Chuck Cherundolo

Charles James Cherundolo, Jr. (August 8, 1916 – December 22, 2012) was an American football player and coach. He played center and linebacker for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was born in Old Forge, Pennsylvania.

Chuck Cherundolo
No. 21
Position:Center / Linebacker
Personal information
Born:(1916-08-08)August 8, 1916
Old Forge, Pennsylvania
Died:December 22, 2012(2012-12-22) (aged 96)
Lakeland, Florida
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Old Forge (PA)
College:Penn State
Undrafted:1937
Career history
As player:
As coach:
Career highlights and awards
Twice selected to NFL All-Star Team
Career NFL statistics
Games Played:106
Interceptions:5
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Playing career

Cherundolo played college football at Penn State, where he was a voted a team captain in 1936.[1] He was named All-America at Penn State.[2] He went on to play ten seasons in the NFL.[3]

Coaching career

He was hired by the Steelers as an assistant coach upon the end of his playing career.[4] He coached with the Steelers from 1949 through 1958, leaving football in 1959. He returned to the Steelers in 1960 as a part-time scout and returned as a full-time assistant coach for the 1961 season. He went on to coach for the Philadelphia Eagles with head coach and friend nick Skorich in 1962 and 1963, and then went on to coach with the Washington Redskins until 1966, when he coached for the Chicago Bears for a total of ten years, interrupted by a one-year coaching job for the Tri-City Apollo's of Midland Michigan. He coached a total of 22 years in the NFL with four teams.[5]

Awards and honors

Cherundolo was selected to two NFL All-Star Teams during his playing career. He was named second-team All-NFL in three seasons.[3]

In 2007, as part of the team's 75th anniversary commemoration, the Steelers named him as the center on their Legends team. The team represents the best players in the franchise's history through 1970.[6]

Personal life

Cherundolo married Margaret Whitehead; the couple had two children, Patricia and John.[2] Both his son and grandson played football at the Division I level.[7] As the time of his death in 2012, he was the fourth-oldest living professional football player.[8][9]

References
  1. "Jus' Passes: Cherundolo Does His Talkin' for Steelers with Deeds". Pittsburgh Press. September 1, 1941. p. 11. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  2. "Redskins 1965 Press Guide" (PDF). Washington Redskins. 1965. p. 14. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  3. "Chuck Cherundolo (PFR bio)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  4. "1953 Steelers Coaches". SteelersUK.com. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  5. "Chuck Cherundolo Goes To Redskins". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 23, 1964. p. 26. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  6. "Steelers Announce Legends Team as Part of 75th Season Celebration Twenty-Four Honored as Best Pre-1970's Players in Club History". Steelers.com. October 2007. Archived from the original on 5 June 2009. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  7. "Hon. John C. Cherundolo (profile)". Syracuse University. Archived from the original on November 1, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  8. "Oldest Living Pro Football Players". Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  9. "Chuck Cherundolo, Old Forge native and former NFL star, dies at age 96". Scranton Times-Tribune. Times-Shamrock Communications. 2012-12-27. Retrieved 2012-12-29.
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