Tuffy Leemans

Tuffy Leemans
Tuffy Leemans
Positions: running back , quarterback	Jersey number (s): 4
born November 12, 1912 in Superior, Wisconsin
died on January 19, 1979 in Hillsboro Beach, Florida
Career information
Active : 1936 - 1943
NFL Draft : 1936 / Round: 2 / Pick: 18
College : George Washington University , Oregon
Teams
New York Giants (1936-1943)
Career statistics
Gaining space in the running game	3,142 yards
Pass catches	28
Touchdowns in the running game	17th
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Career highlights and awards
2 × Pro Bowl (1938, 1941) 7 × All-Pro (1936–1942) 1 + 2 team MVP College All Star game 1936 NFL 1930s All-Decade Team Pro Football Hall of Fame ( inducted 1978) Back number blocked by Giants New York Giants Ring of Honor (2010)
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Alphonse "Tuffy" Emil Leemans (born November 12, 1912 in Superior , Wisconsin , † January 19, 1979 in Hillsboro Beach , Florida ) was an American American football player. He played as a quarterback and running back in the National Football League (NFL).

origin

Leemans attended Central High School in his hometown . He got his nickname "Tuffy" in his youth. Since he was repeatedly teased because of his unusual last name, he began to put up a physical defense. Usually, because of his physical superiority, he emerged the winner of these fights, which then earned him his nickname, but also the respect of the neighboring boys and his classmates.

Player career

college

In 1932 Leemans received a scholarship at the University of Oregon , but after only one year moved to George Washington University . For their college football team , the George Washington Colonials, he ran from 1933 to 1935. At both colleges he played mostly as fullback .

For the NFL, Leemans was discovered by a school boy. Wellington Mara , son of New York Giants owner Tim Mara, was on the school vacation and saw Leemans playing his colonials against the University of Alabama team's Alabama Crimson Tide . Mara was impressed by his athletic performance and recommended Leemans to his father. Leemans set several college records for his team while at George Washington University. He held the records for most running plays (490) and most yards of running play (2,382) during his season in Washington, DC

NFL

In 1936, Leemans was selected as expected by the New York Giants in the second round in 18th place in the NFL Draft . For the Giants overseen by Steve Owen , he ran as a running back and quarterback . In his first year he was voted All Pro because he had a season best with 830 yards in the running game . In 1938 he was able to prevail with his team in the NFL Championship Game with 23:17 against the Green Bay Packers . Leemans was able to score the game's first touchdown with a run. Although the Giants had a good quarterback with Ed Danowski , Leemans was also repeatedly used in this position. During his career, he scored 25 touchdowns from passing. Since he was occasionally used as a wide receiver , there are three more touchdowns from pass catches in his personal statistics. In 1942, Leemans suffered a head injury in a game against the Chicago Bears that resulted in the loss of hearing in one ear. He had to end his career early in 1943.

After the playing career

Leemans coached a high school team and owned a bowling alley in Maryland until his death . He is buried in the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Silver Spring , Maryland.

Honors

Leemans is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team . He played in two Pro Bowls and was nominated for All Pro seven times . His shirt number 4 is no longer awarded by the Giants, they also honor him on the New York Giants Ring of Honor .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Annual statistics of the Giants 1938
2. ↑ Tuffy Leemans's Tomb

Web links

• Biography of Tuffy Leemans (PDF; 29 kB)
• Tuffy Leemans with the Giants

source

• Jens Plassmann: NFL - American Football. The game, the stars, the stories (= Rororo 9445 rororo Sport ). Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1995, ISBN 3-499-19445-7 .