Bill George (football player)

Bill George
Position (s): Linebacker	Jersey number (s): 61
born October 27, 1929 in Waynesburg , Pennsylvania
died on September 30, 1982 in Rockford , Illinois
Career information
Active : 1952 - 1966
NFL Draft : 1951 / Round: 2 / Pick: 23
College : Wake Forest University
Teams
Chicago Bears (1952-1965) Los Angeles Rams (1966)
Career statistics
Games	173
Interceptions	18th
Fumbles secured	19th
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Career highlights and awards
NFL Champion (1963) 8 × Pro Bowl election (1954–1961) 8 × All-Pro election (1955–1961, 1963) 1st + 2nd team NFL 1950s All-Decade Team Chicago Bears Ring of Honor Number 61 blocked by the Bears Wake Forest Athletics Hall of Fame (1998) Pro Football Hall of Fame (1974)
Pro Football Hall of Fame

William J. "Bill" George (born October 27, 1929 in Waynesburg , Pennsylvania , † September 30, 1982 in Rockford , Illinois ) was an American American football player. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams .

Player career

Bill George was already a successful athlete in high school and won the Pennsylvania State Championship twice as a wrestler . Because of his achievements as a wrestler, he was offered numerous scholarships . He turned it down and joined Wake Forest University because he wanted to play football.

As a college football player , he was voted All-American for his athletic achievements . In 1951, George was by the by George Halas trained Chicago Bears drafted . In the following years the team of the Bears could be strengthened again and again. In 1955 the Bears signed Joe Fortunato , who would henceforth strengthen the Bears' defense as a linebacker . 1956 Paddy Driscoll took over the coaching office with the Bears and led the team in the NFL final . Opponents in the final were the New York Giants , who were also able to prevail with 47: 7. In 1958, Halas took over as coach again. It was not until 1963 that the Bears were able to qualify again for the NFL final and beat the Giants there with 14:10. The defense of the Bears around Joe Fortunato and team captain Bill George succeeded again and again to put the opposing quarterback under pressure. YA Tittle , who was actually known for his reliability, threw five interceptions in the game and thus contributed significantly to the victory of the Bears.

Due to numerous injuries, the seasons 1963 and 1964 were not very successful for George. After the 1965 season, George moved to the Los Angeles Rams and ended his playing career after a year in Los Angeles after 15 years. During his career he was able to secure 19 fumbles and intercept 18 passes of the opposing quarterback . Bill George was known for meticulously preparing for every game. So he kept lists of the strengths and weaknesses of his opponents and added them after each game. On the field he was the "extended arm" of George Halas and responsible for announcing the moves.

According to the NFL

Bill George died in a car accident in 1982 and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Barrington , Illinois.

Honors

William George played eight times in the Pro Bowl , the final game of the best players of the season. He was voted All-Pro eight times . The Chicago Bears have banned his number and honor him in the Chicago Bears Ring of Honor . He is a member of the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team , the Wake Forest Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame . The Sporting News magazine named him one of the top 100 football players of all time.

Web links

• Short biography ( memento from September 23, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
• Bill George with the Chicago Bears

source

• Lew Freedmann: ame of my life. Chicago Bears, Memorable Stories of Bears football. Ed .: Sports Pub. LLC Champaign, IL 2006, ISBN 1-59670-100-5 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Success as a wrestler .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )
2. ↑ 1956 Chicago Bears Statistics & Players. In: Pro-Football-Reference.com. Accessed March 5, 2018 . 
3. ^ Championship - Chicago Bears at New York Giants - December 30th, 1956. In: Pro-Football-Reference.com. Accessed March 5, 2018 . 
4. ↑ 1963 Chicago Bears Statistics & Players. In: Pro-Football-Reference.com. Accessed March 5, 2018 . 
5. ^ Championship - New York Giants at Chicago Bears - December 29th, 1963. In: Pro-Football-Reference.com. Accessed March 5, 2018 . 
6. ↑ Bill George (1929-1982). In: Find A Grave Memorial. Accessed March 5, 2018 . 
7. ^ NFL News, Scores, Schedule & Standings - Pro Football. In: The Sporting News. Archived from the original on November 19, 2003 ; accessed on March 5, 2018 .