Chuck_Sweeney

Chuck Sweeney

Chuck Sweeney

American football player and official (1914–1999)

Charles A. "Chuck" Sweeney (May 5, 1914 – August 4, 1999) was an American football end at the University of Notre Dame. He was a consensus All-American in 1937. In later life, he became a National Football League (NFL) game official.

Quick Facts Born:, Died: ...

Playing career

Sweeney played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team under coach Elmer Layden during the 1935, 1936 and 1937 seasons.[1] In his senior year he beat out team captain Joe Zwers for a starting position.[2] During the season his play was difference in several Fighting Irish victories including a late safety against Navy and a blocked extra point versus Minnesota.[3] He also almost single-handedly beat Northwestern by blocking a punt for the only score of the game, recovering 2 fumbles, intercepting a pass, and downing a punt at the 1 yard line.[1][3] For his play, the 6-foot, 190-pound end, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, having received first-team honors from several publications and organizations including the Associated Press (AP), and United Press International (UPI).[4] After the season, he was also invited to participate in several post season All-Star games including the Chicago College All-Star Game and the East-West Shrine Game.[1] In a game that pitted the previous season NFL Champion versus a team of recently graduated college players selected by fans across the country, Sweeney broke the Chicago College All-Star game record for the most votes for a single college player.[2][5] He helped the College All-Stars beat a Sammy Baugh led Washington Redskins.[6]

After college

After graduating from Notre Dame, he took a job as branch manager at Sinclair Refining Company in South Bend, Indiana. He worked at Sinclair until he retired in 1968.[2] He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 1938 NFL Draft.[7] He never played a game in the league but did take part in many games. A few years after taking the job at Sinclair, NFL commissioner and Sweeney's former coach Elmer Layden offered him a job as a game official for the National Football League.[2] He officiated for 25 years including several championship games.[2] One, the 1958 NFL Championship Game, was the first sudden-death overtime game and became widely known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played."[2][8] At the age of 85, Chuck Sweeney died August 4, 1999, of heart failure in St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in South Bend.[2]

References

  1. [1]
    Croake Heisler, Karen (2006), Fighting Irish: Legends, Lists, and Lore, Champaign IL: Sports Publishing LLC, p. 94, ISBN 1-59186-042-3
  2. [2]
    "Charles A. Sweeney". Chicago Tribune. August 4, 1999. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
  3. [3]
    Steele, Michael R. (2013), The Notre Dame Football Encyclopedia: 4th Edition, New York, NY: Sports Publishing, Inc., ISBN 978-1-61321-076-5
  4. [4]
    2014 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners Archived November 26, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 4 & 14 (2014). Retrieved August 20, 2014
  5. [5]
    "Schwartz named on college All-Star Football Eleven". Lodi News-Sentinel. Vol. 57, no. 936. Lodi, CA: . July 28, 1938. p. 7. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  6. [6]
    "The 1938 College All-Star Game (AP Story)". mmbolding.com/. August 31, 1938. Archived from the original on March 2, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
  7. [7]
    "1938 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  8. [8]
    Millard, Chris (2004), Notre Dame Golden Moments: 20 Memorable Events That Shaped Notre Dame Football, Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson Inc., ISBN 1-59186-042-3
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