Tony Furst

Anthony Raymond "Tony" Furst (April 26, 1918 – September 5, 2009) was an American football player. He played college football at the University of Dayton and professional football for the Detroit Lions during the 1940, 1941, and 1944 seasons. He also served in the military during World War II and saw combat action during the Guadalcanal campaign.

Tony Furst
Position:Tackle
Personal information
Born:(1918-04-26)April 26, 1918
Dayton, Ohio, US
Died:September 5, 2009(2009-09-05) (aged 91)
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:217 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Chaminade (OH)
College:Dayton
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Games:21
Games started:10
Interceptions:1
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Early years

Furst was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1918 and attended Dayton's Chaminade High School.[1][2] He played college football for the University of Dayton and was part of the Dayton squad that snapped Western Reserve's 27-game winning streak.[3] After his senior season, he was selected to play in the Chicago College All-Star Game.[4]

Professional football and military service

After graduating from Dayton, he played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) as a tackle for the Detroit Lions. He appeared in 19 NFL games, 10 as a starter, during the 1940 and 1941 seasons.[1] During the 1940 season, he played the full 60 minutes in six games. At 215 pounds, he was one of the lightest tackles in the NFL.[3]

Furst had served in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps at the University of Dayton and was a military reservist. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was called to active duty and attained the rank of first lieutenant.[3][5] He saw combat action in the Guadalcanal campaign, underwent surgery on his veins in New Zealand, and returned to Dayton at the end of 1943.[5]

Furst returned to the Lions in 1944, but appeared in only two games, neither as a starter.[1]

Later years

After retiring from football, he operated a flower shop (Furst Florist) in North Dayton that had been established by his family in 1905.[6][7] He ran unsuccessfully for Montgomery County Sheriff in 1960 and for the state legislature in 1964. He was inducted into the University of Dayton Hall of Fame in 1965.[8] He died in 2009 at age 91.[6][9] He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Dayton.[2]

References
  1. "Tony Furst". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  2. "Celebrating the Lifetime of UD Hall of Fame Athlete Tony Furst". Calvary Cemetery. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  3. "Detroit Lion Tackle Is Now Here in Army". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. June 30, 1942. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Furst Cheats Self Of Starting Job With Lions, Potsy Clark Says". Dayton Herald. September 4, 1940. p. S5 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Tony Furst Home From South Pacific Wars". The Dayton Herald. December 26, 1943 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Ex-Flyer football star Furst, 91, dies". Dayton Daily News. September 7, 2009 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Recognition: It helped". The Journal Herald. June 4, 1977. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.("Furst started in the florist business in 1948 ...")
  8. Joe Burns (January 26, 1965). "Furst Elected -- to UD Hall; Snelling, Too, Posthumously". Dayton Daily News. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Furst, a 'proud Flyer,' played 3 years in NFL". Dayton Daily News. September 10, 2009. p. B2 – via Newspapers.com.
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