Brad Crawford (American football)
American football player (1955–2023)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bradley Neal Crawford (December 13, 1955 – May 21, 2023) was an American gridiron football player and dentist.
Logansport, Indiana, U.S.
Winamac, Indiana, U.S.
| |
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Cornerback / Kick returner |
| Personal information | |
| Born | December 13, 1955 Logansport, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | May 21, 2023 (aged 67) Winamac, Indiana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Winamac Community (IN) |
| College | Franklin (1974–1977) |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
Biography
Crawford attended high school in Winamac, Indiana, where be competed in football, baseball, and track and field,[1] graduating in 1974.[2] He initially planned to attend Purdue University and study biochemistry.[3] His older brother, Keven, encourage him to attend Franklin College in Indiana, which offered the younger Crawford a track scholarship.[1]
Crawford then played college football for the Franklin Grizzlies for the 1974 through 1977 seasons.[2] A defensive back, he set single-season and career interception records—9 and 25, respectively—for Franklin; these records still stood as of 2013.[2] He was recognized three times as a All-American defensive back within National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division II schools,[3] becoming the first football player at Franklin to earn first-team honors, achieved during his sophomore season.[1][4] During his junior season, he had four interceptions in a game against Saint Joseph's College of Indiana.[5] Also a return specialist, he averaged 20.3 yards per return for his college career and had a 97-yard kickoff return during his senior season.[3]
Crawford also competed in track and field for Franklin, as a sprinter and in the long jump.[2] At the time he graduated from Franklin, he held the school's record in the long jump at 22 feet 10+3⁄4 inches (6.979 m).[3]
After graduating from Franklin in 1978, Crawford earned a medical degree from the Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1982.[2] He then worked as a dentist in Winamac.[2]
Crawford was inducted to the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1986,[6] Franklin College's athletic hall of fame in 1989,[7] and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.[8][9] In 2013, USA Football News initiated the Brad Crawford Defensive Back of the Year Award, awarded annually to a player in the NAIA or NCAA outside of Division I FBS.[10]