Harland Carl
No. 41
Position:Halfback
Personal information
Born:(1931-10-01)October 1, 1931
Greenwood, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died:July 28, 2023(2023-07-28) (aged 91)
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Greenwood (WI)
College:Wisconsin
NFL Draft:1953 / Round: 14 / Pick: 161
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Games played:9
Rushing attempts-yards:29-66
Receptions-yards:2-31
Touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Harland Irvin Carl (October 1, 1931 – July 28, 2023) was an American football player and coach. As a halfback in the National Football League (NFL), he helped the Chicago Bears reach the 1956 NFL Championship Game before a knee injury ended his career.

Carl grew up in Greenwood, Wis., and both played and coached football for the Wisconsin Badgers. As a Badgers player, Carl ran for more than 100 yards in a game four times and is one of only 11 players in program history to top 100 yards in a game as a true freshman.[1]

Carl shared a backfield with Heisman Trophy winner Alan Ameche and led Wisconsin to the program's first bowl game appearance: the 1953 Rose Bowl.[2] While the Badgers lost that game 7-0 to the USC Trojans, Carl was part of Wisconsin's best chance to score. According to a news report, in the waning minutes of the game, Wisconsin quarterback Jim Haluska targeted Carl in the end zone: "Carl juggled the perfectly thrown pass from Haluska, and his momentum carried him out of bounds before he was able to secure it."[3]

Carl was selected in the 14th round of the 1953 NFL draft and served two years in the Army before joining the Bears.[4] He played nine games for the Bears, scoring his lone touchdown against San Francisco in a 38-21 win.[5] Carl was the last Bears player to wear No. 41 before Brian Piccolo, after which the team retired the number.[6]

After his playing career, he joined the Neenah High School football coaching staff from 1958 through 1966, the last four years as head coach, where he accumulated four straight Mid-Eastern Conference titles with an overall 27-3-2 record.[7] Carl returned to the Wisconsin Badgers as an assistant coach under Milt Bruhn in 1966 and under John Coatta from 1967 to 1969.[8]

Carl later worked for fellow retired NFL player Bob Skoronski at Valley School Supply in Appleton, Wis., as well as at Wisconsin Athletic Products, where he sold a basketball rack called the "Rol-O-Bin" used in gyms across the country.[9]

Personal life and death

While serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army stationed in Fort Eustis, Carl got engaged to Lesley Jean Riley in 1955.[10] They had four children: Lesa, Rick, Jeff and Greg. He died on July 28, 2023, at the age of 91.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Five Things to Know vs. Army". UWBadgers.com. Oct 15, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Wisconsin halfback who helped Badgers reach their first Rose Bowl dies". Wisconsin State Journal. Aug 16, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Alan Ameche: The Story of 'The Horse,' Page 131".
  4. ↑ "Harland Carl Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  5. ↑ "Wisconsin halfback who helped Badgers reach their first Rose Bowl dies". Wisconsin State Journal. Aug 16, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Bears By The Numbers: A Complete Team History of the Chicago Bears, by Lew Freedman".
  7. ↑ "1968 Badgers Football Facts" (PDF). National W Club UW Sports News Service. 1968.
  8. ↑ "Wisconsin halfback who helped Badgers reach their first Rose Bowl dies". Wisconsin State Journal. Aug 16, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Harland Carl Obituary". Legacy.com. July 28, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Carl Engagement". Thorp Courier. Feb 3, 1955.
  11. ↑ "Harland Carl Obituary". Legacy.com. July 28, 2023.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.