Maurice Britt Maurice Lee " Footsie " Britt , Jr . ( June 29 , 1919 – November 26 , 1995 ) , was an American professional football player , World War II hero received the Medal of Honor , businessman , and Republican politician from Arkansas . He played for the Detroit Lions and later served from 1967 - 1971 as the seventh Lieutenant Governor of his home state during the administration of Governor Winthrop Rockefeller . Rockefeller and Britt were the first Republicans to have served in their state ' s top two offices since Reconstruction . Early life . Born in Carlisle to Mr . and Mrs . Maurice Britt , Sr . , Britt was reared in nearby Lonoke . He earned the nickname " Footsie " after winning a pair of shoes at a local fair as an adolescent . He was also known for his big feet . He graduated as the valedictorian of Lonoke High School and then entered the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville , where he was supported by an athletic scholarship in both football and basketball . He earned an Army Reserve commission as a Second Lieutenant through Army Reserve Officers ' Training Corps upon graduation . He received a bachelor of arts degree in 1941 and played football with the Lions during the 1941 season . He is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity . World War II . After the attack on Pearl Harbor , Britt entered the United States Army as a second lieutenant at Camp Robinson , Arkansas , in the 3rd Infantry Division ( ID ) in the 30th Infantry Regiment . He received a partial deferment to entering active duty until after the 1941 football season . He initially joined the 3rd ID and participated in coastal defense on the west coast of the United States . As a platoon leader , he led his men on the morning of November 8 , 1942 , under General George S . Patton , Jr . , in invading the French North African beaches at Fedela . The U . S . 30th Infantry came on shore quickly secured the left flank of the division on November 8 and silenced Fort Blondin in the process which had been firing on the naval forces lying off the Moroccan coast . By November 11 , the 30th and 3rd Infantry Divisions had secured Casablanca . Britt led his men through the subsequent combat and campaigns in North Africa . He is jokingly remembered for " chasing Rommel across all of north Africa " . He continued to serve as a platoon leader as part of the " Joss " force during Operation Husky , the amphibious invasion of Sicily . In Operation Husky , Britt led his platoon in numerous combat actions as the 3rd Infantry Division executed one of the longest foot marches in modern military history , from near Gela northward to Palermo . The regiment marched 54 miles in only 33 hours . Britt led his men through the combat and extensive marching from Palermo to Messina in Sicily . In September 1943 , Britt participated in Operation Avalanche , the amphibious landings in Salerno , Italy . This was his third amphibious assault of the war . By early October , the whole of southern Italy was in Allied hands , and the Allied armies faced the Volturno Line , the first of a series of prepared defensive lines running across Italy from which the Germans chose to fight delaying actions , giving ground slowly and buying time to complete their preparation of the Winter Line , their strongest defensive line south of Rome . Britt led his men in the river crossing on the Volturno River . During this engagement , he earned the Silver Star and the first of three Purple Hearts . In February 1944 , Britt was fighting in Italy . He was part of the initial invasion at Anzio , where he won a battlefield promotion to captain . On October 10 , 1943 , he did calisthenics to draw German fire at the battleground of Mignano , Italy , which his fellow soldiers referred to thereafter as " Britt ' s Junction " . He managed to repel the Germans , but lost his right arm . He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism . He also received the Distinguished Service Cross , the Silver Star , the Bronze Star , and the Purple Heart . Britt was the first recipient of the top three combat decorations in a single war . Medal of Honor citation . His Medal of Honor citation reads : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty . Disdaining enemy hand grenade s and close - range machine pistol , machinegun , and rifle , Lieutenant Britt inspired and led a handful of his men in repelling a bitter counterattack by approximately 100 Germans against his company positions north of Mignano , Italy , the morning of 10 November 1943 . During the intense fire fight , Lt . Britt ' s canteen and field glasses