Emlen Tunnell - wikipedia Emlen Tunnell Emlen Tunnell No. 45 Position : Defensive halfback, safety Born : ( 1924 - 03 - 29 ) March 29, 1924 Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Died : July 23, 1975 ( 1975 - 07 - 23 ) ( aged 51 ) Pleasantville, New York Career information College : Toledo ( 1942 ), Iowa ( 1946 -- 1947 ) Career history As player : New York Giants ( 1948 -- 1958 ) Green Bay Packers ( 1959 -- 1961 ) As coach : Green Bay Packers / New York Giants ( 1962 ) Scout New York Giants ( 1963 -- 1964 ) Special assistant coach New York Giants ( 1965 -- 1974 ) Defensive backs Career highlights and awards 2 × NFL champion ( 1956, 1961 ) 9 × Pro Bowl ( 1950 -- 1957, 1959 ) 6 × First - team All - Pro ( 1949, 1951, 1952, 1954 -- 1956 ) NFL 1950s All - Decade Team New York Giants Ring of Honor Career NFL statistics Interceptions : 79 Int. return yards : 1,282 Punt returns : 258 Punt return yards : 2,209 Player stats at NFL.com Pro Football Hall of Fame Emlen Lewis Tunnell ( March 29, 1924 -- July 23, 1975 ), sometimes known by the nickname `` The Gremlin '', was an American football player and coach. He was the first African American to play for the New York Giants and also the first to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Tunnell played college football at the University of Toledo in 1942 and University of Iowa in 1946 and 1947. He also served in the United States Coast Guard from 1943 to 1946. He received the Silver Lifesaving Medal for heroism in rescuing a shipmate from flames during a torpedo attack in 1944 and rescuing another shipmate who fell into the sea in 1946. He next played 14 seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) as a defensive halfback and safety for the New York Giants ( 1948 -- 1958 ) and Green Bay Packers ( 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 ). After retiring as a player, Tunnell served as a special assistant coach and defensive backs coach for the New York Giants from 1963 to 1974. In addition to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he was named to the NFL 's 1950s All - Decade Team and the all - time All - Pro team, and was ranked number 70 on The Sporting News ' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. Contents 1 Early years 2 College and military service 2.1 Toledo 2.2 Coast Guard 2.3 Iowa 3 Professional football player 3.1 New York Giants 3.2 Green Bay Packers 3.3 Career accomplishments and honors 4 Coaching and family 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links Early years Tunnell was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, though sources conflict as to his year of birth. His tombstone as well as the Social Security Death Index and Tunnell 's Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File reflect a birth date of March 29, 1924. Official NFL records and multiple sources in the early 1960s reported his date of birth as March 29, 1922. Tunnell listed his birth date as March 29, 1923, on his 1942 draft card and on his 1950 application for World War II benefits. Other sources record his birth year as 1925. In 1961, Tunnell joked about his age : `` I 'm not really 41, as everyone says. I 'm closer to 42. '' Tunnell grew up in the Garrett Hill neighborhood of Radnor Township, approximately eight miles northwest of Philadelphia. His parents were divorced when Tunnell was young, and he and three siblings were raised by his mother, Catherine, who worked as a housekeeper in the homes of wealthy families in the Philadelphia Main Line area. His sister, Vivian, recalled Garrett Hill as a multi-ethnic neighborhood where `` everybody mingled '', and her brother `` learned from his environment -- be yourself, but adapt to others who might be different in the group. '' Tunnell attended Radnor High School where he was a star halfback in 1940 and 1941. Tunnell was included in the inaugural class of inductees to the Radnor High School Hall of Fame in 2003. College and military Service Toledo Tunnell enrolled at the University of Toledo in the fall of 1942 and played college football as a halfback for Toledo Rockets football team. He was described as the `` main spring '' of Toledo 's offense in the first part of the 1942 season. However, on October 26, 1942, he sustained a broken neck in a game when he was blocked while attempting to make a tackle against Marshall. He recuperated sufficiently to help lead the Toledo Rockets men 's basketball team to the finals