Emlen Tunnell

Football Player

• Born: March 29, 1925
• Birthplace: Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
• Died: July 22, 1975
• Place of death: Pleasantville, New York

Sport: Football

Early Life

Emlen Lewis Tunnell, who became the first black player to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was born on March 29, 1925, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. Emlen enjoyed playing football at an early age. By the time he was old enough to attend Radnor High School, he was good enough to make the football team as a freshman. Although he was slow to develop as a player, he worked hard at improving his skills, and by his junior year, his running and passing attracted the attention of several collegiate coaches.

After graduating from Radnor, Emlen attended the University of Toledo on a scholarship. In his freshman year, he suffered a major setback when he broke his neck during a scrimmage. He was told that he would never be able to play football again. Amazingly, he returned and played the next season with a neck brace. In spite of his injury, Emlen played football with a vengeance and earned a reputation as a vicious tackler. He also played basketball and led his team to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) championship game in 1943.

The Road to Excellence

Like many athletes of his time, Emlen left college and joined the armed services during World War II. He was rejected by the Army because of his neck injury, so he joined the Coast Guard. During his shore leaves, Emlen played football for the Fleet City Bluejackets of New London, Connecticut. His outstanding play against other great players from college and professional ranks earned him scholarship offers from many colleges.

After his discharge from the Coast Guard, Emlen accepted a scholarship from the University of Iowa and resumed his education. He also returned to his football career and again showed tremendous talent. He developed into an all-around player at Iowa: a swift runner, a sure-handed receiver, and a bruising defensive player.

During his senior year, an eye injury sidelined Emlen. In 1948, he graduated from Iowa and decided to pursue a professional football career. When he was not chosen in the NFL draft, Emlen went to the office of the New York Giants seeking a tryout. Giants owner Tim Mara was impressed by Emlen and decided to invite him to the Giants’ preseason training camp—a decision Mara never regretted.

The Emerging Champion

Emlen was the first African American ever to play for the Giants. At 6 feet 1 inch and 210 pounds, Emlen played in the backfield on both offense and defense. Since he did not get much playing time on offense, he concentrated on defense. There he emerged as a star. In his rookie season, Emlen intercepted four passes in one game. After that achievement, he was given a permanent spot as a defensive safety. Along with Tom Landry, Otto Schnellbacher, and Harmon Rowe, Emlen became a key man in the Giants’ famous “umbrella defense” of the early 1950’s. He became a feared defensive player and was known for his great ability to thwart opposing pass receivers and to intercept passes.

Although he did not play on offense, Emlen got a chance to run with the ball as a punt and kick returner. He soon excelled at this. In 1951, he ran back four returns for touchdowns. In 1952, he gained an incredible 924 yards on interceptions, punt returns, and kick returns, and outgained the leading offensive running back in the league, Dan Towler of the Los Angeles Rams, in total season yardage. In 1953, he gained 819 total yards—again, more than most running backs in the league.

Continuing the Story

Emlen played eleven seasons for the Giants and led the team to three Eastern Conference championships and one league championship. He later played three seasons for the powerful Green Bay Packers under the legendary Vince Lombardi. In 1961, he once again played on a championship team when the Packers crushed his former team, the Giants, 37-0. He was chosen to the all-NFL team four times and established league records for interceptions, interception yardage, punt returns, and punt-return yardage.

By 1961, at the age of thirty-six, Emlen no longer had as much speed as he once had, but he continued to inspire his younger teammates with his experience and courageous play. He retired following the Packers’ championship victory over the Giants.

Emlen was the first great defensive player in professional football. Great quarterbacks such as Otto Graham, Bob Waterfield, Norm Van Brocklin, and Johnny Unitas dominated the game in the 1950’s. However, the Giants’ innovative pass defense, led by Emlen, gave these quarterbacks plenty of trouble. Emlen was also the first defensive player to become a scoring threat as a punt and kickoff returner. In his fourteen seasons, Emlen played 158 games in a row, which is high on the all-time list. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and was named the NFL’s best all-time defensive safety in 1969.

Emlen married Patricia Dawkins in 1962. He returned to the Giants as a scout the same year, helping to discover and to develop young players. A few years later, he became the first African American coach in pro football. He served as a Giants defensive coach until the 1973 season, when he became the Giants’ assistant director of player personnel. Emlen died of a heart attack on July 23, 1975, while attending a Giants team meeting.

Summary

Emlen Tunnell had to overcome many difficult situations to play professional football: He broke his neck in college, served in the military, went undrafted by the NFL, and was a black athlete at a time when African Americans were not readily accepted. He overcame these obstacles to become one of the game’s greatest defensive players and kick returners. In so doing, he displayed not only awesome physical ability but also the courage to accept any challenge.

Bibliography

Finn, Mike, and Chad Leistikow. Hawkeye Legends, Lists, and Lore. Champaign, Ill.: Sports, 1998.

Lichtenstein, Michael. The New York Giants Trivia Book. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2001.

Tunnell, Emlen. Footsteps of a Giant. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966.