Hal Dean Hal Stone Dean ( October 30 , 1922 – February 12 , 2011 ) was a left guard for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League , playing three seasons from 1947 to 1949 . Early life . Hal was born to Forest William Dean and Vernon Stone Dean in Wooster , Ohio . He attended a one - room schoolhouse through the eighth grade . At the age of 15 , Hal earned his Eagle Scout badge . He attended Wooster High School and was co - caption of the football team . College and Military Service . After graduating from Wooster High School in 1940 , Hal enrolled at Ohio State University in Columbus , Ohio , earning a B . S . degree ( 1947 ) in Geology . While at Ohio State , Hal played football for the Buckeyes under Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown . Starting every game at left guard , Hal was a member of the Ohio State 1942 team that won the Big 10 and the NCAA National Championship football titles . He was also a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and the Advanced ROTC at Ohio State . In December 1942 , Hal was ordered to Ft . Hayes in Columbus , Ohio for active duty . He attended the United States Army Infantry School in Ft . Benning , Georgia , receiving his Paratroop Wings . In August 1944 , Hal was assigned to the 541st Parachute Regiment at Camp Mackall , North Carolina . Initially , he was ordered to Ft . Meade , Maryland to depart for the European Theater but after Allied victories , he was sent to Ft . Ord , California to depart for the Pacific Theater . He arrived in the city of Manila , Philippines shortly after the Japanese had been defeated , working patrol duty and searching for Japanese hideouts . He joined the 187th Regiment , 11th Airborne Division and began intensive airborne training at Lipa in the Luzon , Philippines , in preparation for the invasion of the mainland of Japan . In August 1945 , following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki , Hal ’ s regiment was immediately airlifted to Okinawa to prepare to invade the Japanese at Atsugi Airfield in Tokyo , Japan and was among the first troops to land on the Japanese homeland . Hal was captain of the 11th Airborne Division football team that won the All - Pacific title . In May 1946 , Hal returned to the United States and was discharged from the military as company commander and captain 1st Battalion , 187th Glider Infantry Regiment , 11th Airborne Division . He earned two Bronze Star Medals for his military service . Hal was voted to the All - Big 10 team when he returned to the Ohio State campus in 1946 . He was mentioned on several All - America selections and played in the East - West Shrine Game . Hal was also inducted into SPHINX , a senior honorary society . Professional Football Career . In June 1947 , Hal married his high school sweetheart Estella “ Stella ” Graber . They moved to Los Angeles , California after Hal was drafted in the 1947 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams . Hal played for the Los Angeles Rams during the 1947 , 1948 , and 1949 seasons , and was a member of the NFL Western Division Championship team . Hal played in the 1949 NFL Championship Game , predecessor to the modern Super Bowl . During the off - season , he attended Stanford University in Palo Alto , California to pursue his M . S . degree ( 1950 ) in Geology . Oil & Gas Career . After graduation , Hal and Stella moved to San Antonio , Texas for his first oil geology position with Magnolia Petroleum Corp . Five years later , he joined Pauley Petroleum , owned by Ed Pauley . In 1960 , Hal moved his family to Midland , Texas and opened an office for El Paso Natural Gas . He also worked in Midland as district manager for Apache Corporation and Union Texas Petroleum . He eventually became an independent explorer in partnership with Bill Moss and J . Howard Marshall , forming the Petroleum Corporation , which explored for oil and gas in West Texas and New Mexico . He continued working as an independent geologist until his death . In 1970 , Hal had the honor of inducting his former Los Angeles Rams teammate , Tom Fears , into the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton , Ohio . Hal and Stella later moved to Rancho Santa Fe , California . After Stella ’ s death in 1987 , Hal married Nancy Bartling . He eventually returned to Midland to be closer to his family and friends . Hal was a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists , NFL Alumni , Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame , and an Emeritus Board Member of the Petroleum Investment Committee of Stanford University . He also established a fellowship in his name at Stanford University . Hal was a Sunday School teacher , Deacon , and Elder at First Presbyterian Church in Midland . He was inducted into the Wayne County , Ohio Sports Hall of Fame in June 1978 and enshrined in the Wooster , Ohio High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1986 .