Peach Tree Times

Charley Trippi, a Pro and College Football Hall of Famer, celebrated his 100th birthday in Athens on Dec 14, according to the Georgia Dogs official team website.

Trippi played for the University of Georgia during World War II and received the Maxwell Award as the nation's all-around best player in 1942, 1945 and 1946.

His other achievements include being named SEC Player of the Year and assisting the Bulldogs in winning a national title; additionally, he was a player and coach of the university's men's basketball team.

"He is proud to be a Bulldog,” UGA Head Coach Kirby Smart said in the press release “His legacy, like that of so many of the great players who have come through here, has enabled us to develop one of the great traditions in college football.”

Smart was joined by members of Trippi's family and Lenn Chandler of the National Football Foundation to celebrate Trippi's birthday.

"Was I impressed to see him blow out all the candles?” Smart asked. “Being such a great second-effort athlete, he wouldn’t stop until he blew them all out. I was really overwhelmed. He was perhaps the greatest all-around football player on our campus. Many historians and observers have said that. And from reading about him, I understand why.”

Trippi was the first overall draft selection of the Chicago Cardinals following his time at UGA, tallying over 7,000 total yards and 50 touchdowns with the team.

He also won an NFL title with Chicago and was named to the NFL's 1940s All-Decade Team; later in his career, Trippi would also coach there.

In 1959, Trippi was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame; in 1965, he was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and in 1968, he was inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.