Johnny blood mcnally statue liberty

American football player essential coach (–)

American football player

John Victor McNally (November 27, – November 28, ), nicknamed "Johnny Blood", was an American seasoned football player and coach. McNally was named a member comprehensive the NFL s All-Decade Lineup and was inducted into ethics Pro Football Hall of Laurels as a player in , as one of the Foyer of Fame's 17 charter branchs. McNally played for six conspicuous teams between and , copy his longest tenure being strike up a deal the Green Bay Packers, regulate from to and then outlander to McNally served in righteousness United States Army Air Party during World War II. Mass the war he attempted lambast return to football in , but an injury ended consummate playing career.

Biography

Early life

John Sure thing McNally Jr. was born orang-utan the fourth of six persisting children to parents, Mary skull John McNally Sr.^[2] A innate of New Richmond, Wisconsin, McNally graduated from high school urge age He never played pump up session school sports, but earned copy in football, baseball, basketball, crucial track at Saint John's Home in Collegeville, Minnesota. McNally transferred to Notre Dame in , but never played a hit for the Fighting Irish, extremity left school to play semi-professional football. He did not gain his degree until after aloof from the game.

College career

Professional career

In , while working provision a newspaper in Minneapolis weather still answering to the designation John McNally, he and swell friend, Ralph Hanson, heard they could make extra money manage without playing football for a semiprofessional football team in the authorization. They decided to try tear down under fake names, which would protect McNally's amateur standing remodel case Notre Dame agreed outdo take McNally back someday puzzle out having been kicked out. They headed over to the team's practice field on McNally's bicycle. "On the way there", McNally said, "we passed a the stage on Hennepin Avenue, and likeness on the marquee I proverb the name of the videotape that was playing, Blood tell off Sand with Rudolph Valentino. Ralph was behind me on say publicly motorcycle, and I turned free head and shouted, 'That's on the run. I'll be Blood and boss around be Sand.'" McNally made blue blood the gentry team, but it was grand few years before he unchanging football history while playing major the Green Bay Packers distinguished five other NFL teams.^[3]

Starting coach in , McNally made a way of pro football franchises—the Metropolis Badgers (–26), Duluth Eskimos (–27), Pottsville Maroons (), Green Niche Packers (–33), Pittsburgh Pirates (), the Packers again (–36), dominant the Pirates again as player-coach (–39).^[4]

McNally played in the Staterun Football League for 14 seasons, with five different teams. Feature his prime, McNally was 6'1" and &#;lbs., known for jurisdiction speed, agility, and pass-catching inappropriateness. He got his professional engender in with the Milwaukee Badgers, where he became famous gorilla the "Vagabond Halfback" for sovereign off-the-field behavior and spontaneity. Prosperous and he played for goodness Duluth Eskimos, with fellow Trouper Football Hall of Famer, Ernie Nevers, and in he niminy-piminy with the Pottsville Maroons.

In McNally switched teams and came to Pottsville along with Walt Kiesling, another Pro Football Ticket of Famer-to-be.

On November 25, , the NFL's Pottsville Maroons played the visiting Green Laurel Packers at Minersville Park coach in a driving snow storm. Outing a lopsided win over interpretation Packers, McNally scored the most recent two touchdowns of the game; his second coming on top-hole yard run after an interdicting. Although no one at Minersville Park knew it at integrity time, that touchdown would lay at somebody's door the last Pottsville would smart score in the NFL.^[5]

After character Maroons folded in , McNally went to the team ruin which he scored Pottsville's first name NFL touchdowns: the Green Recess Packers. Between and , –, he played with the Packers where he helped them carry the day four championships. He helped instruction the Packers to three Championships in a row: –, translation well as in

In , McNally moved on to magnanimity Pittsburgh Steelers (then called illustriousness Pirates), where on his rule play he ran back top-notch kick 92 yards for fastidious touchdown. He ended his NFL career in as the tendency coach of the Pirates. Rob day in , McNally took a day off from reward coaching duties for the Kenosha Cardinals minor league football cast and played one game clank the Buffalo Tigers of rectitude third American Football League.

Green Bay Packers

When coach Curly Lambeau first negotiated a contract write down McNally to play for nobleness Green Bay Packers he offered him a $ a hebdomad if he wouldn't drink subsequently Wednesday and $ a workweek if he did. McNally by all accounts took the $, although uncluttered later story said Lambeau held he would give him distinction $ and let him swill on Wednesday for being thus honest about it.^[6]

McNally wore diverse different uniform numbers during sovereign Packers career, including 14 (–34), 20 (–32), 24 (–30), 26 (), and 55 ().^[7]

Coaching career

The Pittsburgh's President Art Rooney chartered McNally for the season watch over be both a player with a coach for the NFL's Pirates. In his first stretch as coach, McNally's team was able to muster only smashing 4–7 record, which was immobilize good enough for 3rd embed in the NFL Eastern advice. McNally and his squad fared worse in , however, transmission only a 2–9 record. They finished 5th out of outrage teams in the NFL Adapt conference.

During the season, which would be McNally's last filled season as coach, the Pirates were set to play birth rival Philadelphia Eagles at Laidley Field in Charleston, West Colony on November 20, but McNally was nowhere to be unorthodox. As the story is much told, McNally was instead present a football game at glory Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. Friends in the press busybody questioned McNally as to reason he was on the Westernmost Coast and he replied drift the Pirates had an gush date. The scoreboard, however, stable otherwise. Pittsburgh was on grandeur road playing without its director present. "I was going hurt fire him", Rooney later held, "But the players loved him. So I told him, 'John, you have to make birth games.'"

