Young Bussey Ruey Young Bussey ( October 4 , 1917 - January 7 , 1945 ) was a professional American football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League . Bussey was killed in action during World War II . Ruey Young Bussey was the youngest child of Katie Lee ( Katherine L . Hughes ) Bussey and Thomas Wade Bussey . He and his 9 siblings were part of a colorful family with deep roots in rural East Texas ( Timpson , Shelby County ) , which was home to the Busseys since 1864 . An ancestor , George Bussey ( born in Maryland in approximately 1735 ) served with General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War . Young ' s father , Tom , was a fine singer who called square dances and played the accordion and the fiddle . Young inherited the family ' s musical talents : singing and playing the accordion and the fiddle . Looking for better financial opportunities in the oil business , the family moved to Humble , near Houston , Texas . After a loading dock crashed , Tom Bussey decided to look for opportunities in Houston . He worked odd jobs and then landed a supervisory position at a firm that manufactured train equipment . However , in 1928 , Tom mysteriously disappeared from the family . When father Tom died in Timpson in March 1935 , Katie Lee become the head of the household . Her older sons worked to help to support the family . Eventually , Young joined his brothers delivering milk . Lifting and carrying milk crates help him develop his muscular physique . Young , as he was usually called , was born a non - conformist , but was loyal and affectionate with his family . As a twelve - year - old fifth grader , Young had become so coordinated that his teacher had to “ rig ” the softball teams during recess to try to keep Young from dominating the game . The neighborhood where the Bussey family resided at that time ( on Jackson Street in mid - town Houston ) , was populated by hard - working hard - living families trying to survive the Depression . Young was called the “ Blonde Bomber from the Bayou . ” He attracted the attention of local sports writers in Houston while attending San Jacinto High School , which was located in an affluent area of Houston . Young was in awe of the wealth of the typical student . However , Young was a Big Man on Campus from his arrival . Classmates included Walter Cronkite and Dr . Denton Cooley , who founded the Texas Heart Institute . Young excelled in many sports : basketball ( his favorite ) , football , baseball , boxing , wrestling , swimming , diving , water polo , and track . Young ' s skills and antics drew unequalled crowds to Houston high school games . At Louisiana State University , where he studied engineering , he continued to be an outstanding athlete but clashed with the coaching staff and administrators . A Chicago Bear teammate , Clyde ( " Bullldog " ) Turner , said that " Coaching Young was nearly impossible . " Young was playing a professional football game on the day Pearl Harbor was bombed . He decided to leave the NFL to join the navy in 1942 . He attained the office of Lieutenant ( junior grade ) and was assigned to the Pacific Conflict . Young had the premonition that he would not survive the assignment to free the Philippine Islands from Japanese occupation . Katie Lee also thought that he would not return . He received several commendations for “ courageous conduct . ” He was hit by a shell , and he and a corpsman attempted to swim away but were never found . Young died attempting to save his crew . Because his body was not recovered , his mother never gave up hope that he would return . References . 2 . " Young Bussey , Young Stud : An All - American Legend " , by Ralph B . Cushman , Foreword by Dr . Denton A . Cooley . Copyright 1993 Bigco Press , Houston , Texas