Joseph Plunkett (American football)

Joseph T. Plunkett (March 23, 1899 – April 28, 1975) was an American football player and Chicago politician.

Joseph Plunkett
refer to caption
Plunkett from 1948 Life magazine
Personal information
Born:(1899-03-23)March 23, 1899
Died:April 28, 1975(1975-04-28) (aged 76)
Cook County, Illinois, U.S.
Height:5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight:160 lb (73 kg)
Career information
College:none
Position:Wingback
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Games played:1
Games started:1
Player stats at PFR

Plunkett was born in 1899.[1] He was the son of a police captain.[2]

He played as wingback for the Chicago Cardinals in 1920.[1] Although the claims are unverified, some sources have credited him with helping to found the National Football League (NFL) and with owning the NFL's original football club in Milwaukee.[3][4][5]

From 1947 to 1950, Plunkett was a Democratic committeeman for the fourth ward on Chicago's south side.[4] He was the subject of a five-page photo story in Life magazine in 1948 about the job of a "ward boss."[6] He was deposed as ward leader, and also lost his job as deputy county clerk, in 1950 after criticizing county chairman Jacob Arvey and directing precinct captains to get votes for an attorney for crime figure Jack Guzik.[7]

Plunkett also worked as a financial consultant. He died in Chicago in 1975.[4]

References
  1. "Joesph Plunkett". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  2. "Courtney Races Ahead by 2 too 1 Over Gutknecht". Chicago Tribune. April 10, 1940. p. 5.
  3. "Halas Backs Bill for Domed Stadium". Chicago Tribune. April 2, 1969. p. III-1 – via Newspapers.com.("Plunkett ... owned the original Milwaukee franchise in the National Football League.")
  4. "Plunkett mass set Thursday". Chicago Tribune. April 30, 1975. p. IV-13 – via Newspapers.com.("pioneer in the National Football League . . . In the 1920s, for a time, he owned the Milwaukee Brewers Football Club")
  5. "Jule S. Plunkett". Chicago Tribune. September 18, 1994. p. II-6 – via Newspapers.com.("Joseph T. Plunkett, who was a pioneering founder of the National Football League")
  6. "Ward Boss: Joe Plunkett's duties are to keep 'em happy and vote 'em straight". Life. October 25, 1948. pp. 113–117.
  7. "4th Ward Chief Quickly Fired by Democrats". Chicago Tribune. April 14, 1950. p. II-15 – via Newspapers.com.
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