Ed Healey
| Ed Healey | |
|---|---|
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Position (s): Offensive tackle |
Jersey numbers: 13, 16 |
| born December 28, 1894 in Indian Orchand , Massachusetts | |
| died on December 9, 1978 in South Bend , Indiana | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1920 - 1927 | |
| College : Dartmouth College | |
| Teams | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Games | 88 |
| as a starter | 72 |
| Touchdown | 1 |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
| College Football Hall of Fame | |
Edward "Ed" Francis Healey, Junior (born December 28, 1894 in Indian Orchand , Massachusetts , USA ; † December 9, 1978 , South Bend , Indiana ) Nickname : Big Ed , was an American football player and coach. He played mostly as an offensive tackle . He was the first American football player whose club transfer a transfer fee was paid.
origin
Healey comes from a humble background. He attended Springfield Classical High School in Springfield and grew up on a farm outside Springfield. He had eight brothers and sisters. Healey's athletic stature was already noticed at school. At the request of the local trainer , he was already playing American football in high school with his father's permission. His father, who described himself as uneducated and hoped for a better life for his son, was ready to support him after he finished school when he was offered a scholarship.
Player career
College player
In 1914 Healey studied at the College of Holy Cross , but dropped out after a year. In 1916 he joined Dartmouth College , but had to interrupt his three-year study in 1918 due to his military service in the US Army in World War I , but continued after the end of the war in 1919. Healey didn't get much attention as a player on the college football team. He was mostly used as an end and his performance in this position was average. After completing his studies, he initially had no prospects for a career as a professional or semi-professional football player. He himself was all over the country looking for a job and was trying to get one with a railroad company in Omaha when he was referred to a newly formed football league by former University of Nebraska player Ed Shaw . He asked about the next venue - Rock Island - and decided to try it out as a professional player there.
Professional player
In 1920 the Rock Island Independents , who were already playing in a different league, joined the newly formed NFL . The strong and tall Ed Healey was not used as an end, but retrained to an offensive tackle. This was his breakthrough as a professional player. In 1922 he was discovered during the season by George Halas , the then coach of the Chicago Bears during a game of the Bears against the Independents and committed for a transfer fee of 100 US dollars . He was the first professional football player for whose club a transfer fee was paid. The move also had advantages for Healey. While conditions were very modest with his previous team, the stadium there had no showers and his team often played without a coach , he found showers in Wrigley Field , the then home of the Bears, and with Halas the Bears also had an excellent coach. He himself received an initial salary of 100 US dollars per game in Chicago , but the Bears initially only offered him a salary of 75 US dollars. In the course of his career, Healey was able to increase his income again significantly. Healey's signing was a stroke of luck for the Bears. Healey was responsible for protecting his own quarterbacks and also had the task of blocking the way into the opposing end zone for his own running backs . He coped with this task with flying colors and was elected all-pro in all playing years that he served in Chicago .
It was also the fast Healey who was responsible for two of the most spectacular plays in NFL history. In 1924 he tackled a teammate immediately in front of his own end zone who had previously caught an interception , but then ran the ball in the wrong direction. Two years later, he intercepted an opposing running back that was broken by the Bears defense . In order to be able to catch up with the player, Healey had to jump over several teammates like a hurdler and was thus able to prevent the Los Angeles Buccaneers touchdown that was already believed to be safe .
In 1924, the Bears crowned themselves (albeit unofficial) champions. They beat the Cleveland Bulldogs on December 7, 1924. However, since the NFL had assumed that the season had ended on November 30, 1924, the Cleveland team was crowned champions.
In 1926 his teammate Red Grange moved to the New York Yankees and Healey also received a contract offer with an income of 10,000 US dollars per year from CC Pyle , the owner of this football team, which was still playing in a competitive NFL league in 1926. At that point, he was earning $ 150 per game in Chicago, equivalent to earning $ 1,500 for a season. His teammate, who later became a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Paddy Driscoll , was the highest-paid player in Chicago in 1926 - he received $ 5,000 in one round. Healey, who didn't like and didn't trust Pyle anyway, informed Halas about the contract offer and it was agreed to increase the income of the offensive tackle significantly, although the exact amount was never published.
Healey ended his career in 1927.
After the playing / coaching career
Healey worked after his playing career as a businessman and was a representative of various companies. As before his career, he was constantly traveling in the USA, changing his place of residence and work several times. He remained loyal to American football and was an assistant coach at the University of Notre Dame and Creighton University as well as coach of various high school teams. Healey died at the age of 83 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Niles , Michigan .
Honors
Healey is a member of the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team , the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the College Football Hall of Fame . He was voted All-Pro five times .
Web links
- Healey with the Chicago Bears
- Ed Healey's grave site
- Short biography ( memento from February 26, 2011 in the web archive archive.today )
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 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Healey measurements
- ↑ Official annual statistics of the Bears 1924
- ^ History of the Chicago Bears ( March 1, 2009 memento in the Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Healey, Ed |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Healey, Edward Francis Junior. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player and coach |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 28, 1894 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Indian Orchand , Massachusetts , USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 9, 1978 |
| Place of death | South Bend , Indiana |