Tony Canadeo
No. 3 | |||||||||||||||||
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Position: | Back | ||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
Born: | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | May 5, 1919||||||||||||||||
Died: | November 29, 2003 Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S. | (aged 84)||||||||||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||||
Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||
High school: | Steinmetz College Prep (Chicago, Illinois) | ||||||||||||||||
College: | Gonzaga | ||||||||||||||||
NFL draft: | 1941 / Round: 9 / Pick: 77 | ||||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||||||||||
Anthony Robert Canadeo (May 5, 1919 – November 29, 2003) was an American professional football player who was a back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers from 1941 to 1952, having missed most of the 1944 season and the entire 1945 season while serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, played football for the Bulldogs, and earned the nickname "Gray Ghost of Gonzaga".
Canadeo was selected by the Packers in the 1941 NFL draft.[1]
Before the war, Canadeo was a triple-threat halfback for the Packers, leading the team in rushing and passing in 1943. When he returned from the war in 1946, he served primarily as a running back, and in 1949 became the third player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 or more yards in a season.
He retired as the Packers' all-time rushing yards leader.[2] Canadeo's number 3 was retired by the Packers immediately following his retirement as a player. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974.
After his playing career, Canadeo worked as a color commentator for CBS television, covering Packers games with Ray Scott. He also was a long-time member of the Green Bay Packers, Inc. Board of Directors and Executive Committee, most notably during the Vince Lombardi era.
Canadeo died in 2003 at the age of 84.
Early years and college
Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Canadeo attended Charles P. Steinmetz Academic Centre, formerly known as Steinmetz High School, a public four-year high school located in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood.
Canadeo played
As a senior in 1940, Canadeo starred in Gonzaga's 13–7 upset win over the heavily favored University of Detroit in November.[6] The football program was dropped after 1941, and he was its last alumnus to play pro football. He also boxed for the Bulldogs during his senior year,[7] and was named team captain.[3][8]
Professional career
Canadeo was not particularly fast or elusive, and was smaller than average NFL players even for his time. However, he was a determined and tenacious player.[9][10] Contemporary Jim Benton called him one of the three toughest players to tackle, alongside Frank Sinkwich and Steve Van Buren.[11] He was also versatile, playing multiple positions on offense, defense, and special teams.[12] This versatility caused Packers head coach Curly Lambeau to take notice, despite Gonzaga being a smaller college.[12]
Pre-war
Canadeo was selected by the Packers in the ninth round with the 77th overall pick of the
Herber was waived by the Packers at the end of training camp and Isbell became the Packers' quarterback, while Canadeo had a reserve role in the offense as a rookie in 1941. That season, he played in the first ever NFL playoff game (unscheduled divisional tiebreaker), in which he picked up seven yards on five carries as the Packers lost 33–14 to the eventual NFL champion Chicago Bears.[16][17][18] As a backup to Isbell in 1942, Canadeo passed for 310 yards and rushed for 272 more. One of his three touchdown passes was a toss to receiver Don Hutson from one inch away from the goal line. When scolded by one of his coaches for passing so close to the goal line, Canadeo quipped, "Cecil Isbell tossed a four-incher not long ago for a record and I wanted to beat it – you don't get an opportunity like that very often."[19]
In
World War II
Canadeo's
Post-war
Canadeo returned in 1946, and in February he and several other Packers players received offers to play in the All-America Football Conference, a rival league to the NFL.[4] He turned down the offer and during the season became Green Bay's primary running back.[26][12] He remained in that position for the next four seasons while still occasionally passing the ball. He led the Packers in rushing yards in each of those four seasons. In 1948, he was named a second-team All-Pro by United Press and Pro Football Illustrated.[27]
Canadeo became the first Packer and the third ever in the NFL to rush for 1,000 yards in a season when he rushed for 1,052 yards in
Sharing running back duties with Billy Grimes in 1950 under new head coach Gene Ronzani, Canadeo was fourth on the team in rushing yards,[31] but scored four touchdowns.[20] Grimes, who led the team in rushing yards and touchdowns, was quick to give Canadeo credit. "Tony Canadeo is one of the toughest players I ever played with," he said. "He did a lot of blocking for me, and that helped me a lot."[32]
Canadeo's production and carries dropped over his final two seasons, but in
Career statistics
- Note: Only offensive statistics shown below. Canadeo also served as a kicker, punter, kick returner, punt returner, and defensive back and thus recorded statistics on defense and special teams.
