| No. 37 | |
| Born: | (1917-10-04)October 4, 1917 Timpson, Texas, U.S. |
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| Died: | January 7, 1945(1945-01-07) (aged 27) Lingayen Gulf, Philippines |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| College | LSU |
| High school | San Jacinto (TX) |
| NFL draft | 1940, round: 20, pick: 187 |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1940 | Newark Bears |
| 1941 | Chicago Bears |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career stats | |
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| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | U.S. Navy |
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
Ruey Young Bussey (October 4, 1917 – January 7, 1945) was a professionalAmerican footballquarterback for theChicago Bears of theNational Football League (NFL). An all-star during his only season in the NFL, Bussey waskilled in action duringWorld War II. He was the only Bears player to die in the war.[1]
Ruey Young Bussey was born inTimpson, Texas, the youngest of Katherine Lee "Katie" Bussey (née Hughes) and Thomas Wade "Tom" Bussey's 13 children. The family later moved toHumble, located nearHouston. Tom worked several odd jobs, before landing a supervisory position at a firm that manufactured train equipment. However, he abandoned the family in 1928, and later died in March 1935. When Katie became the head of the household, Young worked to help to support the family by delivering milk, waking up at 3:00 AM to walk his delivery route.
Bussey excelled at sports, such as football,baseball,boxing,wrestling,swimming,diving,water polo,track and his favorite,basketball. By age 12, he had become so coordinated that his teacher had to “rig” thesoftball teams during recess in an attempt to prevent him from dominating the game. As a teenager, Bussey attendedSan Jacinto High School, where his athletic skills and brash antics drew large crowds at games and attracted the attention of local sports writers. His classmates at San Jacinto includedWalter Cronkite andDenton Cooley.
Bussey played football atLSU on ascholarship arranged bySenatorHuey Long. While there, he became a team captain and led LSU in rushing in1937, and in passing in both 1937 and1938. He and teammateKen Kavanaugh were also invited to try out for theChicago Bears.
Despite the time constraints of playing a sport and continuing to support his family via his milk delivery route, Bussey still managed to graduate with top grades and a degree inpetroleum engineering.
Bussey was drafted by theChicago Bears in the 20th round of the1940 NFL draft.[2] He quickly established a brazen reputation for himself, once telling Bears owner/coachGeorge Halas that "he'd come to be a winner and the coach needed to either trade established quarterbackSid Luckman or keep him on as Bussey's backup." TeammateBulldog Turner later opined that "[c]oaching Young was nearly impossible." Halas assigned Bussey to theAmerican Association'sNewark Bears, which Halas had recently purchased. Bussey excelled in Newark, becoming the AA's passing leader.
Bussey finally made the Bears' squad in1941, as Luckman's backup. He scored his first points in the NFL on October 5, throwing twotouchdowns in a 48-21 road victory over theCleveland Rams. He repeated this feat on October 12, in a 53–7 home victory over theChicago Cardinals. Bussey quickly became a favorite amongst Bears fans; as biographer Ralph Cushman wrote, "he had become the Bears' instant offense. The crowd quickly recognized his potential for electric action and screamed approval when he trotted into the arena. Actual records fail to define just how prolific Young was from the standpoint of points per minute of play...[he] often was sent in for a quick score and then was held in reserve as the Bears' defense dug in to preserve the lead."
Bussey appeared in 10 games during the 1941 regular season, completing 13 of 40 passes for 353 yards, five touchdowns, and threeinterceptions. He also tallied two interceptions while playing defense, as well as one 40-yardpunt return.[3] The final day of the season was December 7, the same dayPearl Harbor was bombed, and the playoffs continued even after the U.S.declared war on Japan. The Bears defeated theNew York Giants, 37–9, in the1941 NFL Championship Game on December 21; Bussey attempted just one pass, an 8-yard completion.
While waiting to bedrafted, Bussey took a job buildingLiberty ships for the Houston Shipbuilding Corporation. He briefly attended the Bears' training camp in the summer of1942, but Halas was committed to starting Luckman at quarterback. On August 28, Bussey played in the 1942 College All-Star Game in Chicago before a crowd of 101,103 spectators, throwing one touchdown in a 21–0 victory over the college players. Shortly after the game ended, he informed Halas of his intent toenlist. He did so the very next day, joining theNaval Reserve.
Bussey was sent toOfficer Candidate School, attained the rank oflieutenant (junior grade), and was assigned toUSS Warren (APA-53), anattack transport active in thePacific Theater. He received a commendation fromAdmiralRaymond A. Spruance, commander of theU.S. Fifth Fleet, for his actions as an assistantbeachmaster during theBattle of Guam in 1944. Bussey also saw action atKwajalein,Peleliu,Leyte, andLuzon, participating in a total of 10amphibious assaults. He was then namedWarren's head beachmaster for the upcomingInvasion of Lingayen Gulf. By this point, Bussey had become pessimistic about his chances of survival; while home on leave shortly before the invasion, Bussey confessed to his older brother Keefer (himself acombat engineer in theArmy) that he believed he "would not come out of his next landing alive," and gave Keefer his commemorative watch from the 1941 Championship Game. The night beforeGeneralWalter Krueger'sSixth Army landed on the beaches of Lingayen Gulf, Bussey turned over his personal effects toWarren'schaplain, telling him, "Tomorrow I make my ascension. Will you see that my mother gets these?"
True to his prediction, Bussey was killed on January 7, 1945, when hislanding craft took a direct hit from a Japanesemortar after getting stuck on a coral reef 75 yards (69 m) from the beach. The blast threw Bussey and most of the crew into the water; eyewitnesses reported that Bussey was struck in his left shoulder and chest, and that his left arm may have been completely blown off. He was last seen signalling his men with his right arm to take cover. Most of the crew of the landing craft were rescued, but Bussey was not among them, and his body was never recovered.
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