Roy Lee "Father" Lumpkin (January 27, 1907March 31, 1974) was an American football player. A native of Jefferson, Texas, Lumpkin attended high school in Dallas. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for Georgia Tech and was an All-Southern

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

for the undefeated

1928 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team The 1928 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly known as Georgia Tech) during the 1928 Southern Conference football season. The team, which was a member of the Southern Conference ( ...

that defeated California in the

1929 Rose Bowl The 1929 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game and the 15th annual Rose Bowl Game. Played on January 1, 1929, the game saw the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (also known at the time as the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado) defeat the California Golde ...

. In 1929, Lumpkin left Georgia Tech to play professional football for the Portsmouth Spartans. He played five seasons for Portsmouth from 1929 to 1933 and was selected as a second-team All-Pro in 1930 and a first-team All-Pro in 1932. He played one season with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

in 1934 after the Spartans moved to Detroit. He scored the first touchdown in Detroit Lions history. He concluded his football career with the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

from 1935 to 1937.

Early years

Lumpkin was born in Jefferson, Texas, in 1907. He was the son of Balcombe Lumpkin and Naomi (Davis) Lumpkin. He attended Oak Cliff High School in Dallas where he played fullback for the football team in 1926.

College

In 1927, Lumpkin enrolled at the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

in Atlanta, planning to study textile engineering. As a freshman in 1927, he was given the nickname "Father" because of his fatherly manner. As a sophomore, he helped lead the

to an undefeated season and a victory over California in the

. Lumpkin also intercepted two passes in a 13–0 victory over Notre Dame. At the end of the season, he was selected as a fullback on the All-Southern team of Nash Higgins, chief football scout and assistant coach for the University of Florida. One writer called Lumpkin "the most powerful individual factor" on the 1928 Georgia Tech team and noted: "This big, fast and powerful backfield star, who is just as valuable as an offensive interferer as a runner, passer and pass-receiver, is the best protectionist we have seen this year in staving off opponents who attempt to reach the player who is carrying the ball."

Professional football

Lumpkin did not return to Georgia Tech for his junior year in 1929. Instead, he joined a professional football team in Ohio called the Portsmouth Spartans. On November 24, 1929, he returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown against the

Ironton Tanks The Ironton Tanks were a semi-professional football team organized in 1919 in Ironton, Ohio. Their historical marker gives the story of the Tanks origin: "Semi-professional football began in Ironton in 1893 with a team known as the Irontonians. ...

. Lumpkin became the star of the 1929 Portsmouth team that compiled a 12-2-1 record. Lumpkin remained with the Spartans as they joined the National Football League (NFL) in 1930 and through their move to Detroit as the

in 1934. He earned a reputation as an excellent blocker, leading the way for the Spartans' other backs, Dutch Clark, Glenn Presnell, and

Ace Gutowsky LeRoy Erwin "Ace" Gutowsky (August 2, 1909 – December 4, 1976) was a Russian-American professional American football fullback. He played professional football for eight years from 1932 to 1939 and set the NFL career rushing record in Oct ...

. He was also one of the last players in the NFL who refused to wear a helmet. Presnell later recalled: "Probably our most popular player was Father Lumpkin . . . He was one of the toughest human beings I ever saw. I remember seeing him wrestle during the off-season. He was just a very athletic individual. He was a great blocker, and he would say if he didn't take out two men on each play, then he wasn't doing his job. He meant putting them on the ground, not just bump them and go ahead." Lumpkin was selected as a second-team player on the 1930 All-Pro Team and a first-team player on the

1932 All-Pro Team The 1932 All-Pro Team consisted of American football players chosen by various selectors for the All-Pro team of the National Football League (NFL) for the 1932 NFL season. Teams were selected by, among others, seven of the eight NFL coaches for th ...

. On September 23, 1934, Lumpkin scored the first touchdown in the Detroit Lions' first game, intercepting a pass and returning it 45 yards for a touchdown in a 9-0 victory over the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

before a crowd of 12,000 persons at the University of Detroit Stadium. In May 1935, the Lions sold Lumpkin to the Brooklyn Dodgers. According to Dutch Clark, the Lions dropped Lumpkin because he refused to give up professional wrestling. He played for Brooklyn from 1935 to 1937. After spending 1938 as a professional wrestler, he signed in 1939 as the head coach of the

Louisville Tanks The Louisville Tanks were a minor league professional American football team that existed from 1935 to 1940. The team formed in the wake of the dissolution of the Louisville Bourbons of the short-lived American Football League of 1934. Organized a ...

of the American Professional Football League.

Later years

Lumpkin was married to Inez P. Lumpkin. After retiring from football, Lumpkin and his wife lived in Dallas. In his later years, Lumpkin sold bowling supplies. Lumpkin died in 1974 at age 67 in Dallas. The cause of death was cerebral insufficiency and pneumonia due to recent subendocardial infarction. For the last three-and-a-half years of his life, he suffered from ischemic heart disease with episodes of cardiac arrhythmia.Death certificate for Roy Lee Lumpkin, born January 27, 1907, died March 31, 1974. Texas Department of State Health Services; Austin Texas, USA; Texas Death Certificates, 1903–1982. Ancestry.com. Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982 atabase on-line He was buried at Pike Cemetery in Pike, Texas.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lumpkin, Father 1907 births 1974 deaths People from Jefferson, Texas Players of American football from Texas American football fullbacks American football halfbacks American football quarterbacks Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players Portsmouth Spartans players Detroit Lions players Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) players All-Southern college football players