George Cafego

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George Cafego
halfback
Personal information
Born:(1915-08-29)August 29, 1915
Whipple, West Virginia, U.S.
Died:February 9, 1998(1998-02-09) (aged 82)
Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
Career information
High school:Oak Hill
(Oak Hill, West Virginia)
College:Tennessee
NFL draft:1940 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
TDINT:5–16
Passing yards:966
Passer rating:37.7
Rushing yards:77
Rushing touchdowns:1
Receptions:13
Receiving yards:133
Receiving touchdowns:0
Player stats at NFL.com

George Cafego (

Washington Redskins, and Boston Yanks. He served as the head baseball coach at the University of Wyoming in 1950 and at his alma mater, Tennessee, from 1958 to 1962. Cafego was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1969.[1]

Career

High school and collegiate career

Born in rural Whipple, West Virginia to John Cafego and Mary (Rednock) Cafego, Cafego attended Oak Hill High School in nearby Oak Hill.[2] Cafego was able to finish high school because his brother, Tom Cafego, supported the family by playing professional baseball during the summers and mining coal the rest of the year.[3]

He went to the

kickoff returner, excelling at both. At Tennessee his nickname was "Bad News".[6][7] As a sophomore, his first year on the varsity, he already showed signs of success, catching "many an expert eye."[8]

Professional career

Cafego was selected as the number one overall pick in the

Washington Redskins after five unspectacular games.[12][13] For the 1944 and 1945 seasons, Cafego played for the Boston Yanks before retiring.[14][15]

Coaching career

After his playing career was over, Cafego served as an assistant coach at Wyoming, Furman, Arkansas, and 30 years at his alma mater, Tennessee, serving under a total of six different head coaches during his UTK coaching career.[16] He was also the head coach of Tennessee's baseball team from 1958 to 1962. He retired from coaching following the 1984 season.

Personal

His brother Tom Cafego played briefly in Major League Baseball, in 1937.

Death

Cafego died in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the age of 82 and was buried in his native Fayette County in West Virginia.[17]

References

  1. ^ "George Cafego (1969) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  2. ^ Morrison, Dave (September 30, 2021). "Oak Hill celebrates 100 years of football Friday night". Beckley Register-Herald. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  3. Chattanooga Daily Times
    . p. 8. Retrieved August 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "1938 Heisman Trophy Voting". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  5. ^ "1939 Heisman Trophy Voting". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  6. ^ "LIFE Goes to a Football Game to Watch Tennessee Trounce Alabama". LIFE. November 6, 1939. p. 102.
  7. ^ "George Cafego - Football". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  8. Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ^ "1940 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  10. ^ "1940 Brooklyn Dodgers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  11. ^ Rucker, Wes (June 17, 2015). "Top five RBs in Tennessee history". 247Sports. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  12. ^ "1943 Brooklyn Dodgers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  13. ^ "1943 Washington Redskins Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  14. ^ "1944 Boston Yanks Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  15. ^ "1945 Bos/Bkn Yanks/Tigers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  16. ^ "George Cafego, a former All-America tailback who coached Tennessee's kickers for 30 years, has retired". UPI. March 23, 1985. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  17. ^ "Obituary for George Cafego". The Tennessean. February 10, 1998. p. 23. Retrieved March 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

External links