John Frederick Dugan (May 12, 1933 – March 3, 2018) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

end End, END, Ending, or ENDS may refer to: End Mathematics *End (category theory) * End (topology) * End (graph theory) * End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) * End (endomorphism) Sports and games *End (gridiron football) *End, a division ...

. He played 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

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

and

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

. He played

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 ...

at the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a Private university, private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary (Marianists), Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the U ...

and the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

Early life

After attending Stamford High School, he first enrolled at the

, but left as a sophomore to manage the family restaurant after his father became ill. In 1954, he was recruited by the

where he played

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

and

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

in his first two years, before switching to a two-way

. As a senior, he led the nation and broke the school's receiving record with 37 receptions for 546 yards in seven games (he also punted 28 times for a 32.2-yard average), earning him

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors and an invitation to the

East–West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

Dugan was selected by the

as a junior in the seventh round (80th overall) of the

1957 NFL draft The 1957 NFL draft had its first four rounds held on November 26, 1956, at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia and its final twenty-six rounds on January 31, 1957, at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel also in Philadelphia. This was the 11th year th ...

, but didn't join the league until

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

. Although he saw limited playing time during his first two seasons, he was known for making spectacular catches.

Dallas Cowboys

The

selected Dugan in the 1960 NFL expansion draft, where along with

Billy Howton William Harris Howton (born July 3, 1930) is an American former professional football player who was an end for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, and expansion Dallas Cowboys. As a r ...

, became the first

wide receivers A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense, WR gets its name from the player being spli ...

ever to start for the franchise. That year, he was the second leading receiver on the team (behind Jim Doran), while earning a reputation for spectacular catches and producing 29 receptions for 461 yards and a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

. After asking to be traded to be closer to his ailing father, he was sent to the

in a three-team deal on July 5,

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

. The Redskins acquired Dugan,

placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...

John Aveni,

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

Dave Whitsell and

offensive end In gridiron football, an end is a player who lines up at either end of the line of scrimmage, usually beside the tackles. Rules state that a legal offensive formation must always consist of seven players on the line of scrimmage and that the pla ...

Jerry Daniels. The

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

obtained

s Joe Walton and Jim Podoley. The Cowboys received placekicker Allen Green and a sixth round for the 1962 NFL draft that the team later used to draft George Andrie.

Washington Redskins

Dugan flourished with the Redskins in his first season, breaking the team receiving record and setting career highs with 53 receptions for 817 yards and four

s. In his second season after the Redskins obtained Bobby Mitchell, he had 36 receptions for 466 yards and five touchdowns. He retired following the 1963 season after having 20 receptions for 288 yards. His career totals were 153 receptions for 2,226 yards and 13 touchdowns. Dugan died in March 2018 at the age of 84.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dugan, Fred 1933 births 2018 deaths Alabama Crimson Tide football players American football ends Dallas Cowboys players Dayton Flyers football players San Francisco 49ers players Sportspeople from Stamford, Connecticut Players of American football from Fairfield County, Connecticut Washington Redskins players Stamford High School (Stamford, Connecticut) alumni