Paul James Crowe (October 23, 1924 – December 13, 1989) 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 with ...

player who played at the 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 ...

positions. He played college football for

Saint Mary's St. Mary's, St. Marys, or St. Maries may refer to the following places: Australia * St Marys, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** St Marys railway station, Sydney ** North St Marys, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * St Marys, South Austra ...

military football for the

1944 Saint Mary's Pre-Flight Air Devils football team The 1944 Saint Mary's Pre-Flight Air Devils football team represented the United States Navy pre-flight school at Saint Mary's College of California during the 1944 college football season. In its third season, the team compiled a 4–4 record, o ...

, and professional football for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

Los Angeles Dons The Los Angeles Dons were an American football team in the newly formed football league the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946 to 1949, and played their home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Dons were the first profes ...

, and New York Yanks.

Biography

Early years

Crowe was born in 1924 in Chino, California. He attended and played football at

Chino High School Chino High School (CHS), located in Chino, California is one of the four regular high schools in the Chino Valley Unified School District. The school was established in 1897, making it one of the oldest schools in Southern California. Chino Hig ...

. He starred in football, basketball, and track from 1939 to 1942.

Military and college football

Crowe served in 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 ...

beginning in 1942. After the war, 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 the

Saint Mary's Gaels The Saint Mary's Gaels are the athletic teams that compete at Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga, California. The nickname applies to the college's intercollegiate NCAA Division I teams and to the school's club sports teams. Most varsit ...

from 1945 to 1947. He also played for the Saint Mary's basketball team.

Professional football

Crowe played professional football 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 ...

for the

during their 1948 season and for the 49ers and

during their 1949 seasons. He also played in 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 ...

(NFL) for the 1951 New York Yanks. He appeared in a total of 32 AAFC and NFL games.

Family and later years

After retiring from football, Crowe became a general contractor. He also served on the Feather River Recreation and Park District Board of Directors. Crowe died in 1989 at age 65 in Butte County, California.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowe, Paul 1924 births 1989 deaths San Francisco 49ers (AAFC) players Players of American football from San Bernardino County, California Los Angeles Dons players New York Yanks players Saint Mary's Gaels football players People from Chino, California American football halfbacks United States Army personnel of World War II Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball players San Francisco 49ers players