John Theodore Mintun (July 12, 1894 – February 25, 1976) was 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 ...

player who played as a center for seven seasons for the Decatur/Chicago Staleys (1920–1921), the

Racine Legion The Racine Legion was a professional American football team based in Racine, Wisconsin, of the National Football League from 1922 to 1924. Its official name was the Horlick-Racine Legion. The team then operated as the Racine Tornadoes in 1926. ...

(1922–1924), the Kansas City Cowboys (1925), and the

Racine Tornadoes The Racine Legion was a professional American football team based in Racine, Wisconsin, of the National Football League from 1922 to 1924. Its official name was the Horlick-Racine Legion. The team then operated as the Racine Tornadoes in 1926. ...

(1926). Mintun grew up in

Piatt County, Illinois Piatt County is a county in Illinois. According to the 2020 United States Census, it had a population of 16,673. Its county seat is Monticello. Piatt County is part of the Champaign–Urbana, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The firs ...

before moving to Decatur as a teenager, where he played for the independent Decatur Indians team; during a November 1915 game, he received the nickname "Jack" from a local newspaper. He later joined

A. E. Staley Primary Products Ingredients Americas LLC (founded as A. E. Staley Manufacturing Company), also formerly known as Tate & Lyle Primary Products, is an American subsidiary of Tate & Lyle PLC and produces a range of starch products for the food, p ...

's baseball team before being drafted into the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in 1918; he served with the 34th Infantry Division in France until his discharge. In 1919, he was a member of Staley's new football team, where he played center and kicker. He scored three touchdowns for the Staleys that year on an interception return, muffed punt return, and a fumble return. The following year, he became an employee at A. E. Staley as a

millwright A millwright is a craftsperson or skilled tradesperson who installs, dismantles, maintains, repairs, reassembles, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. The term ''millwright'' (also known as ''industrial mecha ...

, and was named their night supervisor in 1932.

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* 1894 births 1976 deaths American football centers American football placekickers Chicago Staleys players Decatur Staleys players Kansas City Cowboys (NFL) players Racine Legion players Racine Tornadoes players United States Army personnel of World War I People from Cambridge, Nebraska People from Piatt County, Illinois Players of American football from Illinois {{offensive-lineman-1890s-stub