Paul Vincent Governali (January 5, 1921 – February 14, 1978), nicknamed "Pitchin' Paul", 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 coach. 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
Columbia Lions
The Columbia University Lions are the collective athletic teams and their members from Columbia University, an Ivy League institution in New York City, United States. The current director of athletics is Peter Pilling.
History
Intercollegia ...
, where he played as a
halfback. He was a consensus
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 ...
in 1942, won the
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...
and was runner-up to
Frank Sinkwich
Frank Francis Sinkwich Sr. (October 10, 1920 – October 22, 1990) was a Croatian American football player and coach. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1942 while playing for the Georgia Bulldogs, making him the first recipient from the Southeastern ...
for the
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...
. Governali passed for 1,442 yards in nine games that season, threw for 19 touchdowns, and completed 52% of his passes, all new collegiate records. He was also among the leading
punters in the nation. He still holds the Columbia Lions record for touchdown passes in one game, with five. He was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...
in 1986.
Professional career
Upon graduating in 1943, he passed up offers from both professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
and football teams to enlist in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
, where he served for three years. After the war, he played play 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) from 1946 to 1948 with
Boston Yanks
The Boston Yanks were a National Football League team based in Boston, Massachusetts, that played from 1944 to 1948. The team played its home games at Fenway Park. Any games that conflicted with the Boston Red Sox baseball schedule in the Ameri ...
and 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 ...
.
After football
Governali retired from playing following the 1948 season and returned to Columbia, where he worked as an assistant coach while pursuing his
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...
in education, which he received in 1951.
Head coaching career
He served as the head football coach at
San Diego State University
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...
from 1956 to 1960, compiling a record of 11–27–4. He was succeeded as head coach of the
San Diego State Aztecs
The San Diego State Aztecs are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent San Diego State University (SDSU). The university fields 17 varsity teams (6 men's, 11 women's) in National Collegiate Athle ...
by
Don Coryell
Donald David Coryell ( ; October 17, 1924 – July 1, 2010) was an American American football, football coach. He coached in high school, college, and the professional ranks; his most notable NCAA post was with the San Diego State Aztecs footba ...
.
Head coaching record
Personal life
Governali also had a minor stint as an actor, portraying a professional football player in the 1948 film titled, ''
Triple Threat''.
He and his wife, Edna, had four children: Paul, Jeannie, Nicole, and Sam.
Death
Governali died on February 14, 1978, at Kaiser Hospital, in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, following a long illness.
See also
*
List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Governali, Paul
1921 births
1978 deaths
American football quarterbacks
Boston Yanks players
Columbia Lions football coaches
Columbia Lions football players
El Toro Flying Marines football players
Maxwell Award winners
New York Giants players
San Diego State Aztecs football coaches
All-American college football players
College Football Hall of Fame inductees
United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II
Players of American football from the Bronx
Coaches of American football from New York (state)
Military personnel from New York City