Paddy Driscoll

Paddy Driscoll
Driscoll c. 1926
Born
John Leo Paddy Driscoll

(1895-01-11)January 11, 1895
DiedJune 29, 1968(1968-06-29) (aged 73)

American football career
No. 20, 1, 2
Position:Quarterback
Halfback
Drop kicker
Personal information
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:160 lb (73 kg)
Career information
High school:Evanston
College:Northwestern (1915–1916)
Great Lakes Navy (1918)
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
As an administrator:
  • Chicago Bears (19581962)
    Vice President
  • Chicago Bears (19631968)
    Director of planning and research
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Passing touchdowns:18
Rushing touchdowns:25
Receiving touchdowns:4
Points scored:402
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Head coaching record
Regular season:NFL: 31–17–5 (.632)
Postseason:NFL: 0–1 (.000)
Career:NFL: 31–18–5 (.620)
College: 10–23–1 (.309)
Record at Pro Football Reference

Baseball career
Infielder
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 12, 1917, for the Chicago Cubs
Last MLB appearance
August 12, 1917, for the Chicago Cubs
MLB statistics
Batting average.107
RBI3
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

John Leo "Paddy" Driscoll (January 11, 1895 – June 29, 1968) was an American professional football and baseball player and football coach. A triple-threat man in football, he was regarded as the best drop kicker and one of the best overall players in the early years of the National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974.

Driscoll played college football as a quarterback and halfback for the Northwestern football team in 1915 and 1916. In 1917, he played Major League Baseball as an infielder for the Chicago Cubs. He joined the United States Navy during World War I and played for the undefeated 1918 Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets football team that won the 1919 Rose Bowl.

Driscoll played professional football as a quarterback and halfback for the Hammond All-Stars (1917), Hammond Pros (1919), Racine/Chicago Cardinals (1920–1925), and Chicago Bears (1926–1929). He was the NFL's first All-Pro quarterback and its leading scorer in 1923 and 1926. He also led the 1925 Chicago Cardinals to an NFL championship and was selected in 1969 for the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team.

Driscoll also worked for many years as a football coach. He was the head coach of Chicago Cardinals from 1920 to 1922 and at Marquette from 1937 to 1940. He spent the last 28 years of his life with the Chicago Bears as an assistant coach (1941–1955), head coach (1956–1957), and later as the director of the Bears research and planning unit.