| No. 21 | |
| Center / Linebacker | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: August 8, 1916 | |
| Place of birth: Old Forge, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Date of death: December 22, 2012 (aged 96) | |
| Place of death: Lakeland, Florida | |
| High School: Old Forge Junior-Senior High School | |
| Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | Weight: 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Penn State | |
| Undrafted in 1937 | |
| Debuted in 1937 for the Cleveland Rams | |
| Last played in 1948 for the Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| Made coaching debut in 1949 for the Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| Last coached in 1974 for the Chicago Bears | |
| Career history | |
| As player: * Cleveland Rams (1937–1939) | |
| As coach: * Pittsburgh Steelers(1949–1957, 1961) | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Twice selected to NFL All-Star Team | |
| Career NFL statistics as of 1948 | |
| Games Played | 106 |
| Interceptions | 5 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Stats at DatabaseFootball.com | |
Charles James "Chuck" Cherundolo, Jr. (August 8, 1916 – December 22, 2012) was an American football player and coach. He played center and linebacker for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was born in Old Forge, Pennsylvania.
Playing career[]
Cherundolo played college football at Penn State, where he was a voted a team captain in 1936.[1] He was named All-America at Penn State.[2] He went on to play ten seasons in the NFL.[3]
Coaching career[]
He was hired by the Steelers as an assistant coach upon the end of his playing career.[4] He coached with the Steelers from 1949 through 1958, leaving football in 1959. He returned to the Steelers in 1960 as a part-time scout and returned as a full-time assistant coach for the 1961 season. He went on to coach for the Philadelphia Eagles with head coach and friend nick Skorich in 1962 and 1963, and then went on to coach with the Washington Redskins until 1966, when he coached for the Chicago Bears for a total of ten years, interrupted by a one year coaching job for the Tri-City Apollo's of Midland Michigan. He coached a total of 22 years in the NFL with four teams.[5]
Awards and Honors[]
Cherundolo was selected to two NFL All-Star Teams during his playing career. He was named second-team All-NFL in three seasons.[3]
In 2007, as part of the team's 75th anniversary commemoration, the Steelers named him as the center on their Legends team. The team represents the best players in the franchise's history through 1970.[6]
Personal[]
Cherundolo married Margaret Whitehead; the couple had two children, Patricia and John.[2] Both his son and grandson played football at the Division I level.[7] As the time of his death in 2012, he was the fourth-oldest living professional football player.[8][9]
References[]
- ↑ "Jus' Passes: Cherundolo Does His Talkin' for Steelers with Deeds". Pittsburgh Press: p. 11. September 1, 1941. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=E_YaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8kwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4365%2C4030306. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Redskins 1965 Press Guide". Washington Redskins: p. 14. 1965. http://www.bgobsession.com/mg/mg1965.pdf. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Chuck Cherundolo (PFR bio)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CherCh20.htm. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ↑ "1953 Steelers Coaches". SteelersUK.com. http://www.steelersuk.com/steelers/fifties/1953%20article.html. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ↑ "Chuck Cherundolo Goes To Redskins". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: p. 26. January 23, 1964. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cQ5ZAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jGwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6812%2C3104764. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ↑ "Steelers Announce Legends Team as Part of 75th Season Celebration Twenty-Four Honored as Best Pre-1970’s Players in Club History". Steelers.com. October 2007. http://news.steelers.com/article/81289/. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
- ↑ "Hon. John C. Cherundolo (profile)". Syracuse University. http://www.law.syr.edu/deans-faculty-staff/profile.aspx?fac=133. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ↑ "Oldest Living Pro Football Players". http://www.oldestlivingprofootball.com/oldestlivingproplayers.htm. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ↑ "Chuck Cherundolo, Old Forge native and former NFL star, dies at age 96". Scranton Times-Tribune (Times-Shamrock Communications). 2012-12-27. http://thetimes-tribune.com/sports/chuck-cherundolo-old-forge-native-and-former-nfl-star-dies-at-age-96-1.1421707. Retrieved 2012-12-29.
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