Red Grange

Harold Edward "Red" Grange (June 13, 1903 – January 28, 1991), nicknamed "the Galloping Ghost" and "the Wheaton Iceman", was an American college and professional footballhalfback who played for Illinois, the Chicago Bears and the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League (NFL). Grange became a nationally known celebrity in the 1920s and is often cited as one of the most iconic athletes of all time, as well as one of the greatest college football players ever and the biggest star of the early days of the NFL.

Playing college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini, Grange was a three-time consensus All-American and led his team to a national championship in 1923. He was the only unanimous All-American selection in 1924, making him the first player in college football history to receive that honor. The same year, Grange became the first recipient of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football award as the Big Ten Conference's most valuable player. In 2008, Grange was named the best college football player of all time by ESPN, and in 2011, he was named the Greatest Big Ten Icon by the Big Ten Network.

Shortly after his final college game in 1925, Grange joined the Bears and the NFL, embarking on a barnstorming tour that raised professional football's profile across the country. When his rookie contract expired, he and agent C. C. Pyle formed the American Football League in 1926, with Grange playing for the Yankees. The league lasted just one year before shutting down and the Yankees were assimilated into the NFL. Grange suffered a serious knee injury in 1927 that prevented him from playing the following season, but he returned to the Bears in 1929. A two-way halfback during the NFL's one-platoon era, he played both offense and defense for his entire career. He was involved in two iconic plays: he caught the controversial game-winning touchdown from fullback Bronko Nagurski in the 1932 NFL Playoff Game to win the league title for the Bears, and made the game-winning tackle on Red Badgro in the 1933 NFL Championship Game. He remained with Chicago until he ended his playing career in 1934, after which he became a backfield coach for the Bears for three seasons.

Grange is a charter member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.