Buddy Young

Claude "Buddy" Young was both one of the smallest and one of the biggest men in pro football history. Game programs said he was 5'4-1/2", but that was only measured on the outside.

Born in Chicago, January 5, 1926, into a fatherless family of nine children, Buddy grew up as a self-professed "smart punk." When his Englewood High School coach refused to let him play because he was too small, he switched to rival Phillips High and returned to score four TDs against Englewood. Still, the time at Englewood wasn't wasted for there he met his future wife.

At the University of Illinois, he tied Red Grange's school touchdown record while earning All-American recognition. After time spent in the Navy, he returned to lead the Illini to a 1947 victory. Because he was married and needed the money, he left school to sign with the New York Yankees of the All-America Football Conference in 1947.

One of the first blacks to play pro football (after the "unofficial" ban from 1934 to 1945), Buddy experienced the humiliations of prejudice. When the Yankees first played in Baltimore, racists showed up at the stadium in blackface. But he always insisted that the worst prejudice he encountered was against his size.

Few believed that anyone so short and weighing only 172 pounds could last long with the pros, but Buddy had a track star's speed, waterbug elusiveness, and courage. Those added up to much more than any missing size.

Although the teams he played for were seldom in championship contention, Buddy kept them dangerous with his long runs. He could go all the way from scrimmage, with a pass, or after fielding a kick.

In 1953, when he joined the Colts, Buddy didn't know quite what to expect after his experience in Baltimore in '47. With his sense of humor and sparkling personality, he needn't have worried. Before the season ended, he was voted the Colts' most popular player by the fans. It was a landslide. When he hung up his cleats in 1956, the Colts retired his number 22. In 1966, Buddy joined the NFL staff as administrative assistant to the commissioner. At his death in 1983 - due to an automobile accident, he was Director of Player Relations for the league.