Ken Kavanaugh

Ken Kavanaugh

Kavanaugh's 1950 Bowman football card
No. 51
Position:	End
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1916-11-23)November 23, 1916
Place of birth:	Little Rock, Arkansas
Date of death:	January 25, 2007(2007-01-25) (aged 90)
Place of death:	Sarasota, Florida
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	207 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school:	Little Rock (AR) Central
College:	LSU
NFL Draft:	1940 / Round: 3 / Pick: 22
Career history
As player:
Chicago Bears (1940–1941, 1945–1950)
As coach:
Chicago Bears (1951) (ends) Boston College (1952–1953) (ends) Villanova (1954) (ends) New York Giants (1955–1970) (ends/WR)
As administrator:
New York Giants (1971–1999) (scout)
Career highlights and awards
3× NFL champion (1940, 1941, 1946) 3× First-team All-Pro (1946–1948) 2× NFL receiving touchdowns leader (1947, 1949) NFL 1940s All-Decade Team Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy (1939) Co-SEC Player of the Year (1939) Consensus All-American (1939) 2× First-team All-SEC (1938, 1939)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 162 Receiving yards: 3,626 Yards per reception: 22.4 Receiving touchdowns: 50 Player stats at NFL.com
College Football Hall of Fame

Kenneth William Kavanaugh (November 23, 1916 – January 25, 2007) was an American football player, coach, and scout. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears as an end from 1940 to 1950, except for three seasons during which he served in World War II. He led the league in receiving touchdowns twice, and is a member of the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team. As of 2016, he is the Bears' all-time leader in receiving touchdowns, with 50.

Kavanaugh played college football at Louisiana State University for the LSU Tigers, where he was named most valuable player of the Southeastern Conference and a consensus All-American in 1939 after leading the nation in receptions and receiving yards. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1963.

Kavanaugh was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Little Rock Central High School in 1936.

Kavanaugh arrived at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1936 and joined the LSU football varsity team in 1937. As an end, he was quickly able to fill the void in the offense left by the departure of two-time All-American Gaynell Tinsley. At 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m), Kavanaugh was a large receiver for his time, and used his size to outreach defenders. Bernie Moore, Kavanaugh's head coach at LSU, said Kavanaugh "was a pass completer rather than a receiver, simply because he'd catch passes no one else could get to." He was named to the Associated Press (AP) All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) second alternate team after the 1937 season. In 1938, the AP named him a first-team All-SEC selection, and he was a second-team selection by the United Press.