Class Graduate Positions End Role American football player | Name Dexter Very | |
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Date of birth (1889-11-27)November 27, 1889 Date of death September 27, 1980(1980-09-27) (aged 90) Died September 27, 1980, State College, Pennsylvania, United States Education | ||
Dexter W. Very (November 27, 1889 – September 27, 1980) was an American college football player the Penn State Nittany Lions football team of Pennsylvania State University. Very started at right end for the Nittany Lions in every game from 1909 to 1912. During that timespan, Penn State was undefeated in 1909, 1911 and 1912, while losing just two games in 1910.
Very was elected as the team's captain in 1911, and helped the Nittany Lions defeat the Penn Quakers, for its first victory over Penn in 18 years. That game he stripped the Quakers' Ray Mercer of the football and running it back for a Penn State touchdown. In 1912, Very scored nine touchdowns in eight games. He never wore a helmet while playing, and was also a member of the school's wrestling program.
After college, he worked as a manufacturer's representative in Pittsburgh and also worked as a football official. He officiated the 1927 Georgia vs. Yale football game. On January 2, 1933, Very officiated the Rose Bowl. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1976.