of the 1943 National Invitation Tournament. Coast Guard The Coast Guard named the Bernard C. Webber, and all its other Sentinel class cutters, after heroes, and chose to name the 45th vessel after Tunnel. Tunnell 's neck injury in 1942 resulted in his being rejected in efforts to enlist in both the United States Army and Navy during World War II. In May 1943, Tunnell enlisted in the United States Coast Guard. From August 1943 to July 1944, he served on the USS Etamin, a cargo ship that was manned by Coast Guard personnel and stationed in the South West Pacific Area. In April 1944, while unloading explosives and gasoline at Aitape in Papua New Guinea, the Etamin was struck by a torpedo dropped from a Japanese airplane ; Tunnell saved a fellow crew member who was set afire in the blast, beat out the flames with his hands, sustained burns to his own hands, and carried the shipmate to safety. He was next stationed at San Francisco and Alameda from August 1944 to October 1945. In the fall of 1944, Tunnell played at the halfback position for the San Francisco Coast Guard Pilots football team. On November 11, 1944, he led the Pilots to a 13 -- 0 victory over Amos Alonzo Stagg 's Pacific Tigers football team, throwing 22 yards for a touchdowns and returning an interception 75 yards for another touchdown. At the end of the 1944 season, he was named to the All - Pacific Coast service football team. He also played basketball for the San Francisco Coast Guard, scoring 13 points in a December 1944 game against the California Golden Bears. In March 1946, while stationed at Naval Station Argentia in Newfoundland, Tunnell rescued a shipmate who fell from the USS Tampa. Tunnell jumped into the 32 - degree water and saved his drowning shipmate. In 2011, Tunnell was posthumously awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal for his heroism in rescuing his shipmates on the Etamin and Tampa. On December 12, 2017, the Coast Guard announced that it planned to name its 45th Sentinel class cutter the USCGC Emlen Tunnell. Iowa Tunnell was discharged from the Coast Guard in April 1946. He enrolled at the University of Iowa in the fall of 1946. Playing for the 1946 Iowa football team, Tunnell led the team with 541 yards of total offense and 28 pass completions and ranked second on the team with 333 rushing yards. On October 11, 1947, he set an Iowa single - game record with 155 receiving yards and three touchdowns on six receptions. Three weeks later, Tunnell quit the team after an argument with backfield coach Frank Carideo. He apologized and was reinstated two days later, but he played `` sparingly '' in the final two games of the 1947 season. Tunnell left Iowa in January 1948 in order to make some money to enable him to return and play football in the fall. He was told by school officials that, in order to be eligible to play football again in the fall, he would need to return for summer school and make up for a class he failed in the fall. Tunnell later explained : `` I got a telegram on Sunday saying I had to be back in school on Monday and did n't have any money or nothing. '' Professional football player New York Giants On July 24, 1948, Tunnell signed with the New York Giants. He was the first African American signed by, and the first to play for, the Giants. He later wrote that he hitchhiked from his family home in Garrett Hill to New York City to meet Jack Mara, son of Giants founder Tim Mara, and ask for a try out. In his Hall of Fame induction speech, Tunnell thanked a West Indian banana - truck driver who dropped him off near this Polo Grounds `` appointment ''. As a rookie in 1948, Tunnell appeared in 10 games and intercepted seven passes, including one returned 43 yards for a touchdown. Between 1949 and 1952, he was known as one of the best pass defenders and punt returners in the NFL. He was a key element in the Giants ' famed `` umbrella defense '' that shut down the passing game of opponents in the early 1950s, and he was referred to as the Giants ' `` offense on defense ''. His accomplishments during those prime years include the following : In 1949, he was selected as an All - NFL / AAFC player by the International News Service. He led the NFL with two interceptions returned for touchdown and three non-offensive touchdowns. He ranked second in the NFL with 315 punt returns yards and 251 interception return yards and third with 10 interceptions. In 1950, he ranked second in the NFL with 305 