Donald Allen Samuel (February 16, 1924 – November 23, 2010) was an American football player who played at the defensive back and halfback positions.

Early years

Samuel was born in Hood River, Oregon, in 1924. He graduated from Hood River High School in 1942 and enrolled at Oregon State College where he played college football for the Oregon State Beavers in the fall of 1942. His college education was interrupted by service in the Navy during World War II. While in the Navy, he played for the

1943 Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks football team The 1943 Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks football team represented the United States Navy pre-flight school at the University of Iowa as an independent during the 1943 college football season. In the second season of intercollegiate football at the pre- ...

that compiled a 9–1 record (the sole looss by one point to national champion Notre Dame) and was ranked No. 2 in the final AP poll. He earned his pilots' wings five months after the war ended. After the war, Samuel returned to Oregon State where he played for the

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

and

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

, and

1948 Oregon State Beavers football team The 1948 Oregon State Beavers football team represented Oregon State College in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1948 college football season. In their fourteenth season under head coach Lon Stiner, the Beavers compiled a 5–4–3 ...

s. He was also captain of the 1948 team. He graduated from Oregon State in 1948 with a business degree.

Professional football

Samuel was selected by the

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

in the third round (25th overall pick) of the

1946 NFL Draft The 1946 National Football League Draft was held on January 14, 1946, at the Commodore Hotel in New York City, New York. The selections were initially withheld from the public out of fear that the newly formed All-America Football Conference wou ...

. He was traded by the Rams to the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

in exchange for

Tommy Kalmanir Thomas J. Kalmanir (March 30, 1926 – October 12, 2004) was an American football player. Born in Jerome, Pennsylvania, Kalmanir grew up in Jamestown, Pennsylvania. He played college football at the University of Nevada as a running back and retu ...

. He played for the Steelers during the 1949 and 1950 seasons and appeared in a total of six NFL games. He sustained torn knee ligaments and underwent surgery in October 1949. He attempted a comeback but appeared in only one game during the 1950 season.

Family and later years

Samuel married Opal Boyle in 1948. He worked as an insurance agent for State Far for 32 year until his retirement in 1986. He died in 2010 at age 86 at the Encore Senior Village in Portland, Oregon.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samuel, Don 1924 births 2010 deaths Pittsburgh Steelers players Oregon State Beavers football players Players of American football from Oregon