Arnold Galiffa

{{Short description|American gridiron football player (1927–1978)}}

{{Infobox Canadian Football League biography

| name = Arnold Galiffa

| image = BC Lions player Arnold Galiffa VPL 60716 (15894808035).jpg

| alt =

| caption = Galiffa in July 1955{{efn|A crop of this photograph was published in The Province newspaper of Vancouver on July 8, 1955. Its caption read, in part, "Across 49th parallel came ex-San Francisco 49-er Arnold Galiffa this morning to join B.C. Lions. The famed quarterback was freshening up at Hotel Georgia when Province cameraman Gordon Sedawie caught him."{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-province-heres-our-quarterback/129129467/ |title=Here's our quarterback |newspaper=The Province |location=Vancouver |page=16 |date=July 8, 1955 |accessdate=July 30, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}}}

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1927|1|29}}

| birth_place = Donora, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1978|9|5|1927|1|29}}

| death_place = Glenview, Illinois, U.S.

| team =

| number = 17, 16

| status =

| import = yes

| position1 = Quarterback

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 2

| weight_lb = 193

| high_school = Donora (PA)

| college = Army (1946–1949)

| NFLDraftedYear = 1950

| NFLDraftedRound = 18

| NFLDraftedPick = 225

| NFLDraftedTeam = Green Bay Packers

| playing_years1 = 1953

| playing_team1 = New York Giants

| playing_years2 = 1954

| playing_team2 = San Francisco 49ers

| playing_years3 = 1955–1956

| playing_team3 = BC Lions

| playing_years4 = 1956

| playing_team4 = Toronto Argonauts

| statlabel1 = {{abbr|Passing|Completions–Attempts}} (NFL)

| statvalue1 = 7–25 (28.0%)

| statlabel2 = TD–INT (NFL)

| statvalue2 = 1–5

| statlabel3 = Rush TD (NFL)

| statvalue3 = 0

| statlabel4 = {{abbr|Passing|Completions–Attempts}} (CFL)

| statvalue4 = 412–715 (57.6%)

| statlabel5 = TD–INT (CFL)

| statvalue5 = 42–35

| statlabel6 = Rush TD (CFL)

| statvalue6 = 2

| career_highlights =

Consensus All-American (1949)
Third-team All-American (1948)
First-team All-Eastern (1949)

| CollegeHOF = 1628

| CollegeHOFYear = 1983

}}

Arnold Anthony Galiffa (January 29, 1927 – September 5, 1978) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Army Black Knights, then played professionally in both the NFL and CFL. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.

Biography

Galiffa was born in and attended high school in Donora, Pennsylvania.{{efn|Donora High School is now part of the Ringgold School District.}} There, he played several sports and earned all-state honors in basketball and football; he graduated in 1945.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/pittsburgh-post-gazette-football-of-bask/129161587/ |title=Football of basketball, it didn't matter which, they were the best |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |page=HS30 |date=August 22, 2021 |accessdate=July 30, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}} In January 1946, Galiffa received an appointment to the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York; at the time, he was already a private in the United States Army.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-republican-speaking-of-sports/129162564/ |title=Speaking of Sports (column) |newspaper=Daily Republican |location=Monongahela, Pennsylvania |page=2 |date=January 15, 1946 |accessdate=July 30, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}

file:Arnold Galiffa - 1954 Bowman.jpg]]

Galiffa played multiple sports for the Army Cadets, as they were then known, earning a total of 11 varsity letters: four in baseball, four in basketball, and three in football. For the four seasons he played football, 1946–1949, Army posted records of 9–0–1, 5–2–2, 8–0–1, and 9–0 for an aggregate record of {{winpct|31|2|4|record=y}} under head coach Earl Blaik. Galiffa was named to the 1949 All-Eastern football team,{{cite news|title=Ivy League Dominates AP All-Eastern Eleven|newspaper=The Sunday Times|location=New Brunswick, New Jersey|date=November 27, 1949|page=14|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106040010/ivy-league-dominates-ap-all-eastern/|via=Newspapers.com}} and was a consensus selection to the 1949 College Football All-America Team.{{cite web|title=Football Award Winners|publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)|year=2016|access-date=October 21, 2017|page=8|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2016/awards.pdf}}

Galiffa graduated from West Point in June 1950, and was married that month to Margaret "Peggy" Perdok.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-danville-morning-news-armys-ace-ath/129168299/ |title=Army's Ace Athlete Weds |newspaper=The Danville Morning News |location=Danville, Pennsylvania |page=4 |date=June 16, 1950 |accessdate=July 30, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}} Galiffa went on to serve as a second lieutenant during the Korean War.

