George Franck
 Franck, c. 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 | |
| |
| Career stats | |
| |
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.
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 March 31, 2023.
- ^ "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 July 18, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ Highland Park Historic District
- ^ "'Like living in a 1950s neighborhood'".
External links
[edit]- 1918 births
- 2011 deaths
- All-American college football players
- American football halfbacks
- American Presbyterians
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Corpus Christi Naval Air Station Comets football players
- El Toro Flying Marines football players
- High school football coaches in Illinois
- High school football coaches in Oklahoma
- Military personnel from Iowa
- Minnesota Golden Gophers football players
- New York Giants players
- Players of American football from Davenport, Iowa
- United States Marine Corps officers
- United States Marine Corps pilots of World War II