Trivia

(1938-1941, 1946-1948) Pro football player

Played guard for the National Football League's Detroit Lions (1938-1941 & 1945) and the All America Football Conference's Los Angeles Dons, 1946-1947).

Played football at the University of Southern California from 1935 through 1937. He played joined the NFL Detroit Lions in 1938 and played with them until 1941 when he entered the Navy. At the end of World War II, he rejoined the Lions in 1945. He jumped to the the All-America Conferance and played for the Los Angeles Dons in 1946. When the All-America Conferance, folded he learned he was blacklisted by the NFL. He sued the NFL in 1949. A lower court dismissed the case, but the Supreme Court order the case be retried. He later dropped the case and accepted a $42,500 settlement from the NFL.

The character he played in "The World In His Arms" was written into the script at the last moment, following Gregory Peck's replacement of John Wayne in the leading role. Writer Borden Chase claimed that Peck was incapable of some of the strong-arm action in the script, and so a new character was added to take over these scenes.