donated $50 each.[87]
The Bears went 8–1 in the late December and January tour.[48] Immediately following the Seattle game, Pyle issued Grange's final rookie check of $50,000. In his rookie season, Grange made approximately $125,000. "Charlie had kept his word. Now I thought I could go on to make it a million," Grange wrote in his autobiography.[79]
Grange's barnstorming tours are generally considered to have saved the NFL and professional football, though detractors have criticized this narrative considering his injuries and unimpressive performances.
In a February 1926 article, theChicago Tribune's Don Maxwell wrote that although Grange was typically outperformed by his teammates while attendance for the Florida games was poor and organizers lost money, his star status drew interest, especially on the West Coast, and the money he made was more than he "could have made in any other business in the same period."[88] On the other hand, in 1991, Vito Stellino ofThe Baltimore Sun compared Grange's decision to join the NFL toHerschel Walker electing to sign with the newly formedUnited States Football League in the 1980s; although Walker was a popular name, the USFL ultimately collapsed. Stellino instead suggested television helped grow the NFL, while Grange's legend was "too embedded into the American sports psyche to disprove now. Anyway, it's a better story than the reality."[89]
According to football historian John M. Carroll, critics believed the tours created the notion that professional football was a circus led by certain superstars, which posed a risk to such players should they decide to play while injured. Others fearedgames could be fixed to favor the star players, withBrooklyn Dodgers owner/playerShipwreck Kelly alleging he had reached an agreement with Halas and the Bears to let Grange make a long run in a 1934 postseason exhibition game. However, Carroll also added Grange helped expedite the NFL's growth:[48]
Because there are so many variables to consider, it is difficult to state with certainty Grange's role in the rise of professional football. We can safely say that Grange did not save a faltering NFL in 1925. The preponderance of evidence suggests that Grange's emergence as pro football's first real superstar propelled the NFL and pro football in general forward in establishing the game as a major league sport. The line of progress was halting and certainly Grange was only one of the forces that contributed to the rise of pro football. But Grange deserves some of the accolades accorded him as a pivotal individual in the emergence of the professional game.
In 1985, Grange emphasized the tours' importance to the NFL but noted that the league offered little support to the players from the era: "I complained a few times, because we had guys in hospitals, guys who had had amputations because of football injuries. Guys who had problems. I thought the game could have done something for them, but it never did. As far as I know, pro football hasn't done anything for anybody except lately, and that's mostly for itself. I never made a real stink about it, but I was sad for the oldtimers."[90]
After the January tour, Pyle approached George Halas and Dutch Sternaman about buying an interest in the Bears, but was turned down. In response, he and Grange attempted to form their own team, theNew York Yankees, and gain entry into the NFL. Although they acquired a five-year lease to play atYankee Stadium, Mara intervened as he felt the Yankees infringed on his Giants' territorial rights.[91][92]
To challenge the NFL, Grange and Pyle formed the nine-teamAmerican Football League.[93] Wilson, who had been approached by Pyle about becoming his client,[94] joined the league as a member of the Wildcats, while Grange's Bears teammates Mohardt andJoey Sternaman played for theChicago Bulls.[95] In 1926, the Yankees went 9–5 to finish second in the standings.
After the season, the team embarked on a ten-game barnstorming tour to Texas and California alongside Wilson's Wildcats. In late December, in what Grange wrote was "about the only memorable part of the tour", he and his teammates were arrested inDallas fordisturbing the peace and reportedly being intoxicated, the latter of which the group denied; Grange explained the incident transpired when the team visited a hotel at 4 AM after being recommended the spot as a nightlife location by a local policeman.[96] After the players were ordered by the hotel manager to leave the lobby for the noise they were creating, the police confronted them and the ensuing argument led to officers throwing teammatePooley Hubert. They were eventually arrested and jailed, but were released after paying $10 as they had to play a game inBeaumont that day.[97]
The AFL shut down after one season and the Yankees were added to the NFL. On October 17, 1927, the Yankees were shut out 12–0 by the Bears in Chicago. With a minute remaining in the game, Grange suffered a severe knee injury when he was hit by centerGeorge Trafton while trying to catch a pass fromEddie Tryon. As he landed, Grange's cleat caught in the field, causing him to twist his knee when Trafton fell on him.[98] Revealed to be a torntendon, he underwent adiathermy to treat it after water started to form.[99] The injury ultimately affected Grange's speed and running ability, though he remained serviceable for the rest of his career. "After it happened, I was just another halfback," Grange commented.[100]
Four weeks after the Bears game, Grange returned against the Cardinals at quarterback to honor his contract. Although his injury worsened, the Yankees won 20–6 and he ultimately finished the season.[101] After the year, he and the Yankees participated in another barnstorming tour against West Coast teams led by Wilson andBenny Friedman. Grange explained his decision to keep playing in his autobiography: "At the young age of twenty-four, I refused to believe that I couldn't bounce back to my old form. I was positive I could play myself back into shape. But those additional games only served to further aggravate my condition and, when the tour was ended, it became apparent I had done irreparable damage to the knee. For the first time since I was hurt, nearly four months before, I began worrying over the possibility that I might be through as a football player."[102]
The contract between Pyle and Grange expired in January 1928, but Grange decided not to renew due to his injury and withdrew his stake in the Yankees. Without Grange, the Yankees went 4–8–1 before shutting down for financial reasons.[103] Grange missed the entire 1928 season before returning to the Bears for 1929.[104]
The two highlights of Grange's later NFL years came in consecutive championship games. In the unofficial 1932 championship, Grange caught the game-winning touchdown pass fromBronko Nagurski. It was argued the pass was illegal.[105] In the 1933 championship, Grange made a touchdown-saving tackle that saved the game and the title for the Bears.[106]
He was a very modest person, who insisted that even the ordinary plumber or electrician knows more about his craft than he does. He said he could not explain how he did what he did on the field of play, and that he just followed his instincts.[107]
Upon ending his playing career in 1934, Grange became the backfield coach for the Bears.[108] Although Halas had offered him the team's head coaching position, he declined as he "never had any ambition to be a head coach in either the professional or college ranks."[109] He remained in the position until 1937.[110]
Pyle realized that as the greatest football star of his era, Grange could attract moviegoers, as well as sports fans.[111] In 1926, he made his cinematic debut in the silent filmOne Minute to Play; Grange described the production process as "the worst drudgery I'd ever experienced". Due to California's summer heat and the story taking place in the Midwest during autumn, the studio struggled to findextras willing to dress in warmer clothing. As such, Pyle promoted the movie's climactic final game between the school of Grange's character Red Wade and that of the antagonist George Wilson, who had played against Grange on the barnstorming tour, as a genuine exhibition game with fans dressed in fall attire being granted free admission.[112] The movie and Grange's performance received positive reviews, with oneChicago Tribune movie critic writing, "If you've never seen Red Grange play football, now's your chance, for he plays it like every thing in this picture."