punt return yards and fourth with 167 interception return yards. In 1951, he was selected as a first - team All - Pro by the Associated Press ( AP ) and United Press ( UP ). He led the NFL with a career - high 489 punt return yards and four non-offensive touchdowns. He returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, and his combined total of 716 kick and punt return yards was second best in the NFL. His nine interceptions and average of 14.4 yards per punt return both ranked third in the NFL. In 1952, he was again selected as a first - team All - Pro by the AP and UP. He led the NFL with six fumble recoveries and 411 punt return yards and averaged 13.7 yards per return. He also ranked among the league leaders with seven interceptions and 149 interception return yards. He gained more yards ( 924 ) returning interceptions, punts, and kickoffs than the 1952 NFL rushing leader, Dan Towler. Tunnell remained with the Giants for a total of 11 years from 1948 to 1958. During that time, he was selected as a first - team All - Pro six times, played in eight Pro Bowls, and intercepted 74 passes for 1,240 interception return yards and four touchdowns. He also recovered 15 fumbles and returned 257 punts for 2,206 yards, an average of 8.6 yards per return. Green Bay Packers After the 1958 season, the Giants ' offensive coordinator Vince Lombardi left New York to become head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers. In June 1959, the Packers, in one of their first major personnel moves under Lombardi, purchased Tunnell from the Giants. In three years with the Packers, Tunnell saw reduced playing time, but helped to bolster the defense with his experience, worked to develop the team 's young players, and became known as `` an unofficial pastor '' for the team. He appeared in 13 games for the 1961 Packers team that won the NFL championship. He saw playing time in red zone defensive situations. Defensive backs coach Norb Hecker said of Tunnell : `` He was still a vicious tackler. When the opposition got inside our 15, we put him in and he responded with the fury of a linebacker. He could fall back on experience and by watching an offensive player 's move was seldom beat. '' Career accomplishments and honors In March 1962, Tunnell announced his retirement as a player. At that time, he held several NFL records, including the following : His 79 career interceptions were an NFL record and remain second most in NFL history, having been surpassed in 1979 by Paul Krause. His 1,282 interception return yards were an NFL record for four decades and rank fifth in NFL history as of 2017. His 258 punt returns were an NFL record, but rank 19th in league history as of 2017. His 2,209 punt return yards were an NFL record, but rank 30th as of 2017. He played in 158 consecutive games which was also an NFL record when he retired as a player. During his 14 - year NFL career, Tunnell also totaled 16 fumble recoveries, 8.6 yards per punt return, and 1,215 yards on 46 kickoff returns ( 26.4 yards per return ). Tunnell has received numerous honors for his contributions to the sport, including the following : In February 1967, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was the first African American and the first player who played strictly as a defensive back to be inducted. In August 1969, he was named to the NFL 's 1950s All - Decade Team as a safety. In September 1969, he was one of 16 players named to the all - time All - Pro team selected by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In March 1975, he was inducted into the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame. In August 1999, he was ranked number 70 on The Sporting News ' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. In 2010, he was one of the 22 players included in the New York Giants Ring of Honor at MetLife Stadium. Also in 2010, the NFL Network ranked Tunnell 79th on its list of the 100 greatest players of all time. In 2014, he was ranked as the second greatest player in New York Giants history in the book, `` The 50 Greatest Players in New York Giants Football History ''. On June 2, 2018, a statue of Tunnell was installed in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Coaching and family Tunnell was married in 1962 to Patricia Dawkins. They had no children. In the fall of 1962, Tunnell worked as a scout for the Giants and Packers, observing college players on Saturdays and watching the Giants ' upcoming opponents on Sundays. In May 1963, he was hired by the Giants as a special assistant coach under head coach Allie Sherman. In addition to his scouting duties, he was responsible for `` special assignments '' during the Giants ' training camp. In February 1965, Tunnell was promoted to assistant coach responsible for the Giants ' defensive backs. While some sources credit Tunnell as the first African American to work as an assistant coach in the NFL, and even as the first black coach in the NFL, Fritz Pollard was a head coach in the NFL in the 1920s, and Lowell Perry was an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1957. Tunnell suffered a minor heart attack in October 1974 and thereafter assumed a new position as the Giants ' assistant personnel director. In July 1975, Tunnell died from a heart attack during a Giants practice session at Pace University in Pleasantville, New York. He was buried at Gulph United Church of Christ Cemetery in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. References ^ Jump up to : As noted in the `` Early years '' section below, reliable sources are substantially in dispute as to w whether Tunnell was born in 1922, 1923, 1924, or 1925. ^ Jump up to : `` Emlen Tunnell ''. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 17, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Photograph of Tunnell 's tombstone ''. Emlentunnell.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017. Jump up ^ Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935 -- 2014 ( database on - line ). Jump up ^ Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850 -- 2010 ( database on - line ). Jump up ^ `` Emlen Tunnell ''. NFL.com. National Football League. Retrieved October 18, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Green Bay Packers Respect Defensive Back Em Tunnell ''. The Terre Haute Tribune ( AP story ). December 14, 1961. p. 46 -- via Newspapers.com. ( `` The Packer record book says that Tunnell was born March 29, 1922, making him 39 -- the same age as Jack Benny. '' ) Jump up ^ `` Em Tunnell, NFL Vet, Calls It Quits ''. The Morning Call ( AP story ). March 29, 1962. p. 53 -- via Newspapers.com. ^ Jump up to : Application for World War II Compensation completed by Emlen Lewis Tunnell and dated March 20, 1950. He listed his birth date as March 29, 1923, at Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Veteran Compensation Application Files, WWII, 1950 - 1966 ( database on - line ). Jump up ^ The National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri ; St. Louis, Missouri ; Draft Registration Cards for Pennsylvania, 10 / 16 / 1940 -- 03 / 31 / 1947 ; Record Group : Records of the Selective Service System, 147 ; Box : 2560. Source Information : Ancestry.com. U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940 - 1947 ( database on - line ). ^ Jump up to : `` Emlen Lewis Tunnell ''. Find a Grave. Retrieved October 18, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Emlen Tunnell ''. Portraits of Delaware County. Delaware County. Retrieved October 18, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Eyes and Ears of the New York Giants : Em Tunnell coaches, scouts for pro team ''. Ebony. December 1963. p. 60. Retrieved October 17, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Pennington, Bill ( January 14, 2012 ). `` The Giants ' Greatest Packer ''. The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tunnell Stars In Radnor Win ''. Delaware County Daily Times. October 4, 1941. p. 14 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Giants ' Ace, Tunnell, Was Radnor Star ''. The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 6, 1948. p. 46 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Broken Neck Sustained : By Toledo Freshman In Game With Marshall ''. The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 27, 1942. p. 14 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Blocked Tunnel ''. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 19, 1943. p. 17 -- via Newspapers.com. ^ Jump up to : `` Emlen Tunnell ''. Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 18, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Emlen Tunnell, an unsung hero ''. Coast Guard Compass. United States Coast Guard. February 4, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Coasting Along ''. Nevada State Journal. September 24, 1944. p. 12 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Tunnell Stars as Guard Beats Pacific ''. Oakland Tribune. November 12, 1944. p. 19 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Toledo Univ. Ace Leads Coast Guard ''. The Pittsburgh Courier. January 20, 1945. p. 12 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Bears Beat Guard of S.F. '' Oakland Tribune. December 10, 1944. p. 18 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Coast Guard Aligns Names with Hull Numbers for its Sentinel - class FRCs ''. Seapower magazine. Washington DC. 2017 - 12 - 12. Archived from the original on 2017 - 12 - 13. Retrieved 2017 - 12 - 09. The U.S. Coast Guard has announced the names and corresponding hull numbers for its next 20 Sentinel - class Fast Response Cutters ( FRCs ), each vessel being named for a deceased leader, trailblazer or hero of the Coast Guard and its predecessor services of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, the U.S. Lifesaving Service and the U.S. Lighthouse Service, according to a Dec. 12 Coast Guard release. Jump up ^ `` Grid Marks Come Up ''. Iowa City Press - Citizen. November 19, 1946. p. 13 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Iowa Passes Dazzle Indiana, 27 -- 14 ''. The Des Moines Register. October 12, 1947. p. 5 -- 1, 5 -- 3 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Tunnell Quits Iowa But Asks To Return ''. The Des Moines Register. November 5, 1947. p. 13 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ Mike Finn, Chad Leistikow. Hawkeye Legends, Lists, & Lore. Simon and Schuster. p. 86. ISBN 0 - 7432 - 4591 - 1. Jump up ^ `` Em Tunnell Fails To Register at Iowa U ''. The Daily Times ( Davenport, IA ). February 26, 1948. p. 22 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Tunnell Did n't Know He Needed Summer Classes ''. Council Bluffs Nonpareil. August 29, 1948. p. 23 -- via Newspapers.com. ^ Jump up to : `` Giant Eleven Signs Tunnell, Iowa 's Back ''. Des Moines Tribune. July 24, 1948. p. 7 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` The Human Touch of Emlen Tunnell ''. The New York Times. July 26, 1975. Jump up ^ Tunnell, Emlen ( 1966 ). Footsteps of a Giant. New York, NY : Doubleday. ASIN B0007DZSNY. ^ Jump up to : `` Emlen Tunnell Is Dead ''. Hartford Courant ( AP story ). July 24, 1975. p. 99 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Em Tunnell, 34, Older Than His Immediate Packer Coach ''. Green Bay Press - Gazette. June 27, 1959. p. 13 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ Lea, Bud ( November 2, 1960 ). `` Packers Defense Now Solid Unit ''. The Milwaukee Journal. p. 34. Retrieved 24 April 2014. Jump up ^ `` Em Tunnell Packers ' Pastor ''. Green Bay Press - Gazette. December 14, 1961. p. 18 -- via Newspapers.com. ^ Jump up to : `` Em 's Retirement Clears Way for New No. 1 Aide ''. Green Bay Press - Gazette. March 29, 1962. p. 4 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` NFL Interceptions Career Leaders ''. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 18, 2017. Jump up ^ `` NFL Interception Return Yards Career Leaders ''. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 18, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Emlen Tunnell : A Giant of Defense '' ( PDF ). Coffin Corner. Pro Football Researchers. 1994. Jump up ^ `` NFL Punt Returns Career Leaders ''. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 18, 2017. Jump up ^ `` NFL Punt Return Yards Career Leaders ''. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 18, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Bob Broeg ( November 6, 1966 ). `` Em Tunnell Made Giant Footsteps as Punt Returner ''. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 46 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Hall of Fame Names Tunnell, Bednarik ''. Delaware County Daily Times. February 8, 1967. p. 26 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Graham, Huff on All - 1950s Pro Football Selections ''. Racine Sunday Bulletin. August 31, 1969. p. 6C -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Night Train Lane Picked On Pros ' All - Time Team ''. Detroit Free Press. September 7, 1969. p. 3E -- via Newspapers.com. ^ Jump up to : `` Iowa, pro star Tunnell joins Register ' Hall ' ''. Des Moines Register. March 30, 1975. pp. D1, D3 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` untitled ''. Democrat and Chronicle ( Rochester, NY ). August 15, 1999. p. 3D -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Honoring Giants ''. Philadelphia Daily News. October 4, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Players of All Time ''. The Hartford Courant. November 7, 2010. p. E7 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` # 79 : Emlen Tunnell ''. The Top 100 : NFL 's Greatest Players. NFL Films. 