Charley Trippi, Georgia Bulldogs Football Legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Dead at 100

By Brian Jones

Charley Trippi, a Georgia Bulldogs football legend who is also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. He was 100 years old. UGA officials told multiple outlets that Trippi died peacefully at his home in Athens, Georgia. 

Trippi grew up in Pittston, Pennsylvania and decided to play college football at the University of Georgia. He was with the team from 1942 to 1946 but missed 1943, 1944 and part of the 1945 seasons due to World War II. Trippi, who played halfback and quarterback, helped the Bulldogs win the national championship in 1942. His best season was in 1946 when he was named SEC Player of the Year, named a unanimous All-American and won the Maxwell Award which is given to the best all-around college football player in the country. His work on the field led to him being named to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959. 

"If you know anything about his legend at Georgia, you know he was, perhaps, the greatest all-around football player on our campus," Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs' current coach said. "Many historians and observers have said that and from reading about him, I understand why."  

Trippi joined the NFL in 1947 and played for the Chicago Cardinals (now Arizona Cardinals) until 1955. In his NFL career, Trippi was named to the All-Pro Team twice, the Pro Bowl twice and led the Cardinals to an NFL title in 1947. Trippi is a member of the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968. He is the second Pro Football Hall of Famer to reach his 100th birthday with the other being Clarence "Ace" Parker. 

In a previous interview, Trippi explained why he chose to play college football at Georgia. "Well I liked the stadium, the folks down there were friendly and there was the inducement of driving a Coca-Cola truck in the summer," Trippi said, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Where I grew up, there were only two choices. You could go to work in the coal mines, or you could go to school and get an education. There was no way I was going to work in those mines."

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