Earl Crowder
1939 · Round 10 · Pick 82 · QB · Chicago Cardinals
Earl Crowder was born in Cherokee, Oklahoma. He co-captained Oklahoma's 1938 team, which went unbeaten in the regular season before losing the 1939 Orange Bowl to Tennessee. He was called "one of the headiest, speediest and hardest hitting backs in the country." The Chicago Cardinals drafted him in the 10th round, 82nd overall, in 1939, and he played nine NFL games for the Cardinals and the 1940 Cleveland Rams. He grew up on the farm next to teammate Beryl Clark. He died of cancer in Cherokee on February 6, 1984. Pro Football Reference has a player page for him (linked below), but its stats weren't pulled for this bio. A December 11, 1938 Daily Oklahoman all-conference listing (NewsBank page 42) lists him as a "Halfback"; our draft record lists QB and Pro Football Reference lists BB. The Daily Oklahoman wrote on December 10, 1938 (NewsBank page 10): "In addition to Young, other Sooners drafted included: Chicago Cardinals—Earl Crowder, back; Jim Thomas, guard. Pittsburgh—Hugh McCullough, back. New York—Gilford Duggan, tackle."
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Crowder | https://soonersports.com/sports/2019/8/13/208798496 | https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CrowEa20.htm | The Daily Oklahoman, December 11, 1938, NewsBank page 42 (via NewsBank Oklahoman Collection, scanned page) | The Daily Oklahoman, December 10, 1938, NewsBank page 10 (via NewsBank Oklahoman Collection, scanned page)