William Neely "Memphis" Mallory (November 20, 1901 – February 13, 1945) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player. He was a significant part of the

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

teams that went 8–1 in 1921 and 8–0 in 1923. After graduating, he joined the

US Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

as an

intelligence officer An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organization to collect, compile or analyze information (known as intelligence) which is of use to that organization. The word of ''officer'' is a working title, not a rank, used in the same way ...

and led ''Operation Mallory'' during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, which destroyed 22 of 24 bridges over the Po River, thereby damaging

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

supply lines into

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. He died on his way home from the war, when his plane crashed. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1964. Yale University established the William Neely Mallory Award in his memory.

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* 1901 births 1945 deaths American football fullbacks Yale Bulldogs football players All-American college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees United States Army Air Forces officers Players of American football from Memphis, Tennessee United States Army Air Forces personnel killed in World War II Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Italy Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1945 {{collegefootball-player-stub