Charles Andrew Armstrong (April 20, 1919 – July 20, 2001) 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 ...

halfback and fullback. Armstrong was born in Hickory, Mississippi, in 1919 and attended Newton High School in

Newton, Mississippi Newton is a city in Newton County, Mississippi. The population was 3,195 in the 2020 census. Geography Newton is located south of I-20 and U.S. Route 80 approximately 25 miles west of Meridian in south central Newton County. Potterchitto Creek f ...

. He played college football at

Mississippi College Mississippi College (MC) is a private Baptist university in Clinton, Mississippi. Founded in 1826, MC is the second-oldest Baptist-affiliated college or university in the United States and the oldest college or university in Mississippi. Histor ...

from 1938 to 1940. He was the leading scorer in the Dixie Conference in both 1939 and 1940 and was selected as the first-team quarterback on the 1940 All-Dixie Conference football team. In October 1940, the ''Clarion-Ledger'' wrote: "Armstrong is the answer to any coach's prayer as a triple-threat back. He does a large part of the running, practically all of the punting, and gives his roommate, Bob Majure, a helping hand with the passing attack of the Tribesmen." Armstrong was selected by the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ...

in the 12th round (103rd overall pick) of the

1941 NFL Draft The 1941 National Football League Draft was held on December 10, 1940, at the Willard Hotel in Washington D.C. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Chicago Bears selected halfback Tom Harmon. Player selections Round 1 Round 2 R ...

, but he never played in the NFL. He instead served in the military in the South Pacific 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 ...

. After the war, he played in the All-America Football Conference for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946. He appeared in 10 games, two of them as a starter, and rushed for 78 yards on 22 carries. He died in 2001 in Meridian, Mississippi.

References

1919 births 2001 deaths People from Hickory, Mississippi Players of American football from Mississippi American football halfbacks Mississippi College Choctaws football players Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC) players American military personnel of World War II {{runningback-1920s-stub