George Anderson McAfee was an American professional football player who was a back for the Chicago Bears from 1940 to 1941 and 1945 to 1950 in the National Football League.
19 Facts About George McAfee
2.
George McAfee was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
3.
George McAfee was the 10th of 12 children, and he often joked that the first children awake in the morning were the only ones who could wear shoes for the day.
4.
George McAfee earned a scholarship to play college football at Duke University in 1937.
5.
George McAfee led the Blue Devils to Southern Conference championships in 1938 and 1939.
6.
George McAfee earned All-America honors from the Associated Press, United Press, Central Press, and Newspaper Enterprise Association, among others.
7.
George McAfee was the second overall pick in the first round of the 1940 NFL Draft.
8.
George McAfee's second year in the League, 1941, was a banner year for McAfee: he led the league with a 7.3 rushing yards per carry while scoring a league-high 12 touchdowns in an 11-game season.
9.
George McAfee played four more seasons in the NFL, becoming more of a return specialist, especially after a disastrous 11-fumble season in 1948.
10.
George McAfee volunteered to join the United States Navy after the US entered World War II.
11.
George McAfee returned to Chicago in 1945 after missing almost 4 complete seasons during what would likely have been the prime of his pro career.
12.
George McAfee entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 1961, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1967, and the Duke Sports Hall of Fame in 1975, where he was a charter member.
13.
George McAfee was named to the NFL's 1940s All-Decade Team and the All-Time Two Way Team.
14.
Immediately upon his retirement, in 1950, George McAfee worked as an NFL referee for several years.
15.
George McAfee led McAfee Oil until he sold the company 30 years later.
16.
The brother with him whom he started the oil company, Wes George McAfee, had played football for Duke before being drafted to play in the NFL.
17.
George McAfee developed dementia in his later years and moved into Cypress Court, an assisted living facility specializing in Alzheimer's and memory care in Decatur, Georgia.
18.
In February 2009, George McAfee died from chemical burns after drinking a toxic substance that had not been properly locked up.
19.
The circumstances surrounding George McAfee's death were featured in the 2013 PBS Frontline documentary "Life and Death in Assisted Living".