50 Facts About Red Grange

Red Grange's signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League.

Red Grange was the only unanimous All-American selection in 1924, making him the first player in college football history to receive that honor.

In 2008, Red Grange was named the best college football player of all time by ESPN, and in 2011, he was named the Greatest Big Ten Icon by the Big Ten Network.

Shortly after his final college game in 1925, Red Grange joined the Bears and the NFL, embarking on a barnstorming tour that raised professional football's profile across the country.

Pyle formed the American Football League in 1926, with Red Grange playing for the Yankees.

Red Grange 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.

Red Grange is a charter member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

Red Grange was born on June 13,1903, in Forksville, Pennsylvania, a village of about 200 people among lumber camps.

Red Grange's mother died when he was just five years old.

For several years, the Red Grange family lived with relatives until they could finally afford a home of their own in Wheaton, Illinois.

In four years at Wheaton High School, Grange earned 16 varsity letters in football, baseball, basketball, and track; he scored 75 touchdowns and 532 points for the football team.

Red Grange was the roommate of college basketball player and future college basketball coach John Mauer.

General Red Grange played for the team from 1923 to 1925.

Red Grange drew national attention for his performance in the October 18,1924, game against Michigan, in the grand opening game of the new Memorial Stadium, built as a memorial to Illini students and alumni who had died in World War I The Michigan Wolverines entered the game as favorites, having won a national title the previous year.

Red Grange then scored three more touchdowns on runs of 67,56, and 44 yards, all in the first 12 minutes of the game.

Pyle traveled to Chicago to meet Chicago Bears owners George Halas and Edward Sternaman to outline a professional contract for Red Grange, organizing a barnstorming tour that spanned 19 games and 67 days, including games in Florida.

Pyle returned to Champaign shortly afterwards and let Red Grange know that arrangements had been made for him to join the Bears after his last game playing for Illinois.

Red Grange turned down a potential college coaching career owing to low pay.

On one play, Red Grange debuted the flea flicker, a trick play designed by Zuppke in which fullback Earl Britton received the snap from a fake field goal formation, which he threw to right end Chuck Kassel, who lateraled back to Red Grange and ran for the score.

Red Grange is Jack Dempsey, Babe Ruth, Al Jolson, Paavo Nurmi and Man o'War.

In Columbus, Red Grange restricted himself to his hotel room to avoid the media, including having a teammate impersonate him for a pre-game parade.

Red Grange scored at least one touchdown in every game he played but the Nebraska game.

Red Grange earned All-America recognition three consecutive years and appeared on the cover of Time on October 5,1925.

Red 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.

Red Grange is the last player to play both college football and in the NFL in the same season.

In 1930, the Bears signed Notre Dame fullback Joe Savoldi although he had withdrawn from school and been kicked off the team, a violation of the Red Grange Rule's graduating class prerequisite.

The next day, between 65,000 and 73,000 people showed up at the Polo Grounds to watch Red Grange, helping save the Giants' franchise from financial debt.

Red Grange had been hit in the left arm during the Giants game, causing it to swell by the team's next game against the Providence Steam Roller.

Twelve minutes into the game, Grange attempted to block for halfback Johnny Mohardt, but suffered a torn ligament and a broken blood vessel in his arm, the latter of which resulted in artery hemorrhaging.

The evening before the game, Red Grange, driving a car accompanied by golfers Jim Barnes and Johnny Farrell and Olympic swimmer Helen Wainwright, was arrested for speeding at 65 miles per hour.

The four were released after Red Grange gave the police officer $25.

We can safely say that Red Grange did not save a faltering NFL in 1925.

The line of progress was halting and certainly Red Grange was only one of the forces that contributed to the rise of pro football.

Four weeks after the Bears game, Red Grange returned against the Cardinals at quarterback to honor his contract.

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.

Red Grange missed the entire 1928 season before returning to the Bears for 1929.

Red Grange was a very modest person, who insisted that even the ordinary plumber or electrician knows more about his craft than he does.

Red Grange said he could not explain how he did what he did on the field of play, and that he just followed his instincts.

Pyle realized that as the greatest football star of his era, Red Grange could attract moviegoers, as well as sports fans.

In 1926, he made his cinematic debut in the silent film One Minute to Play; Red Grange described the production process as "the worst drudgery I'd ever experienced".

The movie ultimately flopped at the box office, which Red Grange speculated was due to weaker promotion than with One Minute to Play.

Red Grange 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".

Red Grange departed professional football in 1937 and earned a living in a variety of jobs including motivational speaker and sports announcer.

Red Grange married his wife Margaret, nicknamed Muggs, in 1941, and they were together until his death in 1991.

Red Grange was a flight attendant, and they met on a plane.

Red Grange led the National Girls Baseball League as its president from 1947 to his resignation in 1949.

Red Grange developed Parkinson's disease in his last year of life and died on January 28,1991, in Lake Wales, Florida.

In 2011, Red Grange was announced as number one on the "Big Ten Icons" series presented by the Big Ten Network.

In 1931, Red Grange visited Abington Senior High School in Abington, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia.

On January 15,1978, at Super Bowl XII, Red Grange became the first person other than the game referee to toss the coin at a Super Bowl.