Verl Thomas Lillywhite (December 5, 1926 – July 14, 2007) 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 ...

halfback who played four seasons with 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 ...

. 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 ...

Modesto Junior College Modesto Junior College (MJC) is a public community college in Modesto, California. It is part of Yosemite Community College District along with Columbia College. MJC, and Columbia College, belong to the California Community College system al ...

and the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

Early life and college

Verl Thomas Lillywhite was born on December 5, 1926, in

Garland, Utah Garland is a city in northeastern Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,589 at the 2020 census. History Garland was originally named "Sunset" and settled in 1890. The first settler was David E. Manning.Andrew Jenson. ''E ...

. He attended Inglewood High School in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

. Lillywhite first played

in 1944. He was then a three-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

for the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...

of the

from 1945 to 1947. He graduated from USC with a bachelor's degree in marketing.

Professional career

Lillywhite signed with the

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 ...

(AAFC) on April 15, 1948. He played in all 14 games, starting one, during the 1948 season, totaling 53 carries for 340 yards and three touchdowns, three interceptions, and three punts for 76 yards. He appeared in all 12 games, starting three, in 1949, recording 69 rushes for 263 yards and two touchdowns, eight receptions for 82 yards and two touchdowns, one interception, and four punts for 202 yards. He also played in one playoff game that year, rushing five times for 41 yards and one touchdown while also punting once for 45 yards. The AAFC folded after the 1949 season and the 49ers joined the NFL. Lillywhite played in nine games for San Francisco in 1950, totaling 26 punts for 1,016 yards, one interception, seven carries for four yards, and one catch for six yards. He started all 12 games for the 49ers in 1951, accumulating 67 rushing attempts for 397 yards and one touchdown, 11 receptions for 125 yards and one touchdown, three interceptions, and 20 punts for 847 yards. The 49ers finished the 1951 season with a 7–4–1 record.

Personal life

Lillywhite served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. He was honorably discharged in 1960. He graduated from Los Angeles State College of Applied Arts and Sciences with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree. Lillywhite was a teacher and coach at Mt. San Antonio College. In 1970, he began a 21-year tenure at Sherman E. Burroughs High School in

Ridgecrest, California Ridgecrest is a city in Kern County, California, United States, along U.S. Route 395 in California, U.S. Route 395 in the Indian Wells Valley in northeastern Kern County, adjacent to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWS, or China Lake) ...

. He spent time as a teacher, coach and athletic director at Burroughs High before retiring in 1991. Lillywhite died on July 14, 2007, in

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, T ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lillywhite, Verl 1926 births 2007 deaths Players of American football from Utah American football halfbacks American football defensive backs American football punters Modesto Pirates football players USC Trojans football players San Francisco 49ers players People from Garland, Utah Sportspeople from Box Elder County, Utah United States Navy personnel of the Korean War Inglewood High School (California) alumni Players of American football from Inglewood, California California State University, Los Angeles alumni