Gridiron Gauntlet by Piascik Andy;

Author:Piascik, Andy; [Piascik, Andy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing
Published: 2011-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Charlie Powell

Charles Elvin Powell

Born April 4, 1932, in Dallas, Texas

San Diego High School in San Diego, California

No college

Defensive end/linebacker

Undrafted, signed by San Francisco 49ers in 1952

Muhammad Ali, Bill Veeck, and Bobby Layne. Aside from the fact that each was a prominent figure in the world of sports, there’s nothing obvious that links these three men. One way in which they are linked, though, is through the person of Charlie Powell. Powell is almost certainly the only person who can say he played baseball for Veeck, fought Ali, and sacked Layne.

Of all the thousands of athletes who have played professionally, only a very small percentage have done so in two different sports. An even smaller number—probably less than 1 percent of athletes going back to whenever—played professionally in three sports. And unless events like celebrity poker and Dancing With the Stars someday gain recognition as professional sports, it is not likely to happen again anytime soon.

Charlie (he hates when it’s misspelled “Charley”) is one of the few who played three sports at the professional level. An unassuming man, he talks about his accomplishments matter-of-factly, with no traces of boastfulness in his voice. He enjoyed the things he did, he was good at each of them, and he was paid fairly, although he hastens to add that what he earned “was nothing compared to what these guys make today.”

Probably the most noteworthy of Charlie’s athletic accomplishments was walking into the training camp of the San Francisco 49ers in 1952 and winning a starting job as a defensive end in the National Football League. Charlie was 20 years old and, although he had been a standout player at San Diego High School, he had never played college football for the simple reason that he had never gone to college. In training camp, he was called on to prove himself in a series of one-on-one drills against Leo Nomellini, one of the best linemen of the time. Charlie held his own, made the team, and was a starter by the end of the season.

In debates about whether pro football is more difficult today than it was in 1952, there are good points to be made on both sides. There’s one thing for certain, though: The NFL was a much more primitive place then. “Mayhem” is a word that comes to mind, and there was no place for the shy or the hesitant. This is the world Charlie walked into that summer.

Already able to take very good care of himself when push came to punch, Charlie soon became one of the better defensive ends in the NFL. That he did so with only high school football on his resume is remarkable. Charlie is not the only one to make it in the NFL without playing college ball, but few others have done so at such a young an age or for as long as Charlie did.

In his rookie season, after tangling with Hall of Famer Nomellini, Charlie went head to head with Hall of Fame offensive tackles Lou Groza and Lou Creekmur.

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