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2017. Jump up ^ Robert W. Cohen ( 2014 ). The 50 Greatest Players in New York Giants Football History. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 13. ISBN 1442236329. Jump up ^ Linda Stein ( 2018 - 06 - 02 ). `` New statue unveiled for Emlen Tunnell, football legend and World War II hero ''. Delaware County Daily Times. Archived from the original on 2018 - 06 - 05. Saturday, with a U.S. Coast Guard honor guard and all the pomp and circumstances that befits a local hero, Radnor Township officials and the Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum dedicated a 7 - foot - tall bronze statue of Tunnell that now stands outside the township building. The statue, created by sculptor Jennifer Frudakis Petry, depicts Tunnell running with a football. Jump up ^ `` Tunnell Takes Coaching Post ''. Nevada State Journal. May 2, 1963. p. 7 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` ' Pop ' Ivy, Emlen Tunnell To Join New York Giant Staff ''. Lubbock Avalanche - Journal. February 4, 1965. p. 72 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ Murray Olderman ( October 19, 1965 ). `` Emlen Tunnell Makes Professional Coaching History With His Gremlins ''. The Daily Home News ( New Brunswick, NJ ). p. 16 -- via Newspapers.com. Further reading Emlen Tunnell and William Gleason, `` Footsteps of a Giant '', Garden City, NY : Doubleday and Company, 1966. Library of Congress number 65 - 19776. Tunnell 's autobiography. External links Biography portal Pro Football Hall of Fame Member Biography Gallery of Emlen Tunnell football cards Iowa Hawkeyes starting quarterbacks Williams Devine Parkin Kinnick Stephens Woodard Niles Tunnell DiMarco Drahn Britzmann Matykiewicz Reichow Ploen Duncan Treadway Hollis Szykowny Snook Podolak Lawrence Bash Sunderman Skogman Caldwell Fick McLaughlin Green Suess Bohannon Long Vlasic C. Hartlieb Rodgers J. Hartlieb Burmeister Driscoll Sherman McCann Mullen Beutjer Banks Chandler Tate Christensen Stanzi Vandenberg Rudock Beathard Stanley New York Giants 1956 NFL champions 8 Ben Agajanian 11 Don Heinrich 12 Bobby Clatterbuck 16 Frank Gifford 20 Jimmy Patton 22 Henry Moore 25 Dick Nolan 27 Herb Rich 29 Alex Webster 30 Bill Svoboda 33 Mel Triplett 34 Don Chandler 40 Gene Filipski 42 Charlie Conerly 44 Kyle Rote 45 Emlen Tunnell 48 Ed Hughes 55 Ray Wietecha 60 Bill Austin 61 Ray Beck 62 Jack Spinks 66 Jack Stroud 65 Gerry Huth 70 Sam Huff 72 Dick Yelvington 75 Jim Katcavage 76 Rosey Grier 77 Dick Modzelewski 78 Walt Yowarsky 79 Rosey Brown 80 Ken MacAfee 81 Andy Robustelli 82 Hank Burnine 84 Harland Svare 85 Bob Schnelker 89 Cliff Livingston Head Coach : Jim Lee Howell Assistant Coaches : Ken Kavanaugh Ed Kolman Tom Landry Vince Lombardi Green Bay Packers 1961 NFL champions 3 Ben Agajanian 5 Paul Hornung 10 John Roach 15 Bart Starr 22 Elijah Pitts 24 Willie Wood 25 Tom Moore 26 Herb Adderley 27 Johnny Symank 31 Jim Taylor 33 Lew Carpenter 40 Dale Hackbart 45 Emlen Tunnell 46 Hank Gremminger 47 Jesse Whittenton 51 Jim Ringo 53 Ken Iman 58 Dan Currie 61 Nelson Toburen 63 Fred Thurston 64 Jerry Kramer 65 Tom Bettis 66 Ray Nitschke 71 Bill Forester 72 Ben Davidson 75 Forrest Gregg 74 Henry Jordan 76 Bob Skoronski 77 Ron Kostelnik 78 Norm Masters 79 Dave Hanner 81 Lee Folkins 83 Bill Quinlan 84 Gary Knafelc 85 Max McGee 86 Boyd Dowler 87 Willie Davis 88 Ron Kramer Head Coach : Vince Lombardi Assistant Coaches : Bill Austin Phil Bengtson Red Cochran Norb Hecker Dick Voris NFL 's 1950s All - Decade Team Otto Graham Bobby Layne Norm Van Brocklin Frank Gifford Ollie Matson Hugh McElhenny Lenny Moore Alan Ameche Joe Perry Raymond Berry Tom Fears Bobby Walston Elroy Hirsch Roosevelt Brown Bob St. Clair Dick Barwegan Jim Parker Dick Stanfel Chuck Bednarik Len Ford Gino Marchetti Art Donovan Leo Nomellini Ernie Stautner Joe Fortunato Bill George Sam Huff Joe Schmidt Jack Butler Dick Lane Jack Christiansen Yale Lary Emlen Tunnell Lou Groza New York Giants Ring of Honor Ernie Accorsi Jessie Armstead Tiki Barber Al Blozis Rosey Brown Harry Carson Charlie Conerly Tom Coughlin Frank Gifford Pete Gogolak Mel Hein Jim Lee