Clyde J. LeForce, Jr. (June 4, 1923 – June 9, 2006) 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 ...

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

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). He played college football for the University of Tulsa.

College career

LeForce attended the University of Tulsa, where he played football as a quarterback in 1942, 1943 and, after a hiatus to serve in 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

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 ...

, 1946. In 1943, he led the team in scoring (59 points), rushing (290 yards), passing (557 yards), punting (908 yards), and punt returns (154 yards). In 1946, he was named an All-

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

player.Player Bio: Clyde LeForce
University of Tulsa, retrieved February 18, 2009. LeForce was inducted into the Tulsa Hurricane Hall of Fame in 1986.

Professional football career

LeForce was selected by the Detroit Lions in the 19th round of the

1945 NFL Draft The 1945 National Football League Draft was held on April 8, 1945, at the Commodore Hotel in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Chicago Cardinals selected halfback Charley Trippi. Player selections Round o ...

(194th overall). However, he returned to Tulsa for his final year of college eligibility before he entered the NFL. In 1947, he went to play for the Lions where he remained for all three years of his professional playing career. In 1947, he played nine games including two starts. He completed 94 passes on 175 attempts for 1,384 yards and 13

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

s and 20

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...

s. LeForce also compiled 143 rushing yards and three defensive interceptions. In 1948, LeForce played in twelve games including two starts, where he recorded 50 completions on 101 attempts for 912 yards, nine touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He rushed for 86 yards and one rushing touchdown and compiled 122 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. He also recorded one defensive interception. In 1949, he played in eleven games including one start. He completed 53 of 112 attempts for 665 yards, three touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He rushed for 58 yards and one touchdown.Clyde LeForce Statistics
Pro Football Reference, retrieved February 18, 2009. LeForce died on June 9, 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leforce, Clyde 1923 births 2006 deaths American football quarterbacks Detroit Lions players San Diego Naval Training Station Bluejackets football players Tulsa Golden Hurricane football players United States Navy personnel of World War II People from Pawnee, Oklahoma Players of American football from Oklahoma