Frankie Albert

Frank Cullen Albert (January 27, 1920 – September 4, 2002) was an American professional football player and coach. He played as a quarterback and punter with the San Francisco 49ers in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and later in National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Indians (now Cardinal), where he led the 1940 football team to an undefeated season and the 1941 Rose Bowl.

Many who saw Albert in action credit him as being the greatest left-handed quarterback ever to play the game.

Frankie Albert was born in Chicago and attended Glendale High School in Glendale, California.

He went to Stanford University, where he was coached by T formation innovator Clark Shaughnessy. Albert played as Stanford's quarterback and in 1940–41 became an all-American. He was the first college T-formation quarterback in modern football history. He led the team of 1940 to a 9–0 regular season, 21–13 victory over Nebraska in the Rose Bowl and a No. 2 national ranking, behind Minnesota. He was also a member of Stanford's chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

With the outbreak of World War II, Albert, as with most young American men of his generation, went before the Army for military draft classification. In December 1941, he was designated 1-B due to his having flat feet.

Wishing to aid the military effort and undeterred by his suboptimal categorization, amidst rumors that the Stanford University campus was to be converted into a training school for aviators, Albert applied to join US Navy Reserve as part of its announced physical training program for navy aviators. Albert's application was accepted, along with those of four other Stanford football teammates, and the group were slated to enter basic naval training at Norfolk Naval Air Station in Virginia in April. The physical training program in which they served was under the direction of lieutenant commander Gene Tunney, a former heavyweight boxing champion.

At the same time, the Chicago Bears selected Albert in the 1942 NFL draft with the 10th overall pick. He would never play with the team, serving instead in the Navy for four years.

After quarterbacking the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the Pacific Coast Football League in 1945, he launched his All-Pro career with the San Francisco 49ers of the All-America Football Conference in 1946. He played seven seasons with the 49ers.