Ken Kavanaugh

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ken Kavanaugh
Position (s):
End
Jersey number (s):
51
born November 23, 1916 in Little Rock , Arkansas
died on January 25, 2007 in Sarasota , Florida
Career information
Active : 1940 - 1950
NFL Draft : 1940 / Round: 2 / Pick: 22
College : Louisiana State University
Teams
Career statistics
Games     90
as a starter     29
Touchdown     50
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Career highlights and awards

as a player

as an assistant coach

College Football Hall of Fame

Kenneth William Kavanaugh (* 23. November 1916 in Little Rock , Arkansas , USA ; † 25. January 2007 in Sarasota , Florida ) was an American American football player . He played in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears as an end .

Player career

College career

Ken Kavanaugh was born in Little Rock to Charles and Lilian Kavanaugh. He also had a brother and a sister. Kavanaugh came from a modest economic background. He attended high school in his hometown and then studied from 1937 to 1939 at Louisiana State University . Passing moves found their way into football. Players like sure-footed, fast and hard-to-bring down Ken Kavanaugh were a key factor in his college . In 1937 Kavanaugh was able to move into the Sugar Bowl with his team . The game was lost, however. In 1939 he was the leading college-end in the US and was in his league for Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the All-American selected.

George Halas

Professional career

Kavanaugh played in 1940 as a professional baseball player for the Kilgore Boomers a farm team of the St. Louis Cardinals , a baseball team of Major League Baseball . He drew a monthly salary of 300 US dollars . In the same year he was in the second round in 22 out by that of George Halas trained Chicago Bears drafted . His football career was made dependent by those in charge of the NFL that he first played in the game of the College All-Stars against the Professional All-Stars in Chicago . Kavanaugh initially resisted, but then decided to terminate the baseball contract and went to the training camp of the college all-stars. George Halas offered him $ 100 a game if he played for the Bears. This was rejected by Kavanaugh, only after negotiations that dragged on for several days, Halas was willing to pay 300 US dollars per game.

The Bears were one of the leading teams in the NFL, in their team played numerous all-pro players, as well as later members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame , such as Dan Fortmann or Joe Stydahar . 1940 Kavanaugh was able to move into the NFL championship game for the first time . The Bears won the game 73-0 against the Washington Redskins . Kavanaugh scored the only touchdown catch of the game on throw from quarterback Sid Luckman . In 1941, the Bears moved into the final again and won against the New York Giants 37: 9. Kavanaugh, who was also used in defense at times , was able to secure a fumble and carry the ball into the opposing end zone . In 1946 the Giants were again the final opponent and lost with 24:14. Again Kavanaugh was able to catch a touchdown pass from Luckman. 1950 related the Bears in the NFL play-off game against the Los Angeles Rams a 24:14 defeat. After the game, Kavanaugh retired.

Although Halas was an advocate of the running game, Kavanaugh was able to score 50 touchdowns by passing play during the regular season . In 1947 and 1949 he caught 13 and nine touchdown passes, respectively, which was NFL season best.

Liberator
Boeing B-17

Military career

From 1942 to 1945 Kavanaugh did his military service with the USAAF . He was a bomber pilot and initially flew missions against German submarines in the Caribbean. In 1944 he was transferred to England and flew 30 sorties against the German Reich with Liberator and B-17 bombers . He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his exceptional achievements .

Coaching career

After his playing career, Kavanaugh was assistant coach with the Bears and was responsible for the wide receiver. He then worked in the same position at two universities before joining the Giants in 1955. As an assistant coach, he worked alongside Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi for 15 years at the Giants. In 1956 he won his fourth NFL championship with the Giants with a 47-7 win over the Bears. He then worked as a scout for the New York City team . In addition, he pursued various business activities, including running a cattle ranch.

Honors

Kavanaugh played twice in the Pro Bowl , the final game of the best players of the season. He was voted All-Pro three times . He is a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame , his college hall of fame, the Arkansas Hall of Fame, the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team and, since 1963, the College Football Hall of Fame .

family

Kavanaugh was married for 60 years. The couple spent the last years of their lives in Sarasota, Florida. Ann and Ken Kavanaugh had two children. They were socially committed until Ken Kavanaugh's death. Kavanaugh died of complications from pneumonia. His grave is not known.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Halas / Kavanaugh Salary Negotiations, page 6
  2. Annual statistics of the Bears 1940
  3. ↑ Endgame statistics 1940
  4. Annual statistics of the Bears 1941
  5. ↑ Endgame statistics 1941
  6. Annual statistics of the Bears 1946
  7. ↑ Endgame statistics 1946
  8. Annual statistics of the Bears 1950
  9. ^ Play-off game Rams versus Bears 1950, statistics
  10. ^ Annual statistics of the Giants 1956
  11. ↑ Endgame statistics 1956
  12. ^ Obituary New York Times