After his military service, Galiffa played four seasons of professional football. He played in the NFL for the 1953 New York Giants, appearing in three games, and the 1954 San Francisco 49ers, appearing in four games. He next played in the CFL for two season. With the BC Lions, he played 14 games in 1955 but was released after one game in 1956, as the team opted to use Tony Teresa as their quarterback.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-lions-cut-galiffa-may/129165268/ |title=Lions Cut Galiffa; May Go to Calgary |newspaper=Vancouver Sun |page=18 |date=August 22, 1956 |accessdate=July 30, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}

Galiffa was then signed by the Toronto Argonauts, who needed a new quarterback due to injury.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-desperate-argos-sign-ga/129165589/ |title=Desperate Argos Sign Galiffa |agency=CP |newspaper=Edmonton Journal |page=38 |date=August 31, 1956 |accessdate=July 30, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}} In 12 games with the 1956 Toronto Argonauts, he passed for 3,682 yards and 32 touchdowns.{{cite web |url=https://www.statscrew.com/football/stats/p-galifarn001 |title=Arnie Galiffa |website=statscrew.com |accessdate=July 30, 2023}} Galiffa did not play professionally after 1956.

Outside of football, Galiffa worked for U.S. Steel for 23 years in operational staff services. In November 1957, he won a seat on the borough council in his hometown of Donora;{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-valley-independent-delsandro-wins-do/129167037/ |title=Delsandro Wins Donora Burgess Race Easily |newspaper=The Valley Independent |location=Monessen, Pennsylvania |page=3 |date=November 6, 1957 |accessdate=July 30, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}} as of February 1963, he was president of the council.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-republican-arnold-galiffa-to-s/129167985/ |title=Arnold Galiffa To Speak At City Cub Scout Banquet |newspaper=Daily Republican |location=Monongahela, Pennsylvania |page=6 |date=February 14, 1963 |accessdate=July 30, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}

Illness and death

Galiffa died from cancer in September 1978,{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-knoxville-news-sentinel-arnold-galif/129119518/ |title=Arnold Galiffa Dies of Cancer |agency=UPI |newspaper=Knoxville News Sentinel |location=Knoxville, Tennessee |page=D-10 |date=September 6, 1978 |accessdate=July 30, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}} and was survived by his wife and three children.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/pittsburgh-post-gazette-arnold-galiffa/129118525/ |title=Arnold Galiffa, West Point All-America Quarterback |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |page=28 |date=September 6, 1978 |accessdate=July 29, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}

Honors

Galiffa was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983,{{cite web |url=https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=1628 |title=Arnold Galiffa (1983) |website=footballfoundation.org |accessdate=July 29, 2023}} and the Army Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.{{cite web |url=https://goarmywestpoint.com/honors/hall-of-fame/arnold-anthony-galiffa/84 |title=Anthony Galiffa (2007) |website=goarmywestpoint.com |accessdate=July 30, 2023}}

Notes

References

External links

[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GaliAr20.htm NFL stats] at Pro-Football-Reference.com
[https://www.statscrew.com/football/stats/p-galifarn001 NFL and CFL stats] at StatsCrew.com

{{1949 NCAA Division I FBS College Football Consensus All-Americans}}

Category:1927 births

Category:1978 deaths

Category:People from Donora, Pennsylvania

Category:Players of American football from Washington County, Pennsylvania

Category:Players of Canadian football from Pennsylvania

Category:Baseball players from Washington County, Pennsylvania

Category:All-American college football players

Category:American football quarterbacks

Category:American men's basketball players

Category:American baseball players

Category:Army Black Knights football players