Gene Cronin

Gene Cronin
No. 68, 85
Position: Defensive end / Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: (1933-11-20) November 20, 1933
Place of birth: Spalding, Nebraska
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight: 229 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school: C. K. McClatchy (CA)
College: Pacific
NFL Draft: 1956 / Round: 7 / Pick: 74
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 87
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Gene Edward Cronin (born November 20, 1933 in Spalding, Nebraska) is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Detroit Lions, the Washington Redskins, and the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of the Pacific.

Early years

Cronin attended Ione High School, before transferring to C. K. McClatchy High School after his freshman season. He practiced football and basketball.

He accepted a scholarship from the University of the Pacific. In 1984, he was inducted into the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame.[1]

Professional career

Detroit Lions

Cronin was selected by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round (74th overall) of the 1956 NFL Draft. He initially made the team as a pass rushing specialist. In 1957, he contributed to the team winning the NFL Championship.

Dallas Cowboys

Cronin was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1960 NFL Expansion Draft. He became one of the first starters at outside linebacker in franchise history (the other was Wayne Hansen).

On July 30, 1961, he was traded to the Washington Redskins in exchange for a draft choice.

Washington Redskins

Cronin played two seasons for the Washington Redskins before retiring in 1963, after he was placed on the injured waiver list.[2] He only missed one game in seven seasons in the league.

Personal life

After he retired, he works as the Detroit Lions' chief scout. In 1965, he became the first person hired by the newly formed Atlanta Falcons and served as the Director of player personnel.[3]

References

  1. "Pacific Athletics Hall Of Fame". Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  2. "Redskins Cut Jim Kerr, Five Others". Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  3. "Overnight Sports in Brief". Retrieved January 29, 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/3/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.