This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Jim Callahan" American football, born 1920 – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR(April 2023)
James Ross Callahan (December 19, 1920 – March 27, 1998) was an American football player.
Born in El Paso, Texas, Callahan attended Wink High School where he played football and basketball, ran track and threw both the discus and the javelin. He helped lead Wink's football team to a 29 game winning streak.[1] he finished second in the discus at the 1940 Texas state high school track meet.[1]
After being recruited by Texas, TCU, Texas Tech and the Naval Academy, Callahan chose to play at Tech. In his Sophomore season he helped Tech to a 9-2 record and a trip to the Sun Bowl. The next year he helped them win a share of the 1942 Border Conference championship and was named all-conference. He also played basketball for Tech, but not track as they did not have a track team that season. Going into 1943 he was voted co-captain of the team.[1]
After the start of World War II, Callahan had joined the Navy and in August of 1943 he was called to duty and transferred to Texas for V-5 pre-flight training. In October he was given permission by the Navy to play football for Texas, which he did and was called Texas' "lend-lease fullback" as a result. He immediately contributed with his rushing, receiving, kicking and blocking; scoring four touchdowns in his first 3 games. Despite missing the first three games of the season, he finished the season as the Southwest Conference's 2nd leading scoring and made the AP's All-Southwest Conference first team.[1] The team went 7-1. won the conference championship and played to 7-7 tie against Randolph Field and it's team of all-stars in the 1944 Cotton Bowl Classic.[1]
As soon as the season ended, he was shipped off to Athens, GA for Naval Pre-Flight school where he excelled on the obstacle course and in the classroom.[1]
He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round (13th overall pick) of the 1944 NFL Draft, but had to miss two seasons in the NFL due to his military service.[1]
A foot injury limited his playing time during the 1946 season, and he only played in 9 games for the Lions.[2] He returned to the Lions in 1947, but was injured in training camp, went on the injured reserve list and then returned to Tech to get his degree.[1]
After finishing his football career and graduating, he worked as a sales manager of a Lubbock car dealership and then at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.[1]
After a round of golf in El Paso in March of 1978, he suffered a fatal heart attack and died at 57 years old.[1]
In 1999, Odessa American newspaper named him the 20th Century's best high school football player from the Permian Basin.[1]
Referencesedit
^ abcdefghijk"Historic Longhorn Notable of the Week: James Ross "J.R." Callahan (1943)". Burnt Orange nation. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
^"Joel McCoy". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
April 11, 2024
callahan, american, football, born, 1920, this, article, relies, largely, entirely, single, source, relevant, discussion, found, talk, page, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, citations, additional, sources, find, sources, callahan, american, f. This article relies largely or entirely on a single source Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources Find sources Jim Callahan American football born 1920 news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2023 James Ross Callahan December 19 1920 March 27 1998 was an American football player Jim CallahanPersonal informationBorn 1920 12 19 December 19 1920El Paso TexasDied March 27 1978 1978 03 27 aged 57 El Paso TexasHeight 5 ft 11 in 1 80 m Weight 185 lb 84 kg Career informationHigh school Wink TX College Texas Tech TexasPosition BackNFL draft 1944 Round 2 Pick 13Career historyDetroit Lions 1946 Career highlights and awards1942 All Conference Border Conference 1942 Border Conference Co Championship 1943 All Conference Southwest Conference 1943 Southwest Conference Championship 1944 Cotton Bowl Co ChampionCareer NFL statisticsGames 9Player stats at PFRBorn in El Paso Texas Callahan attended Wink High School where he played football and basketball ran track and threw both the discus and the javelin He helped lead Wink s football team to a 29 game winning streak 1 he finished second in the discus at the 1940 Texas state high school track meet 1 After being recruited by Texas TCU Texas Tech and the Naval Academy Callahan chose to play at Tech In his Sophomore season he helped Tech to a 9 2 record and a trip to the Sun Bowl The next year he helped them win a share of the 1942 Border Conference championship and was named all conference He also played basketball for Tech but not track as they did not have a track team that season Going into 1943 he was voted co captain of the team 1 After the start of World War II Callahan had joined the Navy and in August of 1943 he was called to duty and transferred to Texas for V 5 pre flight training In October he was given permission by the Navy to play football for Texas which he did and was called Texas lend lease fullback as a result He immediately contributed with his rushing receiving kicking and blocking scoring four touchdowns in his first 3 games Despite missing the first three games of the season he finished the season as the Southwest Conference s 2nd leading scoring and made the AP s All Southwest Conference first team 1 The team went 7 1 won the conference championship and played to 7 7 tie against Randolph Field and it s team of all stars in the 1944 Cotton Bowl Classic 1 As soon as the season ended he was shipped off to Athens GA for Naval Pre Flight school where he excelled on the obstacle course and in the classroom 1 He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round 13th overall pick of the 1944 NFL Draft but had to miss two seasons in the NFL due to his military service 1 A foot injury limited his playing time during the 1946 season and he only played in 9 games for the Lions 2 He returned to the Lions in 1947 but was injured in training camp went on the injured reserve list and then returned to Tech to get his degree 1 After finishing his football career and graduating he worked as a sales manager of a Lubbock car dealership and then at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque 1 After a round of golf in El Paso in March of 1978 he suffered a fatal heart attack and died at 57 years old 1 In 1999 Odessa American newspaper named him the 20th Century s best high school football player from the Permian Basin 1 References edit a b c d e f g h i j k Historic Longhorn Notable of the Week James Ross J R Callahan 1943 Burnt Orange nation 22 September 2022 Retrieved 5 March 2024 Joel McCoy Pro Football Reference com Sports Reference LLC Retrieved August 31 2020 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jim Callahan American football born 1920 amp oldid 1213503168, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
