Red Badgro

Morris Hiram "Red" Badgro (December 1, 1902 – July 13, 1998) was an American professional football and baseball player. He played as an end in the National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.

A native of Orillia, Washington, he attended the University of Southern California (USC) where he played baseball, basketball, and football. He then played nine seasons of professional football for the New York Yankees (1927–1928), New York Giants (1930–1935), and Brooklyn Dodgers (1936). He was selected as a first-team All-Pro in 1931, 1933, and 1934. He scored the first touchdown in the first NFL Championship Game and was a member of the 1934 New York Giants team that won the second NFL Championship Game.

Badgro also played professional baseball as an outfielder for six years from 1928 to 1933, including two seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Browns (1929–1930). After his career as an athlete was over, Badgro served as a football coach for 14 years, including stints as the ends coach for Columbia (1939–1942) and Washington (1946–1953).

Badgro was born in 1902 in Orillia, Washington. His father, Walter Badgro (1865–1940), was a farmer in Orillia. He attended Kent High School where he was twice named captain of the basketball and baseball teams. Badgro later recalled that his focus was on baseball and basketball in high school, noting that he only played "maybe three games of football in four years" of high school.

Badgro enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC) on a basketball scholarship. At USC, was a multi-sport star in baseball, basketball, and football. Playing at the end position for the USC football team, he was selected by the United Press as a first-team player on the 1926 All-Pacific Coast football team. He was a forward for the USC basketball team and was named to the All-Pacific Coast Conference basketball team in 1927. During the 1927 baseball season, he led USC with a .352 batting average, scored 25 runs in 21 games, and was named to the All-California baseball team.

Badgro played 10 seasons of professional football. During the 1927 season, he appeared in 12 games for the New York Yankees. The Yankees folded after the 1928 season, and Badgro opted to focus on professional baseball. He did not play professional football in 1929.

After playing Major League Baseball in 1929 and 1930, Badgro qualified as a free agent in professional football and signed with the New York Giants for $150 a game. He gained his greatest acclaim as the starting left end for the Giants from 1930 to 1935. He was regarded as a sure-tackling defender and an effective blocker and talented receiver on offense. Giants coach Steve Owen said of Badgro: "He could block, tackle, and catch passes equally well. And he could do each with the best of them." Highlights from Badgro's prime years include the following:

Badgro concluded his playing career with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1936.