Ralph Earhart (March 29, 1923 – May 1, 1997) was a halfback 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). Earhart was born on March 29, 1923, in Milburn, Oklahoma. He attended Lefors High School where he played football, basketball and track-and-field. Earhart's football team's were successful, reaching various local title games and winning the district title during his senior year. However, it was revealed that Earhart had played high school basketball prior to attending Lefors, meaning he was ineligible for sports his senior year. The football team forfeited their games and district title that season. Earhart graduated from high school and began attending

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

where he played college football. However, with the advent of

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 ...

, Earhart joined 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 ...

. During his time in the Navy, he played for a naval football team. He attained the rank of Second Class Petty officer before leaving the Navy and rejoining Texas Tech. During his time on the Texas Tech football team, he played in the 1948 Sun Bowl. During his senior year, he led he team in pass receiving and scoring. He also participated in the college's track-and-field team, recording a 9.7 second finish in the

100-yard dash 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length&nb ...

. He graduated from Texas Tech with a bachelor degree in physical education and was married with one child at the time. Earhart was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the thirty-second round of the

1948 NFL Draft The 1948 National Football League Draft was held on December 19, 1947, at the Fort Pitt Hotel in Pittsburgh. This was the second year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick determined by lottery, with the previous year's winner Chicago Be ...

. Head coach

Curly Lambeau Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau (April 9, 1898 – June 1, 1965) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). Lambeau, along with his friend and fellow Green Bay, Wisconsin native George Whitney Cal ...

drafted Earhart with a focus on his speed and expected him to compete for a starting halfback position. In his first game with the Packers, Earhart scored a 63-yard rushing touchdown as the Packers beat the

Boston Yanks The Boston Yanks were a National Football League team based in Boston, Massachusetts, that played from 1944 to 1948. The team played its home games at Fenway Park. Any games that conflicted with the Boston Red Sox baseball schedule in the Ameri ...

31–0. Earhart played for the Packers for two seasons, recording 194 rushing yards, 303 receiving yards and 3 total touchdowns.

References

1923 births 1997 deaths People from Johnston County, Oklahoma Players of American football from Oklahoma American football halfbacks Pittsburg State Gorillas football players Texas Tech Red Raiders football players Green Bay Packers players {{runningback-1920s-stub