Dante Alfred Magnani (March 16, 1917 – December 23, 1985) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

halfback who played nine seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

Cleveland Rams The Cleveland Rams were a professional American football team that played in Cleveland from 1936 to 1945. The Rams competed in the second American Football League (AFL) for the 1936 season and the National Football League (NFL) from 1937 to ...

(1940–1942),

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

(1943, 1946, 1949),

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

(1947–1948), and

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

(1950). He was chosen to play in the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

in 1942 and ranked among the NFL's statistical leaders in 1942 and 1943. Magnani also played service football for the

1944 Bainbridge Commodores football team The 1944 Bainbridge Naval Training Station Commodores football team represented the United States Naval Training Center Bainbridge, Maryland during the 1944 college football season. The team compiled a 10–0 record and was ranked No. 5 in the ...

and

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the St. Mary's College from 1936 to 1939.

Early years

Magnani was born in 1917 in

Dalzell, Illinois Dalzell is a village in Bureau and LaSalle counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 663 at the 2020 census, down from 717 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa Micropolitan Statistical Area. Dalzell was founded on Novem ...

. As a child, he moved with his family to

Vallejo, California Vallejo ( ; ) is a city in Solano County, California, United States, and the second largest city in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area. Located on the shores of San Pablo Bay, the ci ...

. He attended St. Mary's Prepareatory School and then enrolled at St. Mary's College in

Moraga, California Moraga is a town in Contra Costa County, California, United States. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, the town is named in honor of Joaquín Moraga, member of the famed Californio family. As of 2020, Moraga had a total population of 16,870 ...

. He played

for the St. Mary's Gaels football team from 1936 to 1939. He was a member of the 1938 Saint Mary's Gaels football team that defeated

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship institution of the five- ...

in the Cotton Bowl.

Professional football

Magnani was selected by the

in the 19th round, 175th overall pick, of the 1940 NFL draft. He played three seasons in Cleveland from 1940 to 1942. In 1942, he was selected for the

and ranked among the NFL leaders with 24 receptions (third) for 276 yards and four receiving touchdowns (fourth), 620 yards from scrimmage (fifth), 897 all-purpose yards (seventh), 344 rushing yards (eighth), and five touchdowns (ninth). In April 1943, the Rams withdrew from the NFL, and Magnani joined the

for the 1943 season. He again ranked among the NFL leaders with a 79-yard rush (first), 6.1 rushing yards per attempt (second), a 96-yard kick return (second), and 310 rushing yards (10th). After the 1943 season, Magnani entered the Navy. He missed the 1944 and 1945 NFL seasons due to military service. During the 1944 season, he played for the undefeated

that was ranked No. 5 in the final AP Poll. Magnani returned to the Chicago Bears for the 1946 season. He tallied 277 rushing yards and 156 receiving yards in 1946. His average of 5.6 yards per touch ranked fifth in the NFL. In January 1947, the Bears sold Magnani to the

. He spent the 1947 and 1948 seasons with the Rams. Magnani concluded his NFL career with the Chicago Bears in 1949 and the

in 1950. He was used primarily as a blocker and defensive player by the Lions and was waived by the club in August 1951. According to the

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

the first known use of the word scatback was in reference to Magnani.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Later years

In 1952, Magnani returned to

, where he operated a beer distribution business. He retired in 1982. He was also an organizer of the NFL Alumni Association. was inducted into the St. Mary's Athletic Hall of Fame. He died on December 26, 1985, at age 68 from congestive heart failiure at his home in Vallejo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magnani, Dante 1917 births 1985 deaths People from Dalzell, Illinois Players of American football from Bureau County, Illinois American football halfbacks Cleveland Rams players Chicago Bears players Los Angeles Rams players Detroit Lions players Saint Mary's Gaels football players 20th-century American sportsmen