44 Facts About Emlen Tunnell

Emlen Tunnell was the first African-American to play for the New York Giants and the first to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Emlen Tunnell served in the United States Coast Guard from 1943 to 1946.

Emlen Tunnell received the Silver Lifesaving Medal for heroism in rescuing a shipmate from flames during a torpedo attack in 1944 and rescuing another shipmate who fell into the sea in 1946.

Emlen Tunnell next played 14 seasons in the National Football League as a safety and return specialist for the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers.

Emlen Tunnell was selected as a first-team All-Pro six times and played in nine Pro Bowls.

Emlen Tunnell was a member of NFL championship teams in 1956 and 1961.

Emlen Tunnell was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, though sources conflict as to his year of birth.

Emlen Tunnell listed his birth date as March 29,1923, on his 1942 draft card and on his 1950 application for World War II benefits.

Emlen Tunnell grew up in the Garrett Hill neighborhood of Radnor Township, approximately eight miles northwest of Philadelphia.

Emlen Tunnell's parents were divorced when Tunnell was young, and he and three siblings were raised by his mother, Catherine, who worked as a housekeeper in the homes of wealthy families in the Philadelphia Main Line area.

Emlen Tunnell attended Radnor High School where he was a star halfback in 1940 and 1941.

Emlen Tunnell was included in the inaugural class of inductees to the Radnor High School Hall of Fame in 2003.

Emlen Tunnell enrolled at the University of Toledo in the fall of 1942 and played college football as a halfback for Toledo Rockets football team.

Emlen Tunnell was described as the "main spring" of Toledo's offense in the first part of the 1942 season.

Emlen Tunnell recuperated sufficiently to help lead the Toledo Rockets men's basketball team to the finals of the 1943 National Invitation Tournament.

In May 1943, Emlen Tunnell enlisted in the United States Coast Guard.

Emlen Tunnell was next stationed at San Francisco and Alameda from August 1944 to October 1945.

Emlen Tunnell played basketball for the San Francisco Coast Guard, scoring 13 points in a December 1944 game against the California Golden Bears.

In March 1946, while stationed at Naval Station Argentia in Newfoundland, Emlen Tunnell rescued a shipmate who fell from the USS Tampa.

Emlen Tunnell jumped into the 32-degree water and saved his drowning shipmate.

In 2011, Emlen Tunnell was posthumously recognized by having the gymnasium on Coast Guard Island named in his honor and was awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal for his heroism in rescuing his shipmate on the Tampa.

Emlen Tunnell was honorably discharged from the Coast Guard in April 1946.

Emlen Tunnell enrolled at the University of Iowa in the fall of 1946.

Three weeks later, Emlen Tunnell quit the team after an argument with backfield coach Frank Carideo.

Emlen Tunnell apologized and was reinstated two days later, but he played "sparingly" in the final two games of the 1947 season.

Emlen Tunnell left Iowa in January 1948 in order to make some money to enable him to return and play football in the fall.

Emlen Tunnell was told by school officials that, in order to be eligible to play football again in the fall, he would need to return for summer school and make up for a class he failed in the fall.

On July 24,1948, Emlen Tunnell signed with the New York Giants.

Emlen Tunnell was the first African American signed by, and the first to play for, the Giants.

Emlen Tunnell later wrote that he hitchhiked from his family home in Garrett Hill to New York City to meet Jack Mara, son of Giants founder Tim Mara, and ask for a try out.

Emlen Tunnell was a key element in the Giants' famed "umbrella defense" that shut down the passing game of opponents in the early 1950s, and he was referred to as the Giants' "offense on defense".

Emlen Tunnell remained with the Giants for a total of 11 years from 1948 to 1958.

Emlen Tunnell recovered 15 fumbles and still holds franchise records with 257 punt returns for 2,206 yards and five touchdowns, which was good for an average of 8.6 yards per return.

Emlen Tunnell's total of 3,421 return yards is a franchise record.

In three years with the Packers, Emlen Tunnell saw reduced playing time, but helped to bolster the defense with his experience, worked to develop the team's young players, and became known as "an unofficial pastor" for the team.

Emlen Tunnell appeared in 13 games for the 1961 Packers team that won the NFL championship.

Emlen Tunnell saw playing time in red zone defensive situations.

Emlen Tunnell could fall back on experience and by watching an offensive player's move was seldom beat.

In March 1962, Emlen Tunnell announced his retirement as a player.

Emlen Tunnell has received numerous honors for his contributions to the sport, including the following:.

On June 2,2018, a statue of Emlen Tunnell was installed in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

In February 1965, Emlen Tunnell was promoted to assistant coach responsible for the Giants' defensive backs.

Emlen Tunnell suffered a minor heart attack in October 1974 and thereafter assumed a new position as the Giants' assistant personnel director.

In July 1975, Emlen Tunnell died from a heart attack during a Giants practice session at Pace University in Pleasantville, New York.