Cliff Montgomery

Cliff Montgomery
refer to caption
Montgomery in 1932
No. 33
Position:Quarterback, halfback
Personal information
Born:(1910-09-17)September 17, 1910
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died:April 21, 2005(2005-04-21) (aged 94)
Mineola, New York, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High school:Har-Brack Union
(Brackenridge, Pennsylvania)
The Kiski School
(Saltsburg, Pennsylvania)
College:Columbia
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× First-team All-Eastern (1932, 1933)
  • Rose Bowl MVP (1934)
  • Rose Bowl champion
Career NFL statistics
Games played:11
Starts:3
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Cliff Montgomery (September 17, 1910 – April 21, 2005) was an American football player who served as the captain of the Columbia Lions football team that won the 1934 Rose Bowl Game. Montgomery, the quarterback, called a hidden-ball trick play known as KF-79[1] that led to Columbia's 7–0 upset over Stanford University. It was widely regarded as one of the greatest athletic upsets of the twentieth century, and Montgomery was named the game's Most valuable player.[2]

Montgomery went on to play for one season with the National Football League Brooklyn Dodgers, seeing action in 11 games and starting 3 times.[3]

Montgomery served with the United States Navy during World War II. He earned the Silver Star during the 1945 invasion of Okinawa, credited with saving the lives of 400 sailors on April 6, 1945, when he navigated his flagship alongside a burning destroyer in rough seas.[4]

An executive at McGraw Hill, Montgomery spent 25 years as a college football official and earned a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Thomas, Robert McG. Jr. (January 9, 1988). "Alfred J. Barabas, Star Halfback In Columbia's Rose Bowl Victory". New York Times. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  2. ^ Daley, Arthur (January 1, 1954). "Sports of The Times / One for the Book". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  3. ^ "Cliff Montgomery," Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com/
  4. ^ "Columbia College Today". www.college.columbia.edu. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  5. ^ Frank Litsky (April 23, 2005). "Cliff Montgomery, Who Starred at Columbia, Dies at 94". The New York Times.
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