Albert Marcellus DeMao (February 29, 1920 – February 1, 2008) 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 wi ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

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 ...

for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

from

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which Nuclear weapon, nuclear weapons Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have been used in combat. Events Below, ...

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yug ...

. He played college football at

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit , image = Holy Gh ...

and was drafted in the 11th round of the

1942 NFL Draft The 1942 National Football League Draft was held on December 22, 1941, at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago. Two members of the draft class have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Bill Dudley, the first overall selection by the P ...

Life and career

DeMao was born in

New Kensington, Pennsylvania New Kensington, known locally as New Ken, is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. It is situated along the Allegheny River, northeast of Pittsburgh. The population was 12,170 at the 2010 census. History Like much of Westmoreland Cou ...

. He attended

, graduating in 1942. He was a member of the university's undefeated 1941 football team, played in the 1941

Blue-Gray Game Livid is a medium bluish- gray color. This color name comes from the Latin color term ''lividus'' meaning "'a dull leaden-blue color', and also used to describe the color of contused flesh, leading to the English expression 'black and blue'" ...

, and played in the 1941 College All-Star Game. Drafted by the Washington Redskins, he was unable to serve because he was drafted by 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 ...

instead. Commissioned a lieutenant, DeMao commanded a landing craft during the Normandy invasion, making nine dangerous trips to the beach to deliver soldiers to the shore. Discharged from the Navy in the fall of 1945, he joined the Redskins mid-season and played nine years for the team. He was a

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

player in 1950. Since most professional football players received only minimal pay in the 1950s, DeMao took up employment in the off-season with liquor distributor Milton S. Kronheim & Co. After retiring from football in 1954, DeMao remained with the company, rising to vice president of sales. DeMao remained active in NFL affairs in retirement. He founded the Redskins Alumni Association (a social and charitable organization for former Washington Redskins players) in 1957, NFL Alumni (a charitable organization to aid needy former NFL players) in 1967, and the Redskins Welcome Home Luncheon (a social event for players which kicks off each Redskins season). DeMao married Marcella DeMao, but the couple had no children. DeMao greatly enjoyed working with children, however. He was active in

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in ...

and the

Boys & Girls Clubs of America Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is a national organization of local chapters which provide voluntary after-school programs for young people. The organization, which holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code, h ...

, assisted with the St. John's College High School football team, and coached football teams with the Boys Club of America and the Catholic Youth Organization. He also raised funds for the

Muscular Dystrophy Association The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is an American 501(c)(3) umbrella organization that works to support people with neuromuscular diseases. Founded in 1950 by Paul Cohen, who lived with muscular dystrophy, it works to combat neuromuscular d ...

, the

National Multiple Sclerosis Society The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) is a nonprofit organization that was founded in New York City as the Association for Advancement of Research on Multiple Sclerosis on March 11, 1946 by Sylvia Lawry. Ms. Lawry was a lawyer looking fo ...

, and the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation. DeMao retired from Kronheim & Co. in 1986, shortly after his wife Marcella died early in the year. He married Violet DeMao at the end of 1986. Al DeMao died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

Baltimore Washington Medical Center University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (UM BWMC) is a hospital in Glen Burnie, Maryland that is part of the University of Maryland Medical System The University of Maryland Medical System (also known as UMMS) is a private, not ...

Glen Burnie, Maryland Glen Burnie is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Baltimore. The population of Glen Burnie was 67,639 at the 2010 census. History In 1812, Elias Glenn, a di ...

, on February 1, 2008. He was survived by his wife, and interred at

Gate of Heaven Cemetery Gate of Heaven Cemetery, approximately 25 miles (40 km) north of New York City, was established in 1917 at 10 West Stevens Ave. in Hawthorne, Westchester County, New York, as a Roman Catholic burial site. Among its famous residents is ...

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ce ...

References

External links

* 1920 births 2008 deaths American football centers United States Navy personnel of World War II Duquesne Dukes football players Washington Redskins players Burials at Gate of Heaven Cemetery (Silver Spring, Maryland) United States Navy officers {{offensive-lineman-1920s-stub