 Sandusky on a 1952 football card | |||||
| No. 49, 78, 77 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Tackle | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | December 28, 1925 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||
| Died: | March 5, 2006 (aged 80) Coral Springs, Florida, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 251 lb (114 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | South Philadelphia (PA) | ||||
| College: | Villanova | ||||
| NFL draft: | 1950 / round: 2 / pick: 18 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| As a player: | |||||
| As a coach: | |||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||
As player:
As coach:
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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| Record at Pro Football Reference | |||||
John Thomas "Sandy" Sandusky, Jr. (December 28, 1925 – March 5, 2006) was an American football player and coach. He played seven seasons as an offensive and defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1950s for the Cleveland Browns and the Green Bay Packers before starting a 36-year career as an assistant coach. He was head coach of the Baltimore Colts for part of the 1972 season.
Sandusky grew up in Philadelphia and attended the nearby Villanova University. He played tackle on Villanova's football team and was named a first-team All-American in 1949, his senior year. The Browns selected him in the second round of the 1950 NFL draft. Sandusky played six seasons for the Browns, who won NFL championships in 1950, 1954 and 1955 behind an offense that featured quarterback Otto Graham and end Dante Lavelli. He spent the 1956 season with the Packers before ending his playing career.
Sandusky started coaching at Villanova for two years before being hired as an assistant with the Baltimore Colts in 1959. He spent 13 seasons in Baltimore overseeing the offensive and defensive lines under head coaches Weeb Ewbank, Don Shula and Don McCafferty. Led by quarterback Johnny Unitas, the Colts won an NFL championship in 1959 and beat the Dallas Cowboys to win Super Bowl V in 1970. When McCafferty was fired midway through the 1972 season, Sandusky replaced him as head coach. Sandusky himself was fired after the season, however, and went on to spend three years as an assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles, followed by 19 seasons with the Miami Dolphins under Shula. His son Gerry is a radio broadcaster in Baltimore and calls Baltimore Ravens games.