ATLANTA (AP) — Pro Football Hall of Famer Charley Trippi, a runner-up for the Heisman Trophy at Georgia who went on to lead the Cardinals to their most recent NFL championship in 1947, died Wednesday. He was 100.
The University of Georgia announced that Trippi died peacefully at his Athens home.
Trippi was one of football’s most versatile players, lining up at multiple positions on offense, defense and special teams. He is the only member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to have 1,000 yards rushing, receiving and passing in his career.
The son of a Pennsylvania coal miner, Trippi had a simple explanation for his dazzling array of skills.
“In those days, the more things a player did, the more pay he could demand,” Trippi said, according to his bio at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “I could run, kick, pass and catch, and that made me a valuable property.”
Trippi played his college football at Georgia in the 1940s, his career interrupted by a stint in the military during World War II.
He led the Bulldogs to a Rose Bowl victory, finished second to Glenn Davis for the 1946 Heisman Trophy, and was a No. 1 overall draft pick by the Cardinals, who then called Chicago home.
“If you know anything about his legend at Georgia, you know he was, perhaps, the greatest all-around football player on our campus,” said Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs’ current coach. “Many historians and observers have said that and from reading about him, I understand why.”
On Dec. 14, 2021, Trippi celebrated perhaps the crowning achievement of a remarkable life.
He turned 100 years old, becoming just the second member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to reach the century mark. Clarence “Ace” Parker died on Nov. 6, 2013, at the age of 101.
He went on to star in the “Dream Backfield” for the Chicago Cardinals, leading the franchise to what remains its most recent NFL championship in 1947.
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