Howell Sam Huff John Johnson Tuffy Leemans Dick Lynch Jack Mara Tim Mara Wellington Mara George Martin Joe Morrison Steve Owen Bill Parcells Andy Robustelli Phil Simms Michael Strahan Ken Strong Lawrence Taylor Bob Tisch Y.A. Tittle Amani Toomer Justin Tuck Emlen Tunnell Osi Umenyiora George Young Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 1967 Chuck Bednarik Charles Bidwill Paul Brown Bobby Layne Dan Reeves Ken Strong Joe Stydahar Emlen Tunnell Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Quarterbacks Pre-modern era Baugh Clark Conzelman Driscoll Friedman Herber Luckman A. Parker Modern era Aikman Blanda Bradshaw L. Dawson Elway Favre Fouts Graham Griese Jurgensen J. Kelly Layne Marino Montana Moon Namath Stabler Starr Staubach Tarkenton Tittle Unitas Van Brocklin Warner Waterfield Young Running backs Pre-modern era Battles Canadeo Dudley Grange Guyon Hinkle Lambeau Leemans McAfee McNally Nagurski Nevers Pollard Strong Thorpe Van Buren Modern era M. Allen Bettis J. Brown Campbell Csonka T. Davis Dickerson Dorsett Faulk Gifford Harris Hornung J.H. Johnson L. Kelly F. Little Martin Matson McElhenny Moore Motley Payton Perry Riggins B. Sanders Sayers Simpson E. Smith Jim Taylor T. Thomas Tomlinson Trippi Walker Wide receivers / ends Pre-modern era Badgro Chamberlin Flaherty Halas Hewitt Hutson Millner Modern era Alworth Berry Biletnikoff T. Brown Carter Fears Harrison Hayes Hirsch Irvin Joiner Largent Lavelli Lofton Maynard McDonald Mitchell Monk Moss Owens Pihos Reed Rice Stallworth Swann C. Taylor Warfield Tight ends Casper Ditka Mackey Newsome C. Sanders Sharpe J. Smith Winslow Offensive linemen L. Allen B. Brown R. Brown Creekmur D. Dawson DeLamielleure Dierdorf Gatski Gregg Grimm Hannah Hickerson S. Jones W. Jones Kramer Langer L. Little Mack Matthews McCormack McDaniel Mix Munchak Muñoz Ogden Otto Pace J. Parker Ringo Roaf Shaw Shell Shields Slater St. Clair Stanfel Stephenson Tingelhoff Upshaw Webster Wright Yary Zimmerman Pre-modern era two - way players Edwards Fortmann Healey Hein Henry Hubbard Kiesling Kinard Lyman Michalske Musso Owen Stydahar Trafton Turner Wojciechowicz Defensive linemen Atkins Bethea Buchanan Culp W. Davis Dean Dent Doleman Donovan Eller Ford J. Greene Haley Hampton Humphrey D. Jones Jordan Kennedy Lilly Long Marchetti Nomellini Olsen Page Randle Robustelli Sapp Selmon B. Smith Stautner Strahan Ja. Taylor Weinmeister Ra. White Re. White Willis Youngblood Linebackers Bednarik Bo. Bell Brazile Brooks Buoniconti Butkus Carson Connor George K. Greene Ham Hanburger Hendricks Huff Jackson Lambert Lanier Lewis Nitschke Richter Robinson Schmidt Seau Singletary L. Taylor D. Thomas Tippett Urlacher Wilcox Defensive backs Adderley Barney Blount W. Brown Butler Christiansen Dawkins Easley Green Haynes Houston J. Johnson Krause Lane Lary LeBeau Lott Renfro D. Sanders E. Thomas Tunnell Wehrli Williams L. Wilson Wood Woodson Placekickers and punters Andersen Groza Guy Stenerud Coaches G. Allen P. Brown Chamberlin Conzelman Dungy Ewbank Flaherty Gibbs Gillman Grant Halas Lambeau Landry Levy Lombardi Madden Neale Noll Owen Parcells Shula Stram Walsh Contributors Beathard Be. Bell Bidwill Carr A. Davis DeBartolo Finks Halas Hunt J. Jones Lambeau T. Mara W. Mara Marshall Polian Ray Reeves A. Rooney D. Rooney Rozelle Sabol Schramm R. Wilson Wolf Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Emlen_Tunnell&oldid=854920888 '' Categories : 1924 births 1975 deaths American football safeties American football return specialists Green Bay Packers players Iowa Hawkeyes football players New York Giants players Toledo Rockets football players Toledo Rockets men 's basketball players Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Western Conference Pro Bowl players People from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania African - American players of American football People from Radnor Township, Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Delaware County, Pennsylvania New York Giants coaches New York Giants scouts Green Bay Packers scouts Hidden categories : NFL player with coaching information NFL player missing current team parameter Infobox NFL biography articles missing alt text and caption Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Italiano Português Edit links This page was last edited on 14 August 2018, at 18 : 15 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: first black player in nfl hall of fame
Answer: Emlen Lewis Tunnell