George Young: Forty Fort PIAA wrestling champ starred on wartime service teams
Young's football accolades include serving as an umpire at Super Bowl I.
George Young was a physical specimen, tapping in at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds and winning a PIAA state heavyweight wrestling championship at Forty Fort High School.
Having earned a scholarship to play football at the University of Georgia, it seemed Young was destined for the athletic success that followed — namely, eight seasons with the Cleveland Browns.
However, unforeseen circumstances could have derailed Young’s progress at multiple stages if not for his being one of the most determined individuals imaginable.
Young was born May 10, 1924. His mother died when he was 10 years old. His father, a Scottish immigrant, worked long hours at the Wilkes-Barre Lace Company before crossing the bridge and returning to George and his sister at the family home on Oneida Lane in Forty Fort.
“After my mother died, my sister and I usually opened a can of beans or soup for our evening meal when we came home from school,” Young recalled in an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
During high school, Young caught the eye of Harold Ketron. While stationed in Wilkes-Barre as an executive for Coca-Cola, Ketron, a former Georgia football player, recruited several of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s best, including Young, to the Peach State.
Young played only one season at Georgia before being called to war. He rode the bench during the 1942 season, which was capped by Pittston’s Charley Trippi’s MVP performance in Georgia’s 9-0 win over UCLA at the Rose Bowl.
Young and Trippi crossed paths again on Saturday, Nov. 11, 1944 — Armistice Day — with the two men on opposite service teams.
Young, an end, was with the home team, Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Chicago, the largest training facility for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Trippi, a halfback, was with the Third Air Force.
As one might expect, Trippi, the far more celebrated athlete, scored a third-quarter touchdown to put Third Air Force ahead, 10-0.
However, Young stole the show — and the win — in the fourth quarter in front of 25,000 soldiers.
Young caught a touchdown pass, cutting into the deficit, 10-6, and then struck again with a 44-yard reception down to the 1-yard line. From there, former Notre Dame star Jim Mello smashed in a touchdown that proved the game-winner in a 12-10 Great Lakes victory.
The 1944 Great Lakes team (9-2-1) finished No. 17 in the Associated Press poll. Young played service football again in 1945 for the undefeated Fleet City (11-0-1) squad.
Young’s father died in 1946, while Young was in the navy. It was around this time doctors discovered a calcium deposit in Young’s right thigh. Doctors recommended surgery but warned Young that he’d have only 50% use of the limb post-op.
“Doctors from surrounding territory came in to inspect and study the wound,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. “Their verdicts were all the same and when George refused to permit surgery, they warned him that the deposit would continue expanding and eventually prevent him from running.
“Young gambled. He worked out daily, putting the limb through a stiff series of exercises. The deposit expanded to a length of 9 1/2 inches, then stopped.”
The hardness in Young’s leg had reached its maximum growth and eventually stopped hurting, allowing him to attempt to keep his football playing days alive.
Young landed with the Cleveland Browns, coached by his friend, Paul Brown, who coached Young at the Great Lakes.
Young played all eight years of his professional football career with the Browns, appearing in 97 games and starting 44. He was a starter for the 1950 Browns who won the NFL championship.
After retiring following the 1953 season, Young remained in football and spent 10 years as an AFL umpire. His most lasting legacy in football, arguably, is that he served as the umpire of Super Bowl I between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.
Young lived an amazingly impressive football life, but it ended tragically early.
Young, 45, was a resident of Waukegan, Illinois, in 1969 when he was diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor.
