 Petitbon, circa 1951 | |||||||||
| No. 23, 44, 20 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | |||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | June 4, 1931 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | November 11, 2006 (aged 75) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 186 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Jesuit (Louisiana) | ||||||||
| College: | Notre Dame | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1952 / round: 7 / pick: 74 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
John Petitbon (June 4, 1931 – November 11, 2006) was an American football player.
A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Petitbon was a three-sport star in baseball, basketball, and football at Jesuit High School. He was named the Louisiana All-State Most Valuable Player in football in 1946, and led Jesuit with 18 touchdowns in 1946 and 17 in 1947.[1] He played college football at Notre Dame under coach Frank Leahy, and was a member of Notre Dame's 1949 national championship team as a sophomore safety. Moved to halfback for his final two years, he amassed 1,432 yards of total offense and 10 touchdowns during those seasons, and was named a Collier's Weekly All-American in 1950. He was chosen to play in the College All-Star Game and the East-West Shrine Game after his senior season in 1951.[2]
Petitbon was selected as a defensive back in the seventh round of the 1952 NFL draft by the New York Yanks, who became the Dallas Texans for the 1952 season.[3] Petitbon, however, joined the United States Marine Corps and served in the Korean War.[4] Before the 1953 season, the Texans, who had become the Baltimore Colts, traded him to the Cleveland Browns as part of a 15-player deal, the second-largest trade in NFL history, in which the Colts received, among other players, defensive back Don Shula.[5] After returning from the Marines, Petitbon played for the Browns and was a member of their 1955 NFL championship team. Petitbon was traded to the Green Bay Packers in 1957 and retired after that season.[6]
Petitbon was selected for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame, as was his younger brother Richie Petitbon, a former NFL player and coach.
After leaving football, John Petitbon entered the insurance business. He died of Alzheimer's disease in New Orleans on November 11, 2006.
- ^ "Jesuit Individual Records". JesuitNOLA.org. Archived from the original on November 12, 2006. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ "Notre Dame All-Star game participants". UND.CSTV.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ "New York Yanks 1952 NFL Draft selections". DatabaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2006. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ "Football and America: The Korean War Honor Roll". ProFootballHoF.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ "Blockbuster Trade on Halloween 1987". ProFootballHoF.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ Christl, Cliff (November 13, 1999). "Sports in Wisconsin: The 20th Century (1950-1959)". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved December 15, 2023.