James L. Mooney Jr. (September 16, 1907 – August 12, 1944) was an American football player in the National Football League (NFL) for the Newark Tornadoes, Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Gunners and Chicago Cardinals. Prior to his professional career, Mooney played college football at Georgetown University. In high school, he was a star halfback at Loyola Academy.[2]
| Born: | September 16, 1907 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died: | August 12, 1944 (aged 36) German-occupied France † |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Guard, End, Fullback |
| College | Georgetown |
| High school | Chicago (IL) Loyola[1] |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1930 | Newark Tornadoes |
| 1930–1931 | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| 1933 | Cincinnati Reds |
| 1934 | St. Louis Gunners |
| 1935 | Chicago Cardinals |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career stats | |
| |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1945 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit | 110th Infantry Regiment |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
After the end of his NFL career, Mooney became a patrolman for the Chicago Police Department, for whom his father worked as a detective, at the Hudson avenue station. He returned to football in 1940 as a coach for the Chicago Gunners;[3] he had also coached the New York Yankees of the American Football League (AFL) in 1937, which included briefly playing in a game that year against the Rochester Tigers before fracturing his left ankle.[4] Mooney also worked as security for the Chicago College All-Star Game.[3]
He reached the rank of corporal while serving in the United States Army during World War II, and was killed in action on August 12, 1944, when he was shot by a sniper in France.[2] His last assignment was with the 110th Infantry Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division. He is buried in Plot D, Row 12, Grave 9 of the Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial.[5]
References
edit- ^ "1909-1957". Loyola Academy. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ a b "James Mooney, Football Star, Killed in Action". Chicago Tribune. August 29, 1944. p. 15. Retrieved November 2, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Anton, Todd; Nowlin, Bill (November 15, 2013). When Football Went to War. Triumph Books. pp. 71–72. ISBN 978-1600788451.
- ^ "Rochester wins, 24-0, as Yanks miss Strong". The Boston Globe. AP. October 25, 1937. Retrieved July 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "James L. Mooney Jr". American Battle Monuments Commission. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
External links
edit- Profile at pro-football-reference.com
- The National Football League's World War II Casualties
- Georgetown All-Americans Archived September 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
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