Regular season
Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||||||||||
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GP | GS | Att | Comp | Pct | Yards | TD | Int | Rate | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Lng | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Lng | ||||
1941 | GB | 9 | 4 | 16 | 4 | 25.0 | 54 | 2 | 0 | 80.7 | 43 | 137 | 3.2 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1942 | GB | 11 | 5 | 59 | 24 | 40.7 | 310 | 3 | 4 | 46.6 | 89 | 272 | 3.1 | 3 | 50 | 10 | 66 | 6.6 | 0 | 15 | ||
1943 | GB | 10 | 8 | 129 | 56 | 43.4 | 875 | 9 | 12 | 51.0 | 94 | 489 | 5.2 | 3 | 35 | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 2 | 15 | ||
1944 | GB | 3 | 0 | 20 | 9 | 45.0 | 89 | 0 | 0 | 58.1 | 31 | 149 | 4.8 | 0 | 34 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 | 12 | ||
1945 | GB | 0 | 0 | did not play due to service in World War II | ||||||||||||||||||
1946 | GB | 11 | 5 | 27 | 7 | 25.9 | 189 | 1 | 3 | 29.0 | 122 | 476 | 3.9 | 0 | 27 | 2 | 25 | 12.5 | 0 | 15 | ||
1947 | GB | 12 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 37.5 | 101 | 1 | 1 | 85.4 | 103 | 464 | 4.5 | 2 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1948 | GB | 12 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 25.0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 | 123 | 589 | 4.8 | 4 | 49 | 9 | 81 | 9.0 | 0 | 32 | ||
1949 | GB | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 208 | 1,052 | 5.1 | 4 | 54 | 3 | -2 | -0.7 | 0 | 3 | ||
1950 | GB | 12 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 247 | 2.7 | 4 | 15 | 10 | 54 | 5.4 | 0 | 20 | ||
1951 | GB | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 131 | 2.4 | 1 | 15 | 22 | 226 | 10.3 | 2 | 46 | ||
1952 | GB | 12 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 | 65 | 191 | 2.9 | 2 | 35 | 9 | 86 | 9.6 | 1 | 21 | ||
Total | 116 | 80 | 268 | 105 | 39.2 | 1,642 | 16 | 20 | 49.1 | 1,025 | 4,197 | 4.1 | 26 | 54 | 69 | 579 | 8.4 | 5 | 46 | |||
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com [33] |
Playoffs
Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||||||||||
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GP | GS | Att | Comp | Pct | Yards | TD | Int | Rate | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Lng | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Lng | ||||
1941 | GB | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 50.0 | 40 | 0 | 1 | 56.2 | 5 | 7 | 1.4 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Total | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 50.0 | 40 | 0 | 1 | 56.2 | 5 | 7 | 1.4 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com [33] |
Legacy and later life
Sportswriter Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said of Canadeo in 2003, "Of all the players, coaches, and executives who left an imprint on the Packers organization, none did it for longer than the affable Canadeo."[26] Canadeo is one of six Green Bay Packers to have his number retired by the team. His number (3) was retired immediately after he left the NFL in 1952, preceded by Don Hutson (14) in 1951 and followed by Bart Starr (15) in 1973, Ray Nitschke (66) in 1983, Reggie White (92) in 2005, and Brett Favre (4) in 2015. In 1961, kicker Ben Agajanian, who played only three games for the Packers, wore Canadeo's No. 3 after being assigned it by mistake.[20]
The Helms Athletic Foundation named Canadeo to its football hall of fame in 1957. He joined former teammates Clarke Hinkle, Arnie Herber, and Don Hutson.[34] In 1973, he was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
Canadeo was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974, which he described as a dream come true.[35] He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame the same year, the first player from Gonzaga to be so honored, edging Ray Flaherty by two years.[36] He remains the only player from the 1941 draft class inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Two years before his induction in Canton, Canadeo received a kidney transplant, which was donated by his son Robert.[37] Robert played football for the University of Colorado in the 1960s.[38]
After his playing career, Canadeo continued his association with the Packers as a television
References
Citations
- ^ "1941 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- ^ The Football Database, LLC (December 19, 2022). "Green Bay Packers Career Rushing Leaders". The Football Database. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ a b "Canadeo shows boxing promise". Spokane Daily Chronicle. February 14, 1941. p. 12. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016 – via Google News Archive .
