Charles Francis Riffle (January 6, 1918 – February 28, 2002), also known as Chuck Riffle, was an American football player and coach. He played for Notre Dame from 1937 to 1939. He played professional football in the National Football League for the Cleveland Ras in 1944. While serving in the Navy, he played for the 1945 Fleet City Bluejackets football team. After the war, he played in the All-America Football Conference for the New York Yankees from 1946 to 1948.
 Riffle at Notre Dame, 1938 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | January 6, 1918 Dillonvale, Ohio |
| Died: | February 28, 2002 (aged 84) Sun City West, Arizona |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 212 lb (96 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Warren G. Harding (OH) |
| College: | Notre Dame |
| Position: | Guard |
| Career history | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early years
editRiffle was born in Dillonville, Ohio, in 1918. He attended Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, Ohio.[1]
Notre Dame
editRiffle played college football for Notre Dame as a fullback in 1937 and at right guard in 1938 and 1939. He missed most of the 1938 season with a broken leg.[2]
High school coach
editAfter graduating from Notre Dame, Riffle coached football and basketball at Vincentian High School in Albany, New York, from 1940 to 1941 and at La Salle Institute in Troy, New York, from 1942 to 1943.[3][4][5]
Professional football and Fleet City
editRiffle played for the Cleveland Rams in the National Football League during the 1944 NFL season. He appeared in eight games for teh Rams, one of them as a starter.[1]
In 1945, Riffle served in the United States Navy.[6] He played for the 1945 Fleet City Bluejackets football team that compiled an 11–0–1 record.[7]
After the war, Riffle played three seasons for the New York Yankees of the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1948. He appeared in 42 games for the Yankees 17 as a starter.[1]
Later years
editIn 1949, Riffle was hired as the head football coach at his alma mater, Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, Ohio.[8] In eight years as the school's head coach, he compiled a 50-33-1 record.[9][10]
He died in 2002 in Sun City West, Arizona.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Charley Riffle Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ^ Jack Ledden (September 29, 1938). "Riffle Fractures Leg; Lost To Irish for Year". The South Bend Tribune. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Holleran Gets Coaching Job At Albany". Star-Gazette. August 13, 1940. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Riffle Out At LaSalle". The Troy Record. February 25, 1944. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Frank Garcin (September 27, 1944). "Frank-ly Speaking". The Post-Star. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Obituary". Arizona Republic. March 9, 2002 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Speedy Young threat to El Toro". Daily News. December 6, 1945. p. 35 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Riffle To Coach Warren Gridders". The Akron Beacon Journal. March 10, 1949. p. 46 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Recommends Ousting Of Grid Coach". The Evening Independent. April 4, 1957. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Warren Officials May Not Rehire Veteran Grid Coach". The Times Recorder. April 4, 1957. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.