Keith Birlem
| Keith Birlem | |
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Positions: Quarterback End |
Jersey numbers: 81, 23 |
| born on May 4, 1915 in San José, California, USA | |
| died on May 7, 1943 in Polebrook, Great Britain | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1939 | |
| College : San Jose State College | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Games | 9 |
| Pass catches | 2 |
| Space gain through pass catchers | 17 yards |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Keith Gilles Birlem (born May 4, 1915 in San José , California , USA - † May 7, 1943 in Polebrook , Great Britain ) was an American football player and soldier . He played in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Cardinals and Washington Redskins .
Player career
Keith Birlem was born the son of an insurance broker in San José. He attended San Mateo High School . From 1936 he studied at the San José State College and played as quarterback for the San José Spartans football . At the college , he was also a swimmer operates. In 1939 he joined the Chicago Cardinals, trained by Ernie Nevers , as quarterback , but moved to the Washington Redskins, overseen by Ray Flaherty , during the season .
Military career
Birlem decided not to pursue his football career after the 1939 season. He continued his professional career with the United States Army Air Corps and was trained as a bomber pilot in California . In 1942 he became a captain promoted and assumed command of the 508th Bombardment Squadron of the 3 51st Bombardment Group (Heavy) in Spokane , Washington . Clark Gable also served in the unit . Promoted to major , he flew his first combat mission in World War II on his birthday in 1943 . His unit bombed a factory in Antwerp , Belgium . On May 7 of the same year he tried to make an emergency landing on his Boeing B-17 , which had been badly damaged by combat operations . He died with his crew in the crash of the aircraft. Birlem is buried in the Garden of Memories in Salinas , California. His college honors him in the SJSU Sports Hall of Fame .
Web links
- Obituary in the Washington Times
- Keith Birlem's grave in the Find a Grave database
- Keith Birlem at college
source
- Todd Anton, Bill Nowlin, Marv Levy , When Football Went to War , Triumph Books 2013, ISBN 9781623683092
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Birlem, Keith |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Birlem, Keith Gilles |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player and soldier |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 4, 1915 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | San Jose , California , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 7, 1943 |
| Place of death | Polebrook , United Kingdom |