Charlie Justice (American football player)

Charlie Justice

Justice on 1952 Bowman football card
No. 22
Position:	Halfback
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1924-05-18)May 18, 1924
Place of birth:	Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.
Date of death:	October 17, 2003(2003-10-17) (aged 79)
Place of death:	Cherryville, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	176 lb (80 kg)
Career information
High school:	Lee H. Edwards High School
College:	North Carolina
NFL Draft:	1950 / Round: 16 / Pick: 201
Career history
Washington Redskins (1950, 1952–1954)
Career highlights and awards
2× College All-American 80 Greatest Redskins Washington Redskins Ring of Fame
Career NFL statistics as of 1954
Games played: 43 Carries: 266 Rushing yards: 1,284 Rushing average: 4.8 Receiving yards: 962 Touchdowns: 10 Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR
College Football Hall of Fame

Coordinates: 35°54′26.42506″N 79°2′57.79″W / 35.9073402944°N 79.0493861°W / 35.9073402944; -79.0493861

Charles Ronald "Choo-Choo" Justice (May 18, 1924 – October 17, 2003). American football halfback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Born in Asheville, North Carolina, Justice attended and played high school football at Lee H. Edwards High School (now Asheville, N.C., High School), where he was a part of two undefeated seasons. He averaged 25 yards per rush his last year in high school. His senior year, his team outscored the opposition 400-6.

After high school, Justice spent four years in the Navy in World War II. During that time, he played on the football team at Bainbridge Naval Center. His nickname Charlie "Choo Choo" was given to him because of the way he dodges tackles. One of the officers remarked, "He looks like a runaway train, we ought to call him Choo Choo."

After the war, Justice was heavily recruited by Duke, North Carolina, and South Carolina. He was quoted as saying that he believed that an athlete should play in the state that he is going to make his career in, so he chose the University of North Carolina. Being a war veteran, he knew he had no need of an athletic scholarship. Justice sent a proposal to both universities asking each to allow him to attend on his G.I. tuition money and give the scholarship to his wife. Only North Carolina accepted this. Thus Justice attended and played college football at the University of North Carolina under Carl Snavely, where he played tailback for four years. Justice was also an active member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity in his years at UNC. While there, he was named an All-American in 1948 and 1949, and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting both years. While at North Carolina, Justice ran or threw for 64 touchdowns and set a team total-offense record of 4,883 yards, which stood until 1994.