John Petitbon

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John Petitbon
refer to caption
Petitbon, circa 1951
No. 23, 44, 20
Position:
Personal information
Born:(1931-06-04)June 4, 1931
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Died:November 11, 2006(2006-11-11) (aged 75)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:186 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school:Jesuit (Louisiana)
College:Notre Dame
NFL draft:1952 / Round: 7 / Pick: 74
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:47
Interceptions:8
Fumbles recovered:4
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

John Petitbon (June 4, 1931 – November 11, 2006) was an American football player.

A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Petitbon was a three-sport star in baseball, basketball, and football at Jesuit High School. He was named the Louisiana All-State Most Valuable Player in football in 1946, and led Jesuit with 18 touchdowns in 1946 and 17 in 1947.[1] He played college football at Notre Dame under coach Frank Leahy, and was a member of Notre Dame's 1949 national championship team as a sophomore safety. Moved to halfback for his final two years, he amassed 1,432 yards of total offense and 10 touchdowns during those seasons, and was named a Collier's Weekly All-American in 1950. He was chosen to play in the College All-Star Game and the East-West Shrine Game after his senior season in 1951.[2]

Petitbon was selected as a defensive back in the seventh round of the 1952 NFL Draft by the New York Yanks, who became the Dallas Texans for the 1952 season.[3] Petitbon, however, joined the United States Marine Corps and served in the Korean War.[4] Before the 1953 season, the Texans, who had become the Baltimore Colts, traded him to the Cleveland Browns as part of a 15-player deal, the second-largest trade in NFL history, in which the Colts received, among other players, defensive back Don Shula.[5] After returning from the Marines, Petitbon played for the Browns and was a member of their 1955 NFL championship team. Petitbon was traded to the Green Bay Packers in 1957 and retired after that season.[6]

Petitbon was selected for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame, as was his younger brother Richie Petitbon, a former NFL player and coach.

After leaving football, John Petitbon entered the insurance business. He died of Alzheimer's disease in New Orleans on November 11, 2006.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Jesuit Individual Records". JesuitNOLA.org. Archived from the original on November 12, 2006. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  2. ^ "Notre Dame All-Star game participants". UND.CSTV.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  3. ^ "New York Yanks 1952 NFL Draft selections". DatabaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2006. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  4. ^ "Football and America: The Korean War Honor Roll". ProFootballHoF.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  5. ^ "Blockbuster Trade on Halloween 1987". ProFootballHoF.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  6. ^ Christl, Cliff (November 13, 1999). "Sports in Wisconsin: The 20th Century (1950-1959)". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
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