Place of birth Comanche, Texas Role American football player Place of death Dallas, Texas Died December 2, 1949 | 1916–1917 Dartmouth Education Dartmouth College Name Eugene Neeley Positions Guard | |
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Date of birth (1896-02-09)February 9, 1896 Date of death December 2, 1949(1949-12-02) (aged 53) | ||
Eugene Gentry "Guy" Neeley (February 9, 1896 – December 2, 1949) was an American football player. Despite having only one arm, he played college football at the guard position for Dartmouth College and was a consensus first-team selection to the 1917 College Football All-America Team.
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Early years
Neeley was born in 1896 in Comanche, Texas, and raised in Dallas, Texas. His parents were Richard V. Neely and Opelia Gentry. He lost his right arm in a hunting accident in approximately 1911. His arm was cut off above the elbow.
Dartmouth
Neeley enrolled in Dartmouth College in 1915. Neeley played football for Dartmouth's freshman team in 1915. It was reported at the time that he was probably "the only one-armed football player in the country."
Neeley then played for the Dartmouth Big Green football varsity team during the 1916 and 1917 football seasons. By October 1916, he had won a reputation as "the best man" in Dartmouth's line. He reportedly used the stub of his severed right arm "with telling effect in blocking and straight arming." Despite his handicap, he was also able to intercept and return a forward pass, later described by Life magazine as a "spectacular" play, during a game against West Virginia. After the 1917 season, he was selected as a consensus first-team guard on the 1917 College Football All-America Team.
Later years
After leaving Dartmouth, Neeley returned to Texas. He was married shortly after returning to Texas, and he and his wife Nell had two children, Stanley (born c. 1919) and Adele (born 1920). In 1920, he was living in Comanche, Texas, working as an oil dealer. In 1930, he was living in Dallas and working as a securities broker. In 1940, he was living in Dallas and working as a loan agent for life insurance. In 1942, he was employed by the Federal Housing Administration in Dallas.
Neeley died in Dallas in 1949 at the age of 53.