George Trafton

No. 13

Position:

Center

Personal information

Date of birth:

December 6, 1896

Place of birth:

Chicago, Illinois

Date of death:

September 5, 1971 (aged 74)

Place of death:

Los Angeles, California

Height:

6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)

Weight:

230 lb (104 kg)

Career information

College:

Notre Dame

Career history

As player:

Decatur/Chicago Staleys (1920–1921)
Chicago Bears (1923–1932)

As coach:

Northwestern (1922) (line)
Green Bay Packers (1944) (line)
Cleveland / Los Angeles Rams (1945–1949) (line)
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1951–1953) (head coach)

As administrator:

Los Angeles Rams (1950–1951) (promotions director)

Career highlights and awards

2× NFL champion (1921, 1932)
6× All-Pro (1920, 1923–1927)
NFL 1920s All-Decade Team

Career NFL statistics

Games played:	149
Games started:	100
Player stats at NFL.com

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Games played:	149
Games started:	100
Player stats at NFL.com

George Edward Trafton (December 6, 1896 – September 5, 1971) was an American football player and coach, boxer, boxing manager, and gymnasium proprietor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964 and was also selected in 1969 as the center on the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team.

A native of Chicago, Trafton played college football for Knute Rockne's undefeated 1919 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. He played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) as a center for the Decatur Staleys (1920), Chicago Staleys (1921), and Chicago Bears (1923–1932). He is credited as being the first center to snap the ball with one hand and was selected six times as a first-team All Pro.

Trafton also competed as a boxer for a time. He also worked as an assistant football coach for Northwestern in 1922, the Green Bay Packers in 1944, and the Cleveland / Los Angeles Rams from 1945 to 1949. He was the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1951 to 1953. He led the Blue Bombers to the 41st Grey Cup in 1953.

Trafton was born in 1896 in Chicago. He attended Oak Park High School, in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park. He played football for Oak Park from 1913 to 1915.

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