Gene Lipscomb
 | |
| Date of birth | August 9, 1931 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Uniontown, Alabama |
| Date of death | May 10, 1963 (aged 31) |
| Place of death | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Defensive lineman |
| College | None |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1953–1955 | Los Angeles Rams |
| 1956–1960 | Baltimore Colts |
| 1961–1962 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Pro Bowls | 1958, 1959, 1962 |
| Awards |
1962 Pro Bowl MVP 1959 Pro Bowl MVP |
| Honors |
2× AP First-team All-Pro (1958, 1959) 3× NEA First-team All-Pro selection (1958, 1959, 1961) |
| Career stats | |
| |
Eugene Allen "Gene" Lipscomb (August 9, 1931 – May 10, 1963) was an American football defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) and a professional wrestler. He was known by the nickname "Big Daddy".
Early life
Born in Uniontown, Alabama, Lipscomb never knew his father, and moved to Detroit, Michigan with his mother at the age of three. When he was 11, his mother was murdered in the neighborhood where they lived, and he moved in with his maternal grandparents.
Pro career
After graduating from Miller High School, Lipscomb did not attend college and was picked up as an undrafted free agent by the Los Angeles Rams, who had first noticed Gene playing football in the Marines. He spent his service at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California. He played for the Rams for three seasons, from 1953 to 1955, before being traded to the Baltimore Colts for five seasons. In two of the seasons he played for the Colts, 1958 and 1959, he earned a spot in the Pro Bowl, and was instrumental in the Colts' two consecutive NFL Championships in 1958 and 1959. He then went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers for two seasons. During the 1959–60 and 1960–61 off-seasons, Lipscomb worked as a professional wrestler.
The Professional Football Researchers Association named Lipscomb to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2006 [1]
Death
On May 10, 1963, Lipscomb died of an overdose of heroin on Brice Street in Baltimore, Maryland, at the apartment of Timothy Black.[2]
Further reading
- Oliver, Greg, "The brief career of 'Big Daddy' Lipscomb", SLAM! Sports Bio, September 9, 2005
References
- ↑ "Hall of Very Good Class of 2006". Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ↑ "New Law May Result in Freedom", Baltimore Afro-American, July 27, 1963