Peppy Blount
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ferris, Texas, U.S.
Longview, Texas U.S.
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | End |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 24, 1924 Ferris, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | June 22, 2010 (aged 85) Longview, Texas U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Big Spring (Big Spring, Texas) |
| College | The University of Texas |
| Other information | |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Service years | 1943–1945 |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Unit | United States Army Air Forces |
| Conflicts | World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Presidential Unit Citation (x2), Battle Star (x6) |
Ralph Eugene "Peppy" Blount (October 19, 1924 – June 22, 2010)[1] was an American collegiate football end and official; member of the Texas house of representatives; former World War II pilot of a B-25J and author of several books about life, war and football.
Blount was born in Ferris, Texas and moved with his family to Big Spring, Texas when he was five years old.[1]
After graduating from Big Spring High School he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. At 19, he was the youngest pilot of a B-25 bomber strafer in the South Pacific during World War II. He earned more than 15 military decorations including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with three clusters, two Presidential Unit Citations and six major Battle Stars. In 1945, just before the end of World War II, First Lieutenant Blount participated in the attack of the Japanese cargo ship Kanju Maru at Saigon.[1]
Football
After the war, he returned to the University of Texas where he letter for three years in football (1945, 1947–48). With quarterback Bobby Layne, he helped the team to win the Southwest Conference Championship and Cotton Bowl in 1945 and finish ranked #10. He was on the roster, but did not letter for the 1946 season, but in 1947 he helped the Longhorns win the Sugar Bowl and finish ranked #5 and in 1948 he helped them win the Orange Bowl.
He also lettered in basketball, where he played center, in 1946 and played baseball for Texas.[2][1]
While at Texas, he was a “principal” speaker on the high school speaking circuit. According to conference rules only coaches could be a principal speakers, so Coach Dana X. Bible got around it by making Blount a member of the coaching staff.[3]
In 1946, he was elected to the state legislature and as a result lost eligibility for his scholarship, but Coach Bible allowed Blount to continue to live in the athletic dorm and maintained his dining room privileges at no charge. The G.I. bill paid for Blount’s tuition and books.[3]
He was the ninth-round draft choice of the Chicago Bears in 1948, but chose to stay and finished school rather than play for the Bears. He was signed by the New York Bulldogs in 1949, where he was reunited with Layne, but released without playing for them.[4]
He never played professional football, but became an on-field official, and was a line judge in the American Football League in 1966 and 1967.
