Greasy Neale

Greasy Neale

Neale as Washington & Jefferson football coach, c. 1922
Sport(s) Football, basketball, baseball
Biographical details
Born (1891-11-05)November 5, 1891
Parkersburg, West Virginia
Died November 2, 1973(1973-11-02) (aged 81)
Lake Worth, Florida
Alma mater West Virginia Wesleyan
Playing career
1917 Canton Bulldogs
1918 Dayton Triangles
1919 Massillon Tigers
Position(s) End
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1915 Muskingum
1916–1917 West Virginia Wesleyan
1918 Dayton Triangles
1919–1920 Marietta
1921–1922 Washington & Jefferson
1923–1928 Virginia
1930 Ironton Tanks
1931–1933 West Virginia
1934–1940 Yale (backs)
1941–1950 Philadelphia Eagles
Baseball
1923–1929 Virginia
Head coaching record
Overall 82–54–11 (college football)
26–11 (college basketball)
80–73–2 (college baseball)
66–44–5 (NFL)
Tournaments 3–1 (NFL playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2 Ohio League (1917, 1918)
2 NFL (1948, 1949)
Awards
Pro Football Hall of Fame (1969)
Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame (1987)
College Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1967 (profile)
Greasy Neale
Outfielder
Born: (1891-11-05)November 5, 1891
Parkersburg, West Virginia
Died: November 2, 1973(1973-11-02) (aged 81)
Lake Worth, Florida
Batted: Left Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 12, 1916, for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB appearance
June 13, 1924, for the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics
Batting average .259
Home runs 8
Runs batted in 200
Stolen bases 139
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Alfred Earle "Greasy" Neale (November 5, 1891 – November 2, 1973) was an American football and baseball player and coach.

Early life and playing career

Neale was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia.[1] Although writers eventually assumed that Neale got his nickname, "Greasy", from his elusiveness on the football field, it actually arose during his youth, from a name-calling joust with a friend.[2]

Baseball career

He played Major League Baseball as an outfielder with the Cincinnati Reds between 1916 and 1924 and briefly with the Philadelphia Phillies for part of the 1921 season. Neale was the starting right fielder for the 1919 Cincinnati Reds. He batted .357 in the 1919 World Series and led the Reds with ten hits in their eight-game series win over the scandalous White Sox.

Neale spent all but 22 games of his baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds. He had a career batting average of .259 and finished in the top ten in stolen bases in the National League four times. When football season came around, often he would leave baseball and fulfill his football duties (albeit playing about 90% of a baseball season most years, with the exception of 1919 when he played the entire season, including the 1919 World Series).

Football career

Neale also played professional football in the Ohio League with the Canton Bulldogs in 1917, the Dayton Triangles in 1918, and the Massillon Tigers in 1919. He starred as an end on Jim Thorpe's pre-World War I Canton Bulldogs as well as the Dayton Triangles in 1918 and Massillon Tigers in 1919. He coached the Triangles in 1918.

Coaching in college

Neale began his coaching career while still a professional player. He served as the head football coach at Muskingum College (1915), West Virginia Wesleyan College (1916–1917), Marietta College (1919–1920), Washington & Jefferson College (1921–1922), the University of Virginia (1923–1928), and West Virginia University (1931–1933), compiling a career college football record of 82–54–11. He coached basketball for two seasons at Marietta (1919–1921) as well, amassing a record of 26–11. He also served as an assistant football coach at Yale Bulldogs football for seven seasons (1934-1940).

At Washington & Jefferson, he led his 1921 squad to the Rose Bowl, where the Presidents played the California Golden Bears to a scoreless tie. At Virginia, Neale was also the head baseball coach from 1923 to 1929, tallying a mark of 80–73–2.

Independent football

Neale later coached the independent professional Ironton Tanks with his legendary style, flair and winning ways. He and Tanks quarterback Glenn Presnell claimed victories against the NFL's second place New York Giants and third place Chicago Bears in 1930. The team folded in 1931.

Coaching in the pros

Neale moved to the National Football League (NFL), serving as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1941 to 1950. Although it took Neale a while to pull together the needed talent to build a winning team, once he had the right ingredients, they stayed among the league's best for nearly a decade. From 1944 through 1949, Neale's Eagles finished second three times and in first place three times. The Eagles won the NFL Championship in 1948 and again in 1949, and were the only team to win back-to-back titles by shutting out their opponents, beating the Chicago Cardinals 7–0 in the snow ridden 1948 NFL Championship Game and the Los Angeles Rams 14–0 in the 1949 NFL Championship Game in a driving rain storm. It was the last championship for the Eagles until 1960. His offense was led by the passing of quarterback Tommy Thompson, the pass catching of future Hall of Fame end Pete Pihos, and the running of another Hall of Famer, Steve Van Buren. He tallied a mark of 66–44–5 including playoff games in his ten seasons with the club. Neale was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969. Both inductions recognized his coaching career.

Neale died in Florida at the age of 81 and is buried at Parkersburg Memorial Gardens in West Virginia.

Head coaching record

College football

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Muskingum Fighting Muskies () (1915)
1915 Muskingum 2–4–1
Muskingum: 2–4–1
West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats (Independent) (1916–1917)
1916 West Virginia Wesleyan 5–6
1917 West Virginia Wesleyan 5–2
West Virginia Wesleyan: 10–8
Marietta Pioneers () (1919–1920)
1919 Marietta 7–0[n 1]
1920 Marietta 7–1
Marietta: 14–1
Washington & Jefferson Presidents (Independent) (1921–1922)
1921 Washington & Jefferson 10–0–1 T Rose
1922 Washington & Jefferson 6–3–1
Washington & Jefferson: 16–3–2
Virginia Cavaliers (Southern Conference) (1923–1928)
1923 Virginia 3–5–1 0–3–1 17th
1924 Virginia 5–4 3–2 T–6th
1925 Virginia 7–1–1 4–1–1 T–5th
1926 Virginia 6–2–2 4–2–1 6th
1927 Virginia 5–4 4–4 T–8th
1928 Virginia 2–6–1 1–6 T–20th
Virginia: 28–22–5 16–18–3
West Virginia Mountaineers (Independent) (1931–1933)
1931 West Virginia 4–6
1932 West Virginia 5–5
1933 West Virginia 3–5–3
West Virginia: 12–16–3
Total: 82–54–11

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ R. L. Cooke coached the first game of the season.

References

  1. ↑ "Parkersburg, West Virginia". City-Data.com. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  2. ↑ Holland, Gerald (August 24, 1964). "Greasy Neale: Nothing To Prove, Nothing To Ask". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 26, 2011.

Further reading

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