Joseph Patrick O'Malley (January 1, 1932 – March 20, 2015) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

who played two seasons with 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

in the fourth round of the 1955 NFL draft. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

Early life

O'Malley played

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at Scranton Technical High School in

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...

. He earned all-scholastic honors and was the player of the game for the 1950 Scranton Lions Club Dream Game. He also participated in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

and

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

. In basketball, he set several Lackawanna League scoring records, was widely considered one of the top inside players and was named to The Scranton Times All-Regional team twice. O'Malley was undefeated in the

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

his senior season and also competed in the

440-yard dash The 440-yard dash, or quarter-mile race, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. In many countries, athletes compete in the 440 yard The yard (symbol: yd) is an English units, English unit of length in both the British im ...

, broad jump and the

shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

College career

O'Malley played college football for the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

. He earned second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors his sophomore year. He also competed in track and field. He was named a team captain, earned second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors and was an honorable mention

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

his senior year. In 1999, he was inducted into the University of Georgia Hall of Fame.

Professional career

O'Malley was selected by the

with the 47th pick in the 1955 NFL draft. He was traded to the

, appearing in 22 games and starting 9 from 1955 to 1956.

Coaching career

O'Malley became football, basketball, and athletic director at Brown High School in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

after his playing career. The basketball team won the AAA state championship in his first year. He was named Class AAA Coach of the Year by the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association in 1968.

Personal life

O'Malley married Sally Dodson in 1956, they had one daughter Shawn O’Malley, then separated and divorced in 1959. He then married schoolteacher Joyce Ervin on August 3, 1960. The couple lived in

Conyers, Georgia Conyers is a city and the county seat of Rockdale County, Georgia, United States. The city is 24 miles (38.6 km) east of downtown Atlanta and is a part of the Metro Atlanta, Atlanta metropolitan area. As of 2020 United States census, 202 ...

and had three children Karen, Joseph II and Mike. O'Malley began working at General Wholesale Company in 1970 and retired from the company in 1994. O'Malley was a member of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Conyers. After death, O'Malley was diagnosed with

chronic traumatic encephalopathy Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets wor ...

. He is one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with this disease, which is caused by repeated hits to the head.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OMalley, Joe 1932 births 2015 deaths American football defensive ends Players of American football with chronic traumatic encephalopathy American male track and field athletes Georgia Bulldogs football players Georgia Bulldogs men's track and field athletes Pittsburgh Steelers players High school football coaches in Georgia (U.S. state) High school basketball coaches in Georgia (U.S. state) Players of American football from Scranton, Pennsylvania High school baseball coaches in the United States Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania 20th-century American sportsmen