Eugene Edward Cronin (November 20, 1933 – September 17, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions, Washington Redskins, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Pacific Tigers.
 Cronin, c. 1968 | |||||
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| Position: | Defensive end, linebacker | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | November 20, 1933 Spalding, Nebraska, U.S. | ||||
| Died: | September 17, 2024 (aged 90) Sacramento, California, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 229 lb (104 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | C. K. McClatchy (Sacramento, California) | ||||
| College: | Pacific | ||||
| NFL draft: | 1956 / round: 7 / pick: 74 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Early years
editCronin attended Ione High School in California. He transferred to C. K. McClatchy High School after his freshman season. He practiced football and basketball.
In 1952, he enrolled at Sacramento City College. In 1953, he transferred to the University of the Pacific. He played in the 1956 East–West Shrine Game.
In 1984, he was inducted into the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame.[1] In 2001, he was inducted into the Sacramento City College Hall of Fame.[2]
Professional career
editDetroit Lions
editCronin was selected by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round (74th overall) of the 1956 NFL draft. He initially made the team as a pass rushing specialist. In 1957, he contributed to the team winning the NFL Championship.
Dallas Cowboys
editCronin was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1960 NFL Expansion Draft. He became one of the first starters at outside linebacker in franchise history (the other was Wayne Hansen).
On July 30, 1961, he was traded to the Washington Redskins in exchange for a draft choice.[3]
Washington Redskins
editCronin played two seasons for the Washington Redskins. On August 26, 1963, he was placed on the injured reserve list with a back injury and was assigned scouting duties.[4] He only missed one game in seven seasons in the league.[5]
Personal life and death
editAfter he retired, he worked as the Detroit Lions' chief scout. In 1965, he became the first person hired by the newly formed Atlanta Falcons and served as the Director of player personnel.[6] He was later promoted to assistant general manager, before resigning on November 15, 1968.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Pacific Athletics Hall Of Fame". Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Hall of Fame - Sacramento City College". Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Trade Linebacker". Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Redskins Cut Jim Kerr, Five Others". Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "NFL Scouting Tough For Player Cronin". Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Overnight Sports in Brief". Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Gene Cronin, assistant general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, resigned Friday". Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Eugene Cronin, first person hired by Atlanta Falcons, dies". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. September 18, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ Eugene Edward Cronin