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There’s sad news to report from the upper echelons of the football world. Charley Trippi, who made his name as a Heisman Trophy finalist at Georgia before winning the NFL championship with the then-Chicago Cardinals, has died.
Trippi was 100 years old at the time of his death, and according to a press release sent out by the Bulldogs, he died peacefully at his home in Athens, Georgia.
Trippi was quite the athlete — both throwing and running the ball — and he earned a unanimous All-America selection in 1946 after leading the Bulldogs to an 11-0 record with a win over North Carolina in the Sugar Bowl. He rushed for 744 yards and passed for 622 that season, earning Heisman Trophy runner-up honors behind Glenn Davis.
He was drafted first overall in the 1945 NFL Draft by the Cardinals and went on to have a nine-season NFL career that saw him rush for 3,506 yards and 23 touchdowns while catching 1,321 yards and 11 touchdowns through the air. Oh, he also threw for 2,547 yards and 16 touchdowns during his NFL career. He did throw 31 interceptions, and while those quarterback numbers seem a bit skewed now — it’s important to remember that the 40s featured a whole different brand of football.
Trippi made it to two Pro Bowls and was voted All-Pro once. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959.
He’s the only player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame to have passed, rushed and received for 1,000-plus yards over a career.
A true legend.
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