Rusty Ganas
American football player (born 1949)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Russell Lindberg Ganas (born August 12, 1949) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for one season with the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Waycross, Georgia, U.S.
| No. 69 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive tackle |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 12, 1949 Waycross, Georgia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 257 lb (117 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Ware County (Waycross) |
| College | South Carolina (1967–1970) |
| NFL draft | 1971: undrafted |
| Career history | |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life and college
Russell Lindberg Ganas was born on August 12, 1949, in Waycross, Georgia.[1] He attended Ware County High School in Waycross, lettering in football, basketball, baseball, and track.[1][2] He was inducted into the Waycross-Ware County Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.[2]
Ganas was a member of the South Carolina Gamecocks of the University of South Carolina from 1967 to 1970. He was a three-year letterman and three-year starter from 1968 to 1970.[1][3]
Professional career
After going undrafted in the 1971 NFL draft, Ganas signed with the Baltimore Colts, who were coming off a Super Bowl-winning season.[4][5] He played in one game for the Colts during the 1971 season.[6] He also spent time on the team's taxi squad that season.[7] Ganas was cut by the Colts on August 26, 1972.[3]
Ganas signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 1973.[4] He was cut on August 6, 1973.[8]
Ganas was signed by the Philadelphia Bell of the upstart World Football League in 1974. He left the team voluntarily on June 9, 1974.[9]
Coaching career
Ganas began his teaching and coaching career as an assistant varsity football and baseball coach at Bacon County High School.[2] He became the defensive coordinator and head baseball coach at Coffee High School in 1974.[2] He quit baseball in 1977 to became Coffee's head girls' basketball coach. Ganas became the defensive coordinator and head baseball coach at Waycross High School in 1979.[2] He helped Waycross win the football state title in 1981.[2] In 1986, Ganas was named the head football coach and athletic director at his alma mater, Ware County High School.[2] He lost the head coaching job in 1993 when Ware County High and Waycross merged but stayed on as Ware County's athletic director until 2008.[2]