Leland Reynolds Croft (November 5, 1898 – January 28, 1984) 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 ...

player and petroleum engineer. Croft was born in 1898 in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, and attended Mineral Point High School. He attended the Wisconsin School of Engineering where he received a degree in petroleum engineering. He played one game as a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

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 Racine Legion during the

1924 NFL season The 1924 NFL season was the fifth regular season of the National Football League. The league had 18 teams play during the season, including the new clubs Frankford Yellow Jackets, Kansas City Blues, and Kenosha Maroons. The Louisville Brec ...

. Croft moved Texas by the 1930s. As of 1935, he was employed Stanolind Oil Company in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. He moved to

Odessa, Texas Odessa () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, Ector County with portions extending into Midland County, Texas, Midland County. Odessa's population was 114,428 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

, in 1945. He worked a geologist, engineer, and appraiser in the oil business. From 1954 to 1964, he also served on the board of regents of

Odessa College Odessa College is a public junior college in Odessa, Texas. The college serves the people of Ector County and the Permian Basin. It was established in 1946 and enrolled 8,024 students in fall 2021 and 7,679 students in spring 2022 in its univ ...

. He died in 1984 at the Medical Center Hospital in Odessa.

References

1898 births 1984 deaths People from Mineral Point, Wisconsin Players of American football from Wisconsin Racine Legion players American football offensive guards Wisconsin–Platteville Pioneers football players 20th-century American sportsmen {{offensive-lineman-1890s-stub