Norman S. Standlee (July 19, 1919 – January 5, 1981) 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 ...

player who was a fullback and, later in his career,

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

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 ...

of 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). 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 ...

for the Stanford Indians (now Cardinal) and was selected by the

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 ...

in the first round of the

1941 NFL draft The 1941 NFL draft was held on December 10, 1940, at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Chicago Bears selected halfback Tom Harmon. The Bears selected 24 players, but forfeited their final fou ...

with the third overall pick. He paid immediate dividends by finishing fourth in the league in rushing with a total of 414 yards and second in average per carry with 5.1. He helped the

to the league championship title over 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 ...

that year before serving in the armed forces in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Standlee was also the first fullback for the San Francisco 49ers of the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a major professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many ...

, playing with

Frankie Albert Frank Cullen Albert (January 27, 1920 – September 4, 2002) was an American professional football player and coach. He played as a quarterback and punter with the San Francisco 49ers in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and later in ...

, Johnny Strzykalski, and Len Eshmont in that first backfield of the 49ers. On January 5, 1981, he died of natural causes in a motel room. He was 61.

NFL/AAFC career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

* 1919 births 1981 deaths American football fullbacks American football linebackers Camp Davis Fighting AA's football players Chicago Bears players San Francisco 49ers (AAFC) players San Francisco 49ers players Stanford Cardinal football players Western Conference Pro Bowl players American military personnel of World War II Players of American football from Downey, California Players of American football from Long Beach, California Military personnel from California 20th-century American sportsmen {{runningback-1910s-stub