were shattered ; a bullet pierced his side ; his chest , face , and hands were covered with grenade wounds . Despite his wounds , for which he refused to accept medical attention until ordered to do so by his battalion commander following the battle , he personally killed 5 and wounded an unknown number of Germans , wiped out one enemy machinegun crew , fired 5 clips of carbine and an undetermined amount of M1 rifle ammunition , and threw 32 fragmentation grenades . His bold , aggressive actions , utterly disregarding superior enemy numbers , resulted in capture of 4 Germans , 2 of them wounded , and enabled several captured Americans to escape . Lt . Britt ' s undaunted courage and prowess in arms were largely responsible for repulsing a German counterattack which , if successful , would have isolated his battalion and destroyed his company . Post - war : Business and politics . After the war , he briefly attended the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville but left the institution to enter business . He spent twenty years working at a furniture manufacturing company and then running the Beautyguard Manufacturing Company , a producer of aluminum building products . In 1966 , he was elected lieutenant governor , when the incumbent Democrat , Nathan Green Gordon , did not seek reelection . He was re - elected in 1968 but did not seek a third term in 1970 , having deferred to his friend and Little Rock neighbor , Sterling R . Cockrill , a Democrat - turned - Republican , who ran unsuccessfully on Winthrop Rockefeller ' s losing GOP ticket that year . Britt barely defeated the Democratic nominees , James H . Pilkinton of Hope in 1966 and Bill Wells in 1968 . He was a lifelong Arkansas Republican , having been active in his state ' s Young Republicans in college . Neal Sox Johnson , the first paid executive director of the Arkansas GOP , said that he believed Rockefeller should have stepped down in 1970 , and Britt should have been the gubernatorial nominee . Rockefeller was unseated that year by the Democrat Dale L . Bumpers As Rockefeller and Britt left office , two legislative Republicans remained behind , State Senator Jim R . Caldwell and Representative Preston Bynum , both of Benton County in far northwestern Arkansas . After leaving office , Britt was appointed by the Nixon administration as district director of the Small Business Administration . He served in that capacity from 1971 to 1985 . In 1986 , Britt came out of political retirement to seek the Republican gubernatorial nomination . He polled only 3 , 116 votes ( 13 . 9 percent ) to 13 , 831 ballots ( 61 . 9 percent ) for former Governor Frank D . White . A third candidate , Wayne Lanier , received 4 , 576 votes ( 20 . 5 percent ) in a low - turnout primary . White was thereafter defeated in the general election for a second time by future U . S . President Bill Clinton . Britt was a leader in civic affairs too . He was past state chairman of the Crippled Children ' s Hospital , Easter Seals , and the Federal Executive Association . He was a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and received the National Collegiate Athletic Association Sports Achievement Award . Death . Britt died of heart failure in the John L . McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital in Little Rock . He was one of two lieutenant governors in state history to lie in state in the State Capitol Rotunda , the other being Winthrop Paul Rockefeller , the son of Governor Winthrop Rockefeller . The coffin was open , and Britt ' s military coat hung from the back of his favorite rocking chair , which was placed next to the body . His medals and a military cap were placed on a nearby table . An Army Sergeant stood at the head of the casket throughout the six hours that Britt lay in state . Services were held in the Calvary Baptist Church of Little Rock , where Britt was a member . Burial was in Little Rock National Cemetery . Family . Britt had three daughters , Andrea Schafer and Nancy McDurmont , both of Lonoke , and Patricia Anne Britt of Falls Church , Virginia ; two sons , Maurice Lee Britt , III ( born ca . 1950 ) , and his wife , Dee Britt , of Royal , Arkansas , and Timothy Watson Britt ( born ca . 1955 ) of Little Rock ; one brother , B . A . Britt ( born ca . 1925 ) of Carlisle ; twelve grandchildren , and one great - grandchild . Britt ' s wife died shortly before his own death . Britt was a distant cousin of the late Henry M . Britt of Hot Springs , the 1960 Republican gubernatorial nominee against Orval Eugene Faubus . He was a cousin to internationally known actress Dorothy Lamour . [ 4 ]