Rutgers Bill Pellington 9-25-27 to 4-27-94 Documentary: Robbed of His 4th Quarter

[Source]

Just a warning if you decide to watch the following. It is touching but it is also sad.

The back of Fleer Football card #36 from 1961 told the story Baltimore’s Bill Pellington, “This rugged character is the cop of the Colts. He keeps the other teams in line with a tremendously competitive brand of play as a corner linebacker on the left side. He made it the hard way in pro ball, reporting to the Colts as a free agent in 1953 after an obscure college career as a [Rutgers] guard and after being released by Cleveland. Bill never even made his high school team, yet defensive coach Charley Winner of the Colts considers him the key man in their defense.” In what's considered "The Greatest Game Ever Played" -- the December 28, 1958 Colts overtime win against the Giants for the NFL Championship -- Bill Pellington was captain of the Colts defense. The game is considered the start of the televised monster NFL Football has become.

On April 27, 1994, Bill Pellington died of Alzheimer's. His son Mike made a 9-minute documentary about his dad and his own life back in 2012. You can watch it at the link below. It contains images of Mike trying to communicate with his dad interspersed with other material. Just wanted to let you all know that if you decide to watch.

http://www.sbnation.com/longform/20...ootball?_ga=1.166522238.1944808406.1463534317

 

[RC1978]

A horrible disease. My father passed in the same way but not that young. The stages of them forgetting then they get so mad that they cannot remember things and then they are gone of all memory.

Great short done by the son.

 

[RUsince52]

Just a warning if you decide to watch the following. It is touching but it is also sad.

The back of Fleer Football card #36 from 1961 told the story Baltimore’s Bill Pellington, “This rugged character is the cop of the Colts. He keeps the other teams in line with a tremendously competitive brand of play as a corner linebacker on the left side. He made it the hard way in pro ball, reporting to the Colts as a free agent in 1953 after an obscure college career as a [Rutgers] guard and after being released by Cleveland. Bill never even made his high school team, yet defensive coach Charley Winner of the Colts considers him the key man in their defense.” In what's considered "The Greatest Game Ever Played" -- the December 28, 1958 Colts overtime win against the Giants for the NFL Championship -- Bill Pellington was captain of the Colts defense. The game is considered the start of the televised monster NFL Football has become.

On April 27, 1994, Bill Pellington died of Alzheimer's. His son Mike made a 9-minute documentary about his dad and his own life back in 2012. You can watch it at the link below. It contains images of Mike trying to communicate with his dad interspersed with other material. Just wanted to let you all know that if you decide to watch.

http://www.sbnation.com/longform/20...ootball?_ga=1.166522238.1944808406.1463534317

Remember seeing his picture in a program listed as playing guard and some action photos of him blocking on a running plays. Funny thing about his football cards, he is listed on Baltimore Colts team cards, but his Topps Rookie card is 1960. Maybe because it's his first individual picture card.
Probably wouldn't see a player follow that path today.

 

[RUhasarrived]

I had that card then.

 

[RUsince52]

I had that card then.

Great card, but don't know if it was better than the 1964 Philadelphia version. Most of my cards were from 53 - 59, baseball and football. My favorite was Topps College football, mid fifties in the old uniforms. Jim Thorpe, etc with college emblems in the corner. I have the reprint set also. Fun times and great players.

 

[RU Husky]

Remember him well

 

[LC-88]

Well done. Thanks for posting.

 

[ruready07]

NFL films did a video back in the day : "100 toughest players" - pellington was on it

 

[knightfan7]

As tough as he was he also was good against the pass. He had 21 career interceptions. Other than Deron Cherry (50), his total puts him right in the middle of other long time former RU players such as Jay Bellamy (24), Devin McCourty (18) and Gary Brackett (12)

 

[Source]

Bill Pellington played in three NFL Championship games with the Baltimore Colts. He was on the 1958 and 1959 Champions and his final game was a championship loss to the Cleveland Browns in 1964.

