 |
Jim Musick was born in Kirksville, Missouri on May 5, 1910. After attending Santa Ana High School, he played college football at the University of Southern California from 1929 to 1931. It was at USC he helped lead the Trojans to two Rose Bowl victories and a national championship in 1931. Jim had 393 carries for 1,605 yards at USC. While at USC he even had a brief flirtation with Hollywood, having a role along with fellow Trojan players and former player, John Wayne, in the 1932 movie "That's My Boy". After graduation from USC in 1932, he signed with the Boston Braves/Redskins where he played fullback from 1932 to 1936 for four seasons. He led the NFL in rushing in 1933 with 173 carries for 809 yards, an average of 4.7 yards per carry, along with five touchdowns. For these accomplishments he was named to the 1933 NFL All-Star team. In his career with the Redskins, he rushed 327 times for 1313 yards and scored eight touchdowns. He also completed 13 passes for 167 yards. In 1933 he kicked a 23 yard field goal and had 12 extra points. Jim suffered a season-ending knee injury three weeks into 1935 the season. In a bid to earn new contract with more money, he refused to report for training camp in 1936. The Redskins would not give into the demands and waived him. He was picked up off waivers by the Green Bay Packers in 1937 and prepared to report for training camp, however he reinjured the knee two weeks prior to camp, effectively ending his NFL career. While still a professional football player, Jim began working in the off-season as a deputy for the Orange County Sheriff's Department, which was headquartered in his hometown of Santa Ana. After retirement from the NFL, he took up law enforcement full-time, except for a period during World War II when he served as a US Marine In 1946, Jim won election to the first of seven consecutive terms as Orange County Sheriff, remaining at the post until deciding not to seek re-election in 1974. Jim Musick was inducted into the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame in 1986. He passed away at a nursing home in Santa Ana, California on December 15, 1992 at age 82. |
|||||
|
|
