Earl Franklin Crowder (January 21, 1915 – February 6, 1984) was an American football player.
A native of Cherokee, Oklahoma, he played college football for Oklahoma. He was a co-captain of the 1938 Oklahoma Sooners football team that was undefeated in the regular season before losing to Tennessee in the 1939 Orange Bowl.[1] Crowder was "recognized as one of the headiest, speediest and hardest hitting backs in the country."[2]
He was selected by the Chicago Cardinals in the 10th round (82nd overall pick) of the 1939 NFL Draft.[3] He appeared in nine NFL games.
Crowder and Beryl Clark grew up on neighboring farms, were childhood friends, attended the same primary and high school, played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, and played professional football for the Chicago Cardinals.[4][2]
Crowder died from cancer at age 69 in Cherokee.[5][6]
References
- ^ "Earl Crowder, Home From Football Wars, Leaves For Big Battle In Orange Bowl". The Cherokee Messenger. December 13, 1938. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Two Cherokee Boys, Pals Since Childhood, Play Last Game As Mates In Orange Bowl". The Cherokee Messenger. December 27, 1939. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "1939 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ "Fans Honor Crowder, Clark, Cherokee High Squad Tonite". The Cherokee Republican. January 13, 1939. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Earl Crowder Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ "Ex-OU Star, Crowder, Dies". The Daily Oklahoman. February 8, 1984 – via Newspapers.com.