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Earle "Greasy" Neale |
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 When the Maxwell Football
Club decided that they would give an Award for the Outstanding Pro Coach of the Year, the
name that came to everyone's mind was Earle (Greasy) Neale.Greasy was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, on November 5, 1891 and his football career began as a player for West Virginia Wesleyan College from 1912 to 1915. So impressed was the school with his football knowledge, he was named their Head Football Coach upon his graduation. Neale coached West Virginia Wesleyan for the 1916 and 1917 seasons. In 1918 Neale coached a semi-pro team called the Dayton, Ohio Triangles. In 1919, he returned to the college ranks to be Head Football Coach at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, where he coached for 2 seasons. In 1921 and 1922, Neale was Head Football Coach at Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, PA. From 1923 to 1928, Neale served as Head coach at the University of Virginia. Football was certainly different in those days. We all know about Bo Jackson playing both baseball and football in the same year, but "Greasy" coached football at the college and pro level while he was an outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds from 1918 to when he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in midseason of 1921. In 1922, he was traded back to the Cincinnati Reds and retired at the end of that year. From 1923 to 1928, Neale devoted himself to the University of Virginia. In 1929, he was named Assistant Manager and coach of the baseball St. Louis Cardinals. Neale probably was the only man in sports who played professional baseball while coaching at the college level and in his spare time played end for the pre-NFL Canton Bulldogs (1915-1917) under an assumed name. Earle (Greasy) Neale, of course, is best known as the Head Football Coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. He took the reins of a perennial losing Eagles team and quickly built them into a contender. Neale produced three straight Eastern division crowns and won the NFL championship in 1948 and 1949. Both NFL titles came by shutout scores, a feat that has yet to be duplicated. "Greasy" was enshrined in the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1969. He is joined in the Hall of Fame by Chuck Bednarik, Pete Pihos, A;lex Wojciechowicz and the greatest Eagle of all time, Steve Van Buren, who all played for him during his tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles. After he retired from football, he returned to his native West Virginia where he died 3 days short of his 82nd birthday on November 2, 1973. The Maxwell Football Club feels that it could not name this award after a better person. Earle (Greasy) Neale was a winner and the Maxwelll Football club is an organization of winners! |
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