 Leemans in 1939 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 4 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Fullback, halfback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | November 12, 1912 Superior, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died: | January 19, 1979 (aged 66) Hillsboro Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Superior (WI) East | ||||||||||||||
| College: | George Washington (1933–1935) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1936 / round: 2 / pick: 18 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Alphonse Emil "Tuffy" Leemans (November 12, 1912 – January 19, 1979) was an American professional football player who was a fullback and halfback who played on both offense and defense for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978 and was named in 1969 to the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team.
A native of Superior, Wisconsin, Leemans played college football for Oregon's freshman team in 1932 and for George Washington from 1933 to 1935. He was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 1936 NFL draft and played eight years for the Giants from 1936 to 1943. He led the NFL as a rookie with 830 rushing yards and was selected as a first-team All-Pro in 1936 and 1939. He was also selected to play in the Pro Bowl in 1938 and 1941 and helped lead the Giants to the 1938 NFL Championship and the 1939 and 1941 NFL Championship Games.
After his playing career ended, Leemans worked briefly as a backfield coach for the Giants and at George Washington. He also operated a laundry and dry cleaning business and a duckpin bowling alley.