Fred Cone (American football)

Fred Cone

Cone on a 1952 Bowman football card
No. 66, 31
Position:	Fullback / Placekicker
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1926-06-21) June 21, 1926 (age 90)
Place of birth:	Pine Apple, Alabama
Height:	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:	199 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school:	Moore Academy (AL)
College:	Clemson
NFL Draft:	1951 / Round: 3 / Pick: 27
Career history
Green Bay Packers (1951–1957) Dallas Cowboys (1960)
Career highlights and awards
2× All-SoCon (1949, 1950) Packers Hall of Fame
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 94 Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Fred Cone (born June 21, 1926 in Pine Apple, Alabama) is a former professional American football fullback and placekicker in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Clemson University.

Cone grew up in Pine Apple, Alabama, with a population around 100. He attended Moore Academy, a one-room school from kindergarten through high school. He didn't play football because there weren't enough people to field a team.

Before going to college, he enlisted in the U.S. Army to take part of World War II, where he served in the Pacific as part of the 11th Airborne Division.

When he returned to the United States in the summer of 1946, he read a newspaper advertisement about tryouts at Auburn University and decided to attend. His participation was cut short with an ankle injury that forced him to return home.

During his recovery, a family friend turned out to be the sister of Frank Howard, the head coach at Clemson College. She helped Cone get a tryout and eventually he was able to make the team and receive a scholarship.

Cone was the starting fullback in a backfield that included Ray Mathews. The 1948 team finished undefeated and beat the University of Missouri, 24-23, in the 1949 Gator Bowl. He scored two first-quarter touchdowns and had a critical fourth down conversion late in the game. The next year, he registered 703 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns.