Sonny Grandelius
 |
|
| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
April 16, 1929 Muskegon Heights, Michigan |
| Died | April 25, 2008 (aged 79) Beverly Hills, Michigan |
| Playing career | |
| 1948–1950 | Michigan State |
| 1953 | New York Giants |
| Position(s) | Fullback, halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1954–1958 | Michigan State (assistant) |
| 1959–1961 | Colorado |
| 1962–1963 | Philadelphia Eagles (assistant) |
| 1964 | Detroit Lions (assistant) |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1974 | Detroit Wheels (GM) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 20–11 |
| Bowls | 0–1 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 Big Eight (1961) | |
| Awards | |
|
All-American, 1950 Duffy Daughtery Award (1991) |
|
Everett John "Sonny" Grandelius (April 16, 1929 – April 25, 2008) was an American football player, coach, announcer, and executive. He served as the head coach at the University of Colorado at Boulder from 1959 to 1961, compiling a record of 20–11. Grandelius played football at Michigan State University from 1948 to 1950 and with the National Football League's New York Giants in 1953.
Born in Muskegon Heights, Michigan, Grandelius attended Muskegon Heights High School, and is a 1987 inductee to the Muskegon Sports Hall of Fame. He led his team to back-to-back state championships in 1945 as a quarterback and in 1946 as a fullback when he was also selected as a first team All-State.
He gained 184 rushing yards in the 1950 season opener, establishing a then school record. During his senior season, he gained 1,023 yards and 11 touchdowns on 163 attempts, the 17th back in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards or more in a season and the first at Michigan State. He was the leading scorer for the team and selected as the team's MVP. Grandelius also was an All-American his senior year in 1950, selected by three publications including the AP. As of 2006, he was ranked fourth in career average yards per carry at Michigan State (6.09, minimum of 150 attempts) and tied for tenth in rushing touchdowns for a single season (11). He had seven 100-yard rushing games in his career. He was the MVP of the 1951 Hula Bowl and also lettered in boxing his sophomore year.
Drafted as the 11th pick in the third round (37th overall) of the 1951 NFL Draft, Grandelius played one season (1953) in the NFL for the New York Giants. He rushed 108 times for 278 yards with 1 touchdown and 3 fumbles and also had 15 receptions for 80 yards.
...
Wikipedia