- ^ Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 3, part 2. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "Italian League Lauds Canadeo". The Spokesman-Review. December 29, 1939. p. 14. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2016 – via Google News Archive .
- ^ Bankson, Rod (November 17, 1940). "Canadeo and Gonzaga Slash Through to Thrilling Victory over Detroit". The Spokesman-Review. p. 1. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2016 – via Google News Archive .
- ^ "Canadeo makes ring debut soon; to captain Bulldogs". Spokane Daily Chronicle. February 5, 1941. p. 15. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015 – via Google News Archive .
- ^ "Gonzaga opens boxing season December 12". Spokane Daily Chronicle. December 5, 1941. p. 11. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015 – via Google News Archive .
- ^ "Tony Canadeo Bio". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Canadeo dead at 84". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. November 30, 2003. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- ^ Whittingham 2001, p. 190.
- ^ a b c d Whittingham 2001.
- .
- .
- .
- ^ "Bears crush Packers, 33 to 14; enter playoff". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. December 15, 1941. p. 18.
- .
- ^ "Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears - December 14th, 1941". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
- ^ "Packer Back Tosses Shortest Scoring Pass". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. November 10, 1942. p. 14. Retrieved July 30, 2016 – via Google News Archive .
- ^ a b c d e "Tony Canadeo - Class of 1974". packers.com. Green Bay Packers, Inc. Archived from the original on January 1, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
- The Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. November 4, 1943. p. 10. Retrieved July 31, 2016 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ Royal, Chip (December 16, 1943). "Hutson Again On All-Pro 11". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. p. 9. Retrieved July 31, 2016 – via Google News Archive .
- ^ The Milwaukee Journal. August 22, 1943. p. 5, part 2. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ Maxymuk 2003, p. 60.
- The Milwaukee Journal. December 31, 1943. p. 2, part 2. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ a b c d Silverstein, Tom (November 30, 2003). "Running back stuck with Pack". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 1A. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015 – via Google News Archive .
- ^ "1948 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on September 8, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- The Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. November 22, 1949. p. 4. Retrieved August 2, 2016 – via Google News Archive.
- .
- ^ "Steve Van Buren Breaks Record". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. December 5, 1949. p. 8. Retrieved July 18, 2016 – via Google News Archive .
- ^ "1950 Green Bay Packers Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^ Berghaus, Bob (October 31, 1996). "Halfback Grimes was versatile player". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 10C. Retrieved August 3, 2016 – via Google News Archive .
- ^ a b "Tony Canadeo Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
- .
- ^ .
- ^ Blanchette, John (December 5, 2003). "Canadeo, Deeter leave void in history". The Spokesman-Review. p. C1. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015 – via Google News Archive .
- The Milwaukee Journal. August 2, 1972. p. 17, part 2. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015 – via Google News Archive.
- .
- ^ Christl, Cliff (May 15, 2013). "Life was different during Tony Canadeo's day". Green Bay Packers, Inc. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
- ^ Christl, Cliff (December 4, 2003). "Canadeo is remembered as a star on, off field". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 6C. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015 – via Google News Archive .
Bibliography
- Maxymuk, John (2003). Packers by the Numbers: Jersey Numbers and the Players who Wore Them (Illustrated ed.). Big Earth Publishing. ISBN 1879483904.
- Whittingham, Richard (2001). What a Game They Played: An Inside Look at the Golden Era of Pro Football (Illustrated ed.). U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0803298196.
External links
- Tony Canadeo at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference ·
- Tony Canadeo at Find a Grave