John Thomas Topping (November 6, 1934 – August 27, 1990) was an American football player.
| Duke Blue Devils | |
|---|---|
| Position | Tackle |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | November 6, 1934 Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died: | August 27, 1990 (aged 55) Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Career history | |
| College | Duke (1955–1957) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
He was born in 1934 and grew up in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. He attended Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. He graduated in 1953 from Roanoke Rapids High School.[1]
He played college football at the tackle position for the Duke Blue Devils football team from 1955 to 1957. He was selected by the Football Writers Association of America as a first-team guard on Look magazine's 1957 All-America college football team.[2]
Topping later lived in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. In 1959, he became employed by Roadway Express, a trucking company in Akron, Ohio. He spent 31 years with the company and became the company's president in 1987.[3] He was inducted into the Duke Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.[4] He died in 1990 at age 55.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Tom Topping To Be Cited By Hometown". The Herald-Sun. December 21, 1957. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Look's All-American Has Two ACC Players". The Index-Journal. December 6, 1957. p. 9 – via Newspaper.com.
- ^ a b Peter Geiger (August 29, 1990). "John T. Topping, Roadway executive". The Akron Beacon Journal. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Duke Sports Hall of Fame Inducts Topping, Gregory". The Dispatch, Lexington, N.C. April 8, 1989. p. 10.