Here's a December 13, 1964 booster button honoring Bill Pellington and Gino Marchetti. Pellington made second team All-Pro in his final season (1953-64):

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...39698dfe4a5f169797c35c41c8e280c2o0&ajaxhist=0

 

[PiscatawayMike]

Source, thanks so much for posting this. I have collected a bunch of Pellington memorabilia over the years.

I'm a big music fan and knew the name Mark Pellington due to his video work. I never put 2-and-2 together, though, and was not aware he was Bill's son.

 

[Source]

Neither did I PiscatawayMike. Do you have that button I linked to above? How about his Post Cereal football card?

It's interesting how Bill Pellington was on the Rutgers football team under Coach Harvey Harman but didn't seem to warrant any indication of the NFL stardom he would obtain.

 

[PiscatawayMike]

Neither did I PiscatawayMike. Do you have that button I linked to above? How about his Post Cereal football card?

Yep. :sunglasses: [thumb2]

 

[Mike from MD]

Artie Donovan, Baltimore Cult Hero and team mate of Bill Pennington wrote a book in the late 1980s titled, "Fatso: Football When Men Were Really Men". Pennington is featured in the book. It's a hilarious read. Not quite up to listening to Donovan's stories live or on TV talk shows, but still a good read.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/197890.Fatso

 

[RUsince52]

Bill Pellington played in three NFL Championship games with the Baltimore Colts. He was on the 1958 and 1959 Champions and his final game was a championship loss to the Cleveland Browns in 1964.

Here's a December 13, 1964 booster button honoring Bill Pellington and Gino Marchetti. Pellington made second team All-Pro in his final season (1953-64):

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Pellington+button&view=detailv2&&id=E6AC510ED19840708F0AB24657EF7D64BEB02860&selectedIndex=0&ccid=OWmN/kpf&simid=608049408834602440&thid=OIP.M39698dfe4a5f169797c35c41c8e280c2o0&ajaxhist=0

If he had opened a hamburger franchise like GM, probably could have been 1st team. Still did real well with his RU degree.

 

[Source]

If he had opened a hamburger franchise like GM, probably could have been 1st team. Still did real well with his RU degree.

There was a Gino's near the corner of George Street and Albany in New Brunswick in the 1970s (hamburger chain 1957-1982 run by the Colts' Gino Marchetti and Alan Ameche). The way Bill Pellington played, I suppose it would have been appropriate to offer a Pellington shake.

It's back! http://www.ginosgiant.com/

 

[Source]

Yep. :sunglasses: [thumb2]

Impressive. Now the real test. Do you have the 1926 Spalding Champions card of Rutgers Homer Hazel?

 

[e5fdny]

If he had opened a hamburger franchise like GM, probably could have been 1st team. Still did real well with his RU degree.

There was a Gino's near the corner of George Street and Albany in New Brunswick in the 1970s (hamburger chain 1957-1982 run by the Colts' Gino Marchetti and Alan Ameche). The way Bill Pellington played, I suppose it would have been appropriate to offer a Pellington shake.

It's back! http://www.ginosgiant.com/

Never knew Gino's was from THAT Gino.

Used to get that brought home for dinner sometimes from the one in Newark (or near Newark) when my Mom had work late as a teacher in Newark.

 

[RUsince52]

There was a Gino's near the corner of George Street and Albany in New Brunswick in the 1970s (hamburger chain 1957-1982 run by the Colts' Gino Marchetti and Alan Ameche). The way Bill Pellington played, I suppose it would have been appropriate to offer a Pellington shake.

It's back! http://www.ginosgiant.com/

The first hamburger stand I can remember in NB was near the top of the hill, Somerset and Easton Ave, called Carol' s. It was across the street from Greasy Tony' s. There was a McDonald's s in HP and a Stewart's in Franklin. But a lot of people went to Hot Dog Johnnies and Mal' s for ice cream. They offered a " Bet U Can't " gigantic glass if you could finish a huge sundae in one sitting. Wasn't easy to do.

