Emlen Lewis Tunnell (1924 - 1975)

Born 29 Mar 1924 in Pennsylvania, United States

Ancestors

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Biography

Emlen Tunnell is Notable.

In 1967, Emlen Lewis Tunnell was the first Black inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.^[1]

Emlen Lewis Tunnell was born in 1924. He was the son of Elzie Tunnell and Catherine Adams.

In the 1930 US Census enumeration, Emlen bears the surname "Adams," as do his mother and siblings, Vivian and Stewart (Stuart). ^[2] This is also the case with the 1940 census, in which Emlen is enumerated with his mother, brother Stuart, and sister Vivian and her daughter, Catherine. Vivian is named as Robinson, so she had married between 1930 and 1940. ^[3]

In the book, "Footsteps of a Giant," ^[4]Emlen Tunnell names his father as Elzie Tunnell, and states

My father, Elzie Tunnell, had left my mother when I was a little kid. My father didn't get far- he lived right over in Bryn Mawr - but we didn't see much of him. With each birthday I grew closer to my mother because I was better able to understand how much she was doing for us.

Emlen grew up in Garrett Hill, a mixed-race area of Radnor Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. His mother worked as a domestic in "Main Line" Philadelphia homes. He attended Radnor High School, where he participated in multiple sports. ^[5]

He accepted a scholarship to the University of Toledo in 1942, but suffered a life-threatening neck injury during a football game against Marshall College. He was injured so severely that a Catholic priest administered last rites. Emlen survived and was playing basketball with Toledo's team within four months. ^[6] Toledo advanced to the finals of the National Invitation Tournament that year, but lost to St. John's in the finals. ^{[6] [7]}

Military Service

Emlen Tunnell served in the United States Coast Guard in World War II
Service started:
Unit(s):
Service ended:

When World War II broke out, Emlen wanted to serve his country. His previous injury was a concern, but Emlen Tunnell joined the US Coast Guard anyway. He served aboard several vessels, including the USS Etamin, which was hit by a Japanese torpedo while in port at Papua, New Guinea. Steward's Mate Emlen Tunnell acted quickly to save his shipmate, Fred Savier, who had been set afire in the resulting explosion and fire aboard the ship. Emlen's hands were badly burned. After the war, he saved another shipmate who had fallen off the dock of the Coast Guard Cutter Tampa, by jumping into the frigid waters to retrieve him. Emlen Tunnell was posthumously awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal at a ceremony in Alameda, California on March 9, 2011. His sister, Vivian Robinson and niece, Catherine Robinson, accepted the award on his behalf.^[8]

Sports Career

Upon his return from war service, Emlen transferred to the University of Iowa and played football for the Hawkeyes. He dropped out of school in 1948 in order to try out for a spot on an NFL team. ^[5] The New York Giants hired him, and he became the first black player in the Giants' history.^[9]

He played with the NFL for fourteen seasons as a defensive halfback and safety: with the New York Giants from 1948-1958, and then with the Green Bay Packers, under coach Vince Lombardi, from 1959-1961. "He was selected as a first-team All-Pro six times and played in nine Pro Bowls. He was a member of NFL championship teams in 1956 and 1961. When he retired as a player, he held NFL career records for interceptions (79), interception return yards (1,282), punt returns (258), and punt return yards (2,209)."^[10]

After his playing career, he served as a special assistant coach and defensive backs coach for the New York Giants^[11] and retired in 1974.

He married (Private) Dawkins and had no children. ^[10]

Emlen Tunnell died in 1975 at the age of 50.^[12][13]

Radnor Township renamed a park at Garrett Hill in Emlen's honor ^[5] and in October 2021, a Coast Guard cutter was named for him as well. ^[6][14][15]

Sources

1. ↑ Pro Football Hall of Fame
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHSF-4K5 : accessed 27 January 2021), Emlen Adams in household of Kathryn Adams, Bryn Mawr, Radnor Township, Delaware, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 118, sheet 4B, line 94, family 99, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2032; FHL microfilm 2,341,766.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQHN-63H : 7 January 2021), Emlen Adams in household of Catherene Adams, Radnor Township, Delaware, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 23-147, sheet 9A, line 3, family 161, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3495.
4. ↑ Tunnell, Emlen, and Bill Gleason. Footsteps of a Giant, Garden City, N.Y. Doubleday, 1966, p. 23.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Kirkpatrick, Frank. "A Giant In Many Ways," The Philadelphia Inquirer, 19 Feb 2017, p. D2. Digital Images. (newspapers.com) Historical newspapers. link.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} Emlen Tunnell book.
7. ↑ The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 19 Mar 1943, p. 17, col. 7. news clipping.
8. ↑ Coast Guard hero
9. ↑ "Negro Football Star is Signed by Giants," The Republican and Herald, (Pottsville, Pennsylvania) 24 Jul 1948, p. 8, col. 1 news clipping].
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Emlen Tunnell wikipedia entry
11. ↑ Ebony, December 1963, pages 58-50, "Eyes and Ears of the N. Y. Giants - Em Tunnell coaches, scouts for pro team"; GoogleBooks (https://books.google.com : accessed 25 March 2021).
12. ↑ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JB1T-RJC : 8 January 2021), Emlen Tunnell, Jul 1975; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
13. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 31 January 2021), memorial page for Emlen Lewis Tunnell (29 Mar 1924–23 Jul 1975), Find A Grave: Memorial #50423245, citing Gulph United Church of Christ Cemetery, West Conshohocken, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave.
14. ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, 12 May 2019, p. C5, col. 2 link
15. ↑ Coast Guard Commissions 45th fast response cutter in Pennsylvania, Web, accessed 13 Feb 2023.

See also:

• "United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q53Y-D3VC : 18 July 2020), Emlen Tunnell, 1975.
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