Mel Bleeker

Melvin Wallace Bleeker (August 20, 1920 – April 24, 1996) was a professional American football player who played halfback for four seasons in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams.

Mel Bleeker
refer to caption
Bleeker, circa 1942
No. 49, 34
Position:Halfback
Personal information
Born:(1920-08-20)August 20, 1920
Los Angeles, California
Died:April 24, 1996(1996-04-24) (aged 75)
Career information
High school:John C. Fremont High School
College:USC
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts-yards:139-586
Receptions-yards:14-360
Touchdowns:11
Player stats at NFL.com

Early life

Bleeker was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and was Jewish.[1][2][3] He attended John C. Fremont High School.[2][4][5] In 1938, playing football for Fremont, he was named All-Southern California High School Football First-team, and All-Southern California High School Track and Field Honor Roll.[6][7]

College

He then attended the University of Southern California. For USC, he competed for the Trojans in both football from 1940 to 1942, as quarterback, halfback, and fullback, and for the track team in the broad jump, for whom he won the Conference championship in 1941 and took second place in the 1942 NCAA Track and Field Championships (23-11½).[8][9][2][4][5][10] He also served in the United States Army.[2][4][5]

Football career

In 1943 Bleeker played for the Los Angeles Bulldogs in the Pacific Coast Professional Football League (PCFL).[5]

He broke into the National Football League and was the NFL's top receiver in his rookie year of 1944, as Bleeker played 9 games for the Philadelphia Eagles, starting three of them.[1] That season, he