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Clarence "Pug" Manders was born on May 5, 1913 in Millbank, South Dakota and attended Millbank High School. After graduation he attended Drake University, where he set a school record with 24 career touchdowns. He was named All Missouri Valley for three years and was Little All America in his senior year. He also set an Iowa state record of throwing the discus 133 feet on the Drake track team. He was drafted by the Brooklyn (football) Dodgers in the 2nd round of the 1939 NFL Draft. He played linebacker and fullback for Brooklyn from 1939 thru 1944. and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1939, 1940 and 1941, making All Pro in 1941. At Brooklyn he ran for 2291 yards, caught 25 passes for 326 yards and scored 28 touchdowns. He led the NFL with 486 yards rushing as well as leading the league with 44.2 rushes per game. In 1945 he played fullback for the Boston Yanks and rushed for 238 times and had 326 receiving yards, scoring six touchdowns. In 1946 he went to play for the New York Yankees in the All American Football Conference and finished his pro career playing with the Buffalo Bills. For his pro career he had 2712 rushing yards and 375 receiving yards and 37 touchdowns. He also passed for 181 yards and 620 yards returning kickoffs. Pug Manders was a member of the South Dakota Hall of Fame and died on January 20, 1985, at age 71, in Des Moines, Iowa. |
