Chester A. Mutryn (March 12, 1921 – March 24, 1995) was a professional

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 with ...

halfback and

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

in the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...

and the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. He was drafted by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

in the 20th round of the 1943 NFL Draft.

Early life

He attended

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati and Evanston (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,860 stud ...

after having exploits as quarterback for Cleveland Cathedral Latin High School (now known as Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin School). Mutryn excelled in football as well as basketball and baseball, lettering in all three sports. He played primarily as running back for Xavier while also serving as place kicker and defensive back. He led them in scoring each year while having All-Ohio honors. He was named to Xavier's Hall of Fame in 1981. He was drafted by the

, but he served in

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 opposin ...

for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Pro football career

After going back to Xavier to graduate in 1946, he was acquired by the Buffalo Bisons of the newly formed

. Mutryn would play with Buffalo for all four seasons. In 1946, he started in eight of 14 games and ran 57 times for 289 yards with one touchdown. He also served as an occasional receiver and returner, doing so with seven catches on 168 yards for three touchdowns. Mutryn returned nine total punt/kick returns for 136 yards. Mutryn bloomed better in 1947. He played in each game of the season while running 140 times for 868 yards for nine touchdowns while catching 10 passes for 176 yards with two touchdowns. Mutryn returned 34 punts/kicks for 878 yards with one touchdown (his 691 kick return yards and touchdown led the league), doing so on an 87-yard return. In 1948, Mutryn continued his run with further results. He ran for a career high 147 times for 823 yards with ten touchdowns. He also caught 39 passes for 794 yards and five touchdowns (with 20.4 yards per catch, a league high). He also returned a kick for a touchdown on ten returns for 171 yards, doing so on an 88-yard run; in total, he returned 29 kicks/punts for 671 yards. In total, his carries and receptions alongside his yards from scrimmage and total touchdowns all led the league. Mutryn led the AAFC in the touchdown category while being named First-team All-Pro. Buffalo had regressed to seven wins that year from eight, but it was good enough for a tie with the Baltimore Colts, necessitating a Playoff for the Eastern Division title (it would be the first of just three AAFC playoff games played that were not for the championship). Playing in Baltimore on December 12, he ran 11 times for 54 yards. A key play in the game came on something Mutryn did not end up doing. In the fourth quarter, trailing 17–14, Mutryn had apparently caught a pass from

George Ratterman George William Ratterman (November 12, 1926 – November 3, 2007) was an American football player in the All-America Football Conference and the National Football League. Early life He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he graduated from St. X ...

before fumbling the ball, which the Colts had recovered. However, it was ruled by the officials as an incomplete pass, and the Bills kept on with their drive. Later on, the Bills scored a touchdown and then added another one to prevail 28–17. In the AAFC Championship the following week, he made just eight carries for eight yards while catching two passes for five yards as the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

routed Buffalo 49–7. In the last year of the AAFC, Mutryn played in eleven of the twelve games played (reduced from 14 due to the shrinking of the league to seven teams). He ran 131 times for 696 yards and five touchdowns while catching 29 passes for 333 yards to lead the league in total touches and scrimmage yards again. He also returned 17 total punt/kicks for 301 yards. His total yard count in rushes, receptions, and returns (1,330) led the league for the second time. Buffalo finished fourth in the seven-team AAFC, but it was good enough to qualify for the semifinal playoff against the top team in Cleveland. Mutryn caught two passes for touchdowns that kept Buffalo in check (they led as late as the third quarter 21–17). His eight carries for 24 yards went with six receptions for 81 yards, but Cleveland pulled away late to win 31–21. Upon Buffalo being shut out of the league, Mutryn went to the Baltimore Colts upon their absorption into the NFL in 1950. In 12 games started, he ran 108 times for 355 yards for two touchdowns while catching 36 passes for 379 yards for two touchdowns. He returned 25 total punts/kicks for 453 yards. He was drafted by the Eagles in the first round of the 1951 NFL Draft after the Baltimore Colts folded, but he never played a game with them. He was inducted into the

Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame The Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1976 to honor Greater Clevelanders who were outstanding in sport. Greater Cleveland is defined as Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lor ...

in 1976.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutryn, Chet 1921 births 1995 deaths Players of American football from Cleveland American football halfbacks American football defensive backs Xavier University alumni Buffalo Bisons (AAFC) players Buffalo Bills (AAFC) players Baltimore Colts (1947–1950) players United States Navy personnel of World War II