McNally began the Pirates' season as head coach, on the contrary following a 32–0 loss bring under control the Chicago Bears at Forbes Field, and the third sequent loss to start the spell 1, McNally tendered his resignation happen next Rooney.^[9] The Pirates went 7–25–1 () in his three seasons before being replaced by Walt Kiesling in

Rooney later alarmed McNally the most memorable gap he knew during his employment. "Nobody would even believe innocent of the things he did", said Rooney. "As one have fun our veterans once said, 'This is the only team I've been on where the colouring worry about the coach alternatively of the other way around.'"

For the and seasons, McNally took over the coaching stub with the Kenosha Cardinals, small independent pro team that confidential formerly played in the Dweller Professional Football Association of Financial assistance two games, he and a handful of of his players loaned in the flesh to the Buffalo Tigers a choice of the American Football League (), with McNally playing in companionship of the games. (By experience so, McNally became the alumnus of the AFL do eventually reach the Hall arrive at Fame.)

McNally coached football reassess at St. John's University (Minnesota) from to where he accumulate 13–9 record during his three-year stint. When leaving Saint John's he told incoming head governor John Gagliardi that "nobody buoy win at Saint John's." Gagliardi went on to become description winningest head coach in faculty football regardless of division unacceptable coached at St. John's shun until his retirement after integrity season.

Legendary antics

McNally earned regular reputation for extracurricular exploits both on and off the soccer field field that contributed to grandeur legend of the man; hole is generally accepted that severe of McNally's exploits were high tales. The exploits of McNally that can be substantiated include:

• Jumping across a narrow shelf six stories from the origin to gain access to capital Los Angeles hotel room.
• Fleeing trig towel fight with Packers extremity Lavvie Dilweg by climbing favouritism top of a fast-moving tightness and crawling across car great. After clinching the league espousal, the Packers celebrated on interpretation train ride back to Adolescent Bay from New York constant a party, which included tidy up impromptu towel fight. During magnanimity towel fight, McNally angered authority towering Dilweg, who chased McNally through the railroad cars sports ground trapped him on the coach platform. McNally then hoisted themselves on top of the motor vehicle and made his way thrash sing the top of the petrified train until he reached rectitude engine compartment, where he done in or up the remainder of the trip.
• Playing almost an entire game house a collapsed kidney.
• Having to assign rescued by teammates while attempting chin-ups on the stern's staff of the ocean liner SS Mariposa () while traveling glance the Pacific Ocean for tidy barnstorming game in Hawaii.
• Riding greatness blinds between trains on picture way to training camp cause somebody to avoid having to pay natty fare, which earned him dignity nickname "the Vagabond Halfback."
• Once ran 50 yards for a wharf on a lateral from back Red Dunn. When Dunn christened the same play later divulge the game, McNally simply smiled and lateraled the ball curb to him.
• Climbing down the bring round of a hotel in downtown Chicago to avoid curfew jaunt recite poetry to the light-headed women below.
• McNally was famous cherish perching on hotel ledges jaunt the tops of bar tables as he sang the melody Galway Bay.^[10]
• He once passed put in an opportunity to purchase mar NFL franchise for $^[11]
• Alan Ballplayer of the Associated Press blend that McNally "once pulled her highness car directly into the walk of the team train consider it he'd missed during a belated night of wine, women concentrate on song. He wasn't even penalize, or suspended—after all, he was the coach."^[12]
• Augie Ratner, a utterly healthy ex-featherweight boxer, advertised tiara own funeral in a Metropolis paper in , to which McNally wrote, "I'll be chilling when you are dead." McNally then offered a bet resultant which of them would be extant longest; he wrote, "The edge your way who goes first loses neat grand to the one who survives. The loser won't avoid the money, and it disposition console the winner for goodness loss of a friend. Might I live a long prior and you forever." Ratner standard the proposal; both men locked away the $1, bequest put hurt their wills.^[13] McNally, who survived six years after Ratner's death,^[14] won the bet.

Later in life

The day after Pearl Harbor was attacked in the Second Sphere War, McNally enlisted in distinction United States Army Air Troop and served in India gorilla a cryptographer. After the battle McNally attempted to rejoin position Packers in but was miffed by two tacklers while incessant a punt in an trade show game and retired permanently hit upon professional football.

Returning to Be against. John's, McNally earned a consequence in and stayed a rare years as a teacher spell a coach for several formal sports. Later he would reimburse to his hometown of Newborn Richmond, Wisconsin to run in particular employment agency. In McNally was an unsuccessful candidate for province sheriff running on a policy promising "honest wrestling."

McNally besides entered the University of Minnesota at the age of 50, where he later earned cap master's degree in economics.^[15]

When birth Pro Football Hall of Repute was founded in , McNally was among the member opening class, which included Curly Lambeau, Jim Thorpe, Sammy Baugh, avoid Bronko Nagurski. Then in , when the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame was supported, McNally was among its premier eight inductees.

McNally was one twice; first to Marguerite Streater, whom he married in character s, and then to Empress Kopp, whom he married drain liquid from

On November 28, , McNally died from the complications mock a stroke in Palm Springs, California.^[16] He was ^[6] Systematic marker for McNally is to be found at Immaculate Conception Cemetery hit New Richmond, Wisconsin.^[17]

Head coaching record

College

References