Gene Lipscomb
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| Born: | August 9, 1931 Uniontown, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Died: | May 10, 1963 (aged 31) Baltimore, Maryland |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Defensive lineman |
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) |
| Weight | 284 lb (129 kg) |
| College | Camp Davis Blue Brigade |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1953–1955 | Los Angeles Rams |
| 1956–1960 | Baltimore Colts |
| 1961–1962 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Eugene Allen "Gene" Lipscomb (August 9, 1931 – May 10, 1963) was an American football defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) and a professional wrestler. He was known by the nickname "Big Daddy".
Early life[]
Born in Uniontown, Alabama, Lipscomb never knew his father, and moved to Detroit, Michigan with his mother at the age of three. When he was 11, his mother was murdered in the neighborhood where they lived, and he moved in with his maternal grandparents.
Professional career[]
After graduating from Miller High School, Lipscomb did not attend college and instead served in the United States Marine Corps, where he was stationed at Camp Pendleton and played on the camp's football team. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Los Angeles Rams. He player for the Rams for three seasons, from 1953 to 1955, before being traded to the Baltimore Colts for five seasons. In two of the seasons he played for the Colts, 1958 and 1959, he earned a spot in the Pro Bowl, and was instrumental in the Colts' two consecutive NFL Championships in 1958 and 1959. He then went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers for two seasons. During the 1959–60 and 1960–61 off-seasons, Lipscomb worked as a professional wrestler.
The Professional Football Researchers Association named Lipscomb to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2006 [1]
In 2019, despite currently not being in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he was chosen as a finalist for the NFL's 100th Anniversary Team[2]
Death[]
On May 10, 1963, Lipscomb died of an overdose of heroin on Brice Street in Baltimore, Maryland, at the apartment of Timothy Black.[3]
Further reading[]
- Davis, Kelcie "Gene Lipscomb 1931-1963", Blackpast Sports Bio, November 18, 2019
References[]
- ^ "Hall of Very Good Class of 2006". Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ "Defensive lineman finalists revealed for NFL 100 All-Time Team". NFL.com.
- ^ "New Law May Result in Freedom", Baltimore Afro-American, July 27, 1963
External links[]
- 1931 births
- 1963 deaths
- American football defensive ends
- American football defensive tackles
- Baltimore Colts players
- Los Angeles Rams players
- Pittsburgh Steelers players
- Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players
- Western Conference Pro Bowl players
- People from Uniontown, Alabama
- Players of American football from Detroit
- African-American players of American football
- Deaths by heroin overdose in the United States
- Drug-related deaths in Maryland
- United States Marines
- 20th-century African-American sportspeople