Gene Brito

Brito on a 1955 Bowman football card

No. 80

Position:

Defensive end
End

Personal information

Date of birth:

November 23, 1925

Place of birth:

Huntington Park, California

Date of death:

June 8, 1965 (aged 39)

Place of death:

Duarte, California

Career information

College:

Loyola Marymount

NFL Draft:

1951 / Round: 17 / Pick: 196

Career history

Career highlights and awards

NFL Player of the Year (1955)
5× Pro Bowl selection (1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958)
1× CFL All-Conference (1954)
4× First-team All-Pro selection (1955, 1956, 1957, 1958)
1× Second-team All-Pro selection (1960)
80 Greatest Redskins

Career NFL statistics

Fumble recoveries:	11
Receptions:	47
Touchdowns:	2
Player stats at NFL.com

Gene Herman Brito (November 23, 1925 – June 8, 1965) was an American football Defensive end in the National Football League who played nine seasons for the Washington Redskins and the Los Angeles Rams from 1951 to 1960.

Early career

Brito, born to a Spanish-American father and Mexican-American mother, grew up in Lincoln Heights, a then mostly Italian American neighborhood, located in Los Angeles. His father was a boxer, and he had two younger sisters.^[1] Brito attended Lincoln High School where he was a standout athlete.^[1]

College career

Brito graduated from Loyola Marymount University (then Loyola University) as a multi-sport athlete, starring in football, baseball, basketball, and track.

Professional career

Brito began his career as an offensive end, catching 45 passes in his first two seasons before being moved to defensive end in 1953. He was named the NFL Player of the Year by the Washington D.C. Touchdown Club after the 1955 season. Brito played in the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders in 1954 where he was an All-conference selection in the CFL's Western Conference. In the NFL he was a five-time Pro Bowler in 1953 and from 1955 to 1958. He was selected as one of the 70 Greatest Redskins, a list compiled by the Redskins in 2002 to commemorate the 70-year anniversary of the team. He is one of four defensive ends on the team, along with Dexter Manley, Ron McDole and Charles Mann. In 2004, he was named to the Professional Football Researchers Association Hall of Very Good in the association's second HOVG class ^[2]

Personal

Brito was a staff sergeant in the U. S. Army and an Army paratrooper with U.S. forces in the Pacific during World War II.

Brito was elected posthumously to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.^[3] He hosted "The Gene Brito Show" which aired prior to Redskins games in the 1950s making him one of the first NFL athletes to host a show and making him the most popular Redskins of his era.^[4] He was then-President John F. Kennedy's favorite player. Brito died on June 8, 1965 of ALS at the age of 39.^[5]

References

1 2 Cannon, Robert L. (1995-01-01). https://books.google.com/books?id=lHJrkIxwhMcC&pg=PA382&dq=Gene+Brito&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QwyqUfKBNpDo8QSiuYDYAQ&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=Gene%20Brito&f=false. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 382. ISBN 0313284318. External link in |title= (help)
↑ "Hall of Very Good". Retrieved July 13, 2016.
↑ http://www.niashf.org/
↑ http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=24851
↑ http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/21-03-803.pdf

External links

Italian American Sports Hall of Fame

Washington Redskins 1951 NFL Draft selections

Leon Heath Ed Salem Jim Staton Walt Yowarsky Paul Girowski John Martinkovic John Papit Bill Cox Jake Rowden James Janosek Bill DeChard Al Applegate Dick Campbell Vic Thomas Bob Bates Gene Brito Dom Fucci Buddy Brown John Kerestes Clarence Marable Elliott Speed Cecil Martin Tom Powers Bob Chubb Johnny Williams Bill Johnson John Kadiec Art Stewart Nick Bolkovac

Draft years 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1950 AAFC 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

