Date of birth | August 17, 1914 |
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Place of birth | Alton, Rhode Island |
Date of death | December 24, 2001 | (aged 87)
Place of death | Pawtucket, Rhode Island |
Career information | |
Position(s) |
Running back Defensive back |
Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
Weight | 209 lb (95 kg) |
College | Providence |
Career history | |
As player | |
1936 | Boston Shamrocks |
1937–1946 | New York Giants |
Career highlights and awards | |
Pro Bowls | 1 (1938) |
Career stats | |
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Albert Henry Soar (August 17, 1914 – December 24, 2001) was an American football running back and defensive back in the National Football League who went on to have a long career as an umpire in Major League Baseball. Soar played nine seasons for the New York Giants (1937–1944, 1946), and caught the game-winning touchdown pass in the 1938 NFL Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers at the Polo Grounds.
Born in Alton, Rhode Island, Soar later moved to Pawtucket, attending Pawtucket Senior High School (currently William E. Tolman High School) and Providence College. After being named to the Little All-American team, he left college to play semi-pro baseball and pro football, playing for the Boston Shamrocks in 1936. He served in the Army during World War II, and his officiating in a baseball game drew the attention of Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack, who recommended him for an umpiring career. After the war, Soar coached the Providence Steamrollers in the Basketball Association of America (now the NBA) in 1947, but the team achieved only a 2-17 record before he was replaced by Nat Hickey. He then became backfield coach for the football team at Rhode Island State College (also known as the University of Rhode Island) from 1947 to 1949.