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Eugene Neely
American football player (1896–1949) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Eugene Gentry "Guy" Neely (February 9, 1896[1][2] – December 2, 1949) was an American football player. Despite having only one arm, he played college football at the guard position for Dartmouth College and was a consensus first-team selection to the 1917 College Football All-America Team.
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Early years
Neely was born in 1896 in Comanche, Texas,[2] and raised in Dallas, Texas.[3] His parents were Richard V. Neely and Opelia Gentry.[4] He lost his right arm in a hunting accident in approximately 1911.[3] His arm was cut off above the elbow.[5]
Dartmouth
Neely enrolled in Dartmouth College in 1915. Neely played football for Dartmouth's freshman team in 1915. It was reported at the time that he was probably "the only one-armed football player in the country."[5]
Neely then played for the Dartmouth Big Green football varsity team during the 1916 and 1917 football seasons. By October 1916, he had won a reputation as "the best man" in Dartmouth's line.[3] He reportedly used the stub of his severed right arm "with telling effect in blocking and straight arming."[6] Despite his handicap, he was also able to intercept and return a forward pass, later described by Life magazine as a "spectacular" play, during a game against West Virginia.[7][8] After the 1917 season, he was selected as a consensus first-team guard on the 1917 College Football All-America Team.[9]
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Later years
After leaving Dartmouth, Neely returned to Texas and coached football at the Terrill School (now known as St. Mark's School of Texas).[10] He was married shortly after returning to Texas, and he and his wife Nell had two children, Stanley (born c. 1919) and Adele (born 1920).[11][12][13] In 1920, he was living in Comanche, Texas, working as an oil dealer.[11] In 1930, he was living in Dallas and working as a securities broker.[12] In 1940, he was living in Dallas and working as a loan agent for life insurance.[13] In 1942, he was employed by the Federal Housing Administration in Dallas.[2]
Neely died in Dallas on December 2, 1949, at the age of 53.[14][4]
Head coaching record
References
External links
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