George Henning "Sonny" Franck (September 23, 1918 – January 19, 2011) was an American football halfback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants.
 Franck, circa 1942 | |
| Date of birth | September 23, 1918 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Davenport, Iowa, U.S. |
| Date of death | January 19, 2011 (aged 92) |
| Place of death | Rock Island, Illinois, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| US college | Minnesota |
| NFL draft | 1941 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6 |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1941–1947 | New York Giants |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career stats | |
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Early years edit
Franck was born in Davenport, Iowa. After his playing years and early teaching and coaching career he returned to nearby Rock Island, Illinois.
Franck played college football at the University of Minnesota from 1938 to 1940, where he was a key player in the dominant national championship team of 1940. While in college Franck was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity.[1] He was drafted in the first round (sixth overall) in the 1941 NFL Draft.[2] Franck was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002.[3]
War service edit
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Franck joined the U.S. Marines Corps and served as a pilot. He was also a spotter during the Battle of Iwo Jima. There he saw Notre Dame football star Jack Chevigny take cover in a crater shortly before Chevigny was killed in action. Franck later served aboard the USS Hornet (CV-12).[4]
Post-war edit
After the war, he continued to play with the Giants from 1945 to 1947. He eventually became a high school teacher and coach in Oklahoma City and then Rock Island High School in Illinois. He was a member of Broadway Presbyterian Church and enjoyed bowling. He was survived by Helen, his wife of 57 years.[5] He bought and lived in the Shields House in Highland Park Historic District in Rock Island, IL.,[6] which is now owned by Filipino-American author, Jason Tanamor.[7]
References edit
- ^ 1940 Minnesota Gopher yearbook, p.70, accessed 12 Aug 2020.
- ^ "1941 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- ^ "George Franck Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ Sonny Franck dead at 92 Quad-City Times via Internet Archive. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "George H. "Sonny" Franck". Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
- ^ Highland Park Historic District
- ^ "'Like living in a 1950s neighborhood'".