80 Greatest Redskins

21 Terry Allen RB 1995–98
56 LaVar Arrington LB 2000–05
41 Mike Bass CB 1969–75
20 Cliff Battles B 1932–37
33 Sammy Baugh QB 1937–52
31 Don Bosseler FB 1957–64
53 Jeff Bostic C 1980–93
4 Mike Bragg P 1968–79
80 Gene Brito DE 1951–53, 1955–58
43 Larry Brown RB 1969–76
77 Bill Brundige DE 1970–77
65 Dave Butz DT 1975–88
21 Earnest Byner RB 1989–93
84 Gary Clark WR 1985–92
51 Monte Coleman LB 1979–94
53 Al DeMao C 1945–53
36 Chuck Drazenovich LB 1950–59
35 Bill Dudley RB 1950–51, 1953
17 Turk Edwards T 1932–40
44 Andy Farkas FB 1938–44
37 Pat Fischer CB 1968–77
28 Darrell Green CB 1983–2002
68 Russ Grimm G 1981–91
55 Chris Hanburger LB 1965–78
57 Ken Harvey LB 1994–98
56 Len Hauss C 1964–77
75 Terry Hermeling OT 1970–80
27 Ken Houston S 1973–80
70 Sam Huff LB 1964–67, 1969
66 Joe Jacoby T/G 1981–93
47 Dick James RB 1955–63
76 Jon Jansen OT 1999–08
80 Roy Jefferson WR 1971–76
9 Sonny Jurgensen QB 1964–74
22 Charlie Justice RB 1950, 1952–54
17 Billy Kilmer QB 1971–78
26 Paul Krause DB 1964–67
79 Jim Lachey T 1988–95
14 Eddie LeBaron QB 1952–53, 1955–59
72 Dexter Manley DE 1981–89
71 Charles Mann DE 1983–93
58 Wilber Marshall LB 1988–92
73 Mark May T 1981–89
79 Ron McDole DE 1971–78
63 Raleigh McKenzie G 1985–94
53 Harold McLinton LB 1969–78
40 Wayne Millner E 1936–41, 1945
49 Bobby Mitchell FL 1962–68
30 Brian Mitchell RB 1990–99
81 Art Monk WR 1980–93
3 Mark Moseley K 1974–86
29 Mark Murphy S 1977–84
21 Mike Nelms KR 1980–84
52 Neal Olkewicz LB 1979–89
23 Brig Owens LB 1966–77
26 Clinton Portis RB 2004–10
65 Vince Promuto G 1960–70
44 John Riggins RB 1976–79, 1981–85
11 Mark Rypien QB 1987–93
60 Chris Samuels OT 2000–09
83 Ricky Sanders WR 1986–93
76 Ed Simmons T 1987–93
87 Jerry Smith TE 1965–77
60 Dick Stanfel G 1956–58
74 George Starke T 1973–84
72 Diron Talbert DT 1971–80
42 Charley Taylor WR 1964–77
84 Hugh Taylor WR 1947–54
21 Sean Taylor S 2004–07
7 Joe Theismann QB 1974–85
67 Rusty Tillman LB 1970–77
85 Don Warren TE 1979–92
25 Joe Washington RB 1981–84
17 Doug Williams QB 1986–89

Administration

George Allen Head Coach 1971–77
Bobby Beathard General Manager 1978–89
Joe Bugel Offensive Line Coach 1981–89, 04–09
Ray Flaherty Head Coach 1936–42
Joe Gibbs Head Coach 1981–92
Richie Petitbon Defensive Coordinator 1978–92

Washington Redskins Ring of Fame

George Allen Head Coach 1971–77
Cliff Battles RB 1932–37
Sammy Baugh QB 1937–52
Gene Brito DE, 1951–53, 1955–58
Larry Brown RB 1969–76
Dave Butz DT 1975–88
Gary Clark WR 1985–92
Jack Kent Cooke Owner 1961–97
Bill Dudley RB, 1950–51, 1953
Wayne Curry Prince George's County Executive 1994–2002
Pat Fischer CB 1968–77
Joe Gibbs Head Coach, 1981–92, 2004–07
Darrell Green CB 1983–2002
Russ Grimm G 1981–91
Chris Hanburger LB 1965–78
Ken Harvey LB 1994–98
Len Hauss C 1964–77
Phil Hochberg PA Announcer 1963–2000
Ken Houston S 1973–80
Sam Huff LB, 1964–67, 1969
Joe Jacoby T/G 1981–93
Dick James RB 1956–63
Sonny Jurgensen QB 1964–74
Charlie Justice RB, 1950, 1952–54
Billy Kilmer QB 1971–78
Eddie LeBaron QB, 1952–53, 1955–59
Vince Lombardi Head Coach 1969
Dexter Manley DE 1981–89
Charles Mann DE 1983–93
George Preston Marshall Team Founder & Owner 1932–69
Wayne Millner End, 1936–41, 1945
Bobby Mitchell Flanker 1962–68
Brian Mitchell RB/KR 1990–99
Art Monk WR 1980–93
Mark Moseley PK 1974–86
Brig Owens DB 1966–77
Richie Petitbon S 1971-72, defensive coordinator 1981-92
Vince Promuto G 1960–70
John Riggins RB, 1976–79, 1981–85
Jerry Smith TE 1965–77
Charley Taylor WR 1964–77
Sean Taylor S 2004–07
Joe Theismann QB 1974–85
Lamar "Bubba" Tyer Head Athletic Trainer, 1971–2002, 2004–08
Doug Williams QB 1986–89

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