AlthoughThe Minneapolis Star's Agnes Taafee criticized various scenes for their lack of realism, she praised Grange's performance.[113]Film Booking Offices of America headJoseph P. Kennedy Sr. also asked Grange to consider retiring from football to enter acting full-time, but he declined.[112]
The following year, he appeared inA Racing Romeo (1927), anauto racing-themed film. Grange had requested to perform his own racingstunts butCliff Bergere was hired to take his place. The movie ultimately flopped at thebox office, which Grange speculated was due to weaker promotion than withOne Minute to Play.[114] While sitting out the 1928 season to heal his knee injury, he and father Lyle joined Chicago film distributorFrank Zambreno on a nationwidevaudeville tour titledC'Mon Red.[103]
Grange also starred in a 12-part serial seriesThe Galloping Ghost in 1931. He performed his own stunts for the serial, including vehicular chases and fight scenes, in what he wrote was "The most strenuous work I have ever done in my life". With the rise ofsound film, Grange struggled to adapt to having speaking roles.[115]
In his autobiography, Grange wrote of his acting career: "I've always felt it represents one of the most memorable and worth-while chapters in my life. When I first reported for work in the film capital back in 1926, I was a shy, bashful, small-town boy despite the national prominence I had achieved for my football playing. Facing cameras, live audiences in the theaters, and mixing with all the stimulating people connected with show business did something for me. It gave me confidence and poise and made me feel a little bit more like a man of the world."[116]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | One Minute to Play | Red Wade | |
| 1927 | A Racing Romeo | ||
| 1931 | The Galloping Ghost | 'Red' G | Serial, (final film role) |
Grange departed professional football in 1937 and earned a living in a variety of jobs includingmotivational speaker and sportsannouncer. In 1937 he was sued for damages by May Battaglia who claimed permanent injury after being struck by Grange who had run a red light.[117] In the 1950s, he announced Bears games forCBS television and college football (including theSugar Bowl) forNBC. In the early ‘20s Grange had a romantic relationship with Helen (Morrissey) Flozak. Grange met Helen at the Morrison Hotel in Chicago, Illinois where Helen worked as a “hat check girl”. The couple had one daughter, Rosemary Morrissey - born March 1, 1928. The couple never married. Grange married his wife Margaret, nicknamed Muggs, in 1941, and they were together until his death in 1991. She was aflight attendant, and they met on a plane. The couple had no children.
During the 1940s, he was an insurance broker in Chicago.[118] In December 1944, he was voted president of the United States Football League, a newly formed "gridiron world series" with plans to begin the following year.[119] However, he left his position in June 1945 and the league subsequently folded without playing a game after the NFL expanded into its targeted markets.[120] Grange also led theNational Girls Baseball League as its president from 1947 to his resignation in 1949.[121][122][123]
In1950, he was elected as aRepublican to the Board of Trustees of University of the Illinois, on which he served from 1951 until 1955.[124]
His autobiography,The Red Grange Story, was first published in 1953. The book was written "as told to" Ira Morton, a syndicated newspaper columnist from Chicago.[125] Grange developedParkinson's disease in his last year of life and died on January 28, 1991, inLake Wales, Florida.[10]
To commemorate college football's 100th anniversary in 1969, theFootball Writers Association of America chose an all-time All-America team. Grange was the only unanimous choice.[10] 30 years later in 1999, he was ranked number 80 onThe Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. In 2008, Grange was also ranked #1 on ESPN's Top 25 Players In College Football History list.
In honor of his achievements at the University of Illinois, the school erected a 12-ft statue of Grange at the start of the 2009 football season. In 2011, Grange was announced as number one on the "Big Ten Icons" series presented by theBig Ten Network.
In 1931, Grange visitedAbington Senior High School inAbington, Pennsylvania, a suburb ofPhiladelphia. Shortly thereafter, the school adopted his nickname for the mascot in his honor, the Galloping Ghost.[126]
Wheaton Warrenville South High School's football field is named in his honor and the team is referred to as the Wheaton Warrenville South Red Grange Tigers. Annually, the Wheaton Warrenville South Boys Track and Field team hosts the Red Grange Invitational in honor of Grange's achievements in track and field.
On January 15, 1978, atSuper Bowl XII, Grange became the first person other than thegame referee totoss the coin at aSuper Bowl.
Every December, a junior college bowl game is held in his honor known as the Red Grange Bowl, in his home state of Illinois.
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