 

[Mike from MD]

The first hamburger stand I can remember in NB was near the top of the hill, Somerset and Easton Ave, called Carol' s. It was across the street from Greasy Tony' s. There was a McDonald's s in HP and a Stewart's in Franklin. But a lot of people went to Hot Dog Johnnies and Mal' s for ice cream. They offered a " Bet U Can't " gigantic glass if you could finish a huge sundae in one sitting. Wasn't easy to do.

Didn't Greasy Tony's take over the Carrolls site sometime in the early '70s?

 

[PiscatawayMike]

Impressive. Now the real test. Do you have the 1926 Spalding Champions card of Rutgers Homer Hazel?

I've been trying to buy the Hazel card for decades. That is the ultimate toughie when it comes to Rutgers sports cards.

 

[Source]

I've been trying to buy the Hazel card for decades. That is the ultimate toughie when it comes to Rutgers sports cards.

Yes it is.

I have a Walter French card made in 1977. French won his football letters at Rutgers in 1919 and 1920 and transferred to Army in 1921. He is the only Rutgers man to play in the NFL and MLB. He played with the 1922 NFL Rochester Jeffersons and the 1925 NFL Pottsville Maroons, supposed champions of the NFL until their title was stripped from them and given to the Chicago Cardinals for playing a game against the Notre Dame All-Stars after they had completed their season. In baseball, he played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1923, 25-29) and took his final at bat in the 1929 World Series when the Athletics defeated the Cubs for the championship.

The son of the man who sold the NFL Pottsville team its jerseys (he only had a bunch of reddish-brown jerseys hence the nickname Maroons) put out a collector's edition of the 1925 team in 1977. French is among the cards. His dad, and then his son, spent their lives trying to get the NFL to reverse its decision and give the Pottsville Maroons their NFL Championship with no luck. The story is that the original sporting goods owner put a curse on the Cardinals when the NFL Hall of Fame opened in 1963 that they would never win another championship until Pottsville gets its title returned. The Cardinals have won the 1925 and 1947 NFL titles. But they have not won one since.

I personally think the Pottsville Maroons won the 1925 NFL title fair and square. They fined Pottsville $500 for playing the all star squad. Also taking the title from them was ridiculous. And Chicago ignored taking the title until Charles Bidwill bought the team in the 1930s and claimed whatever title he could. Bill Bidwill, owner of today's Arizona Cardinals, is the son of Charles.

By the way, the game that supposedly decided that year's Championship was the game in December of 1925 where Pottsville defeated the Cardinals at Cubs Park (today's Wrigley Field). Who was the star player of the game????

Walter French of Rutgers.

His card can be viewed here. He is third from the bottom:
http://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/showcase.aspx?sc=1014

http://www.pottsvillemaroons1925.com/

 

[RUsince52]

Didn't Greasy Tony's take over the Carrolls site sometime in the early '70s?

You could be right. I moved from NB around ' 73 and didn't frequent my old neighborhood much after that.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Source.. did you buy the card for $2.50 and now have one selling for $14.50?

ebay link

 

[Source]

Source.. did you buy the card for $2.50 and now have one selling for $14.50?

ebay link

Heh-heh. No to both questions. But I may purchase his card/s shortly. There's actually several from the years he played and available through numerous sources. The Marchetti/Pellington button would be cool to own but I'm not willing to pay what folks want for it. Perhaps if it's offered for a few bucks by some house sale auction, I'll pick it up.

However, I recently purchased this Walter French (RC Football 1919, 1920) card shortly after he played his final season with the 1929 Philadelphia Athletics. Baguer Chocolates of Cuba put out the (tied for) smallest baseball "card" in the world. And I got it for a lot less than the one offered here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1930-Baguer...669417?hash=item210e874f29:g:lQAAAOSw2GlXJWla