Walter LeJeune Jean (January 2, 1898 – March 28, 1961)
/ref> was a professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player from

Chillicothe, Ohio Chillicothe ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio. It is the only city in Ross Count ...

. Jean was born and began his pro career as Walter LeJeune.

College

After high school, Jean attended Bethany College, Heidelberg College and Tiffin University. During his senior year in 1922, Bethany imported four players who had played at the professional level and challenged the top teams in

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 ...

Pros

He made his professional debut in the National Football League in 1922 with the

Akron Pros The Akron Pros were a professional football team that played in Akron, Ohio from 1908 to 1926. The team originated in 1908 as a semi-pro team named the Akron Indians, but later became Akron Pros in 1920 as the team set out to become a charter mem ...

. He later played for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

, Frankford Yellow Jackets, Pottsville Maroons and Milwaukee Badgers over the course of his career. In 1927, after playing in just two games with the Maroons, Jean travelled to Portsmouth, Ohio to join a team fielded by Jim Thorpe, called the

Portsmouth Shoe-Steels Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dense ...

. There he served as an

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

and as an assistant coach. By the end of November though, Thorpe left the team and the head coaching duties went straight to Jean.

Legacy

Jean would be the last player from Tiffin University to play in the NFL, until Nate Washington of the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

in 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jean, Walt 1898 births 1961 deaths American football centers American football guards American football tackles Akron Pros players Bethany Bison football players Frankford Yellow Jackets players Green Bay Packers players Milwaukee Badgers players Pottsville Maroons players Heidelberg University (Ohio) alumni Tiffin University alumni Players of American football from Ohio