Charles Elvin Powell (April 4, 1932 – September 1, 2014) was an American multi-sport professional sportsman as an
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
football player, professional boxer (who once fought both Muhammad Ali and Floyd Patterson), and Minor League baseball player.
Powell was born in Texas. He and his younger brother
Art Powell, an NFL wide receiver for the New York Titans and
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...
in the 1960s, grew up in the Logan Heights area of
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
.
Powell played professional baseball and football as well as boxed. His greatest success was as an NFL player and a boxer, even boxing against Muhammad Ali.
High school
Charlie starred in football, basketball, track and baseball at
San Diego High School. In 1950, as a 6'-3", 230-pound defensive end and offensive end, with tremendous power and speed, he was named the California high school football player of the year. In track, he ran 100 yards in 9.6 seconds and threw the
shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...
57 feet 9¼ inches. In basketball, he was a second-team all-league center. As a high school baseball player, he hit balls out of San Diego Balboa Stadium. He turned a down an offer of a tryout by the
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name '' Harlem'' because of ...
.
Baseball career
After high school, Charlie was recruited by Notre Dame and UCLA to play football,
St. Louis Browns baseball owner
Bill Veeck
William Louis Veeck Jr. ( ; February 9, 1914 – January 2, 1986), also known as "Sport Shirt Bill", was an American Major League Baseball franchise owner and promoter. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis ...
, who had acquired the legendary pitcher
Satchel Paige from the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...
, signed the power-hitting outfielder to a professional baseball contract. He was sent to the Stockton Ports, a Class B minor league team.
Football career
But after playing pro baseball in the summer of 1952, Charlie suddenly abandoned his pro baseball career and signed a pro football contract with the San Francisco 49ers. At 19, he became the youngest player in NFL history. In his first game, he started against the NFL champion Detroit Lions and had multiple sacks against QB Bobby Layne, totalling 67 yards in sack yardage.
Powell played five seasons in the NFL for the 49ers (1952–53 and 1955–57) and two for the Oakland Raiders (1960–61).
Boxing career
Powell was also a professional boxer. In March 1959, on television, he knocked out
Nino Valdes
Nino or Niño may refer to:
*Nino (name)
*Niño (name)
* Antonin Scalia, American Supreme Court justice whose nickname was "Nino"
*El Niño, a climate pattern in the tropical Pacific Ocean
*NINO, an abbreviation for National Insurance number in th ...
of Cuba who was the number 2 ranked heavyweight fighter in the world at the time. He fought
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, ...
(who was then known as Cassius Clay) at the
Civic Arena in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
on January 24, 1963. Ali knocked out Powell in the third round, as Ali predicted before the fight. He finished his pro boxing career with a record of 25-11-3. In his career, Charlie also fought
Floyd Patterson, losing to him in 6 rounds.
Retirement
Powell is a member of the Breitbard San Diego Hall of Fame. He was last known to be living in the
Pasadena, California area.
Death
Powell died on September 1, 2014 at age of 82 after living with dementia for several years.
References
great Charlie Powell dead at 82San Diego Hall of Champions Sports MuseumFirst & foremost: Powells are royal familyOne of the Best Athletes of All time May Have Been a Boxer*
The Greatest 49ers Athlete Ever
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Charlie
1932 births
2014 deaths
American football defensive linemen
San Francisco 49ers players
Oakland Raiders players
Boxers from Texas
Players of American football from Dallas
Baseball players from Dallas
San Diego High School alumni