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George Trafton
Hall of Fame Class - 1964
Center
Notre Dame
1920-1921, 1923-1932 Decatur/Chicago Staleys/Chicago
Bears |
In the National Football League’s early years,
players moved from team to team with a great deal of regularity. In fact it
wasn’t uncommon for a player to leave one team for another during the same
season. But, one notable exception to this general pattern was George
Trafton, the durable, hard-hitting center of the Chicago Bears between 1920
and 1932.
Trafton began his pro career with the Decatur Staleys, forerunner of the
Bears, in the first year of the American Professional Football Association,
forerunner of the NFL. Trafton followed the Staleys when the team moved to
Chicago in 1921. However, in 1922, he took a year off from the pros to serve
as an assistant football coach at Northwestern.
He returned to the Bears in 1923 and remained there for an additional 10
outstanding seasons. George was an excellent player and a superior
competitor. Six times during his 12 seasons he was named to various
all-league teams. He also earned, and most observers of the day say
rightfully so, a reputation as rough player who was not afraid to get into
an on-field scrap.
Even teammates like the fabled halfback Red Grange called him the “meanest,
toughest player alive.” One writer reported that Trafton was strongly
disliked in every NFL city, with the exception of Green Bay and Rock Island.
In those places, "he was hated."
Trafton, however, was far more than just a roughneck. He was a skilled
defensive player who had the moves of a halfback to go with his size and
strength. He was one of the first centers to rove on defense and the very
first on offense to center the football with only one hand. The Bears' press
book once claimed their dynamic team captain never made a bad snap "in 201
games or 158 hours of actual competition. "
Pro Football Hall of Fame Web Site,
"George Trafton", Accessed 2/2007, <http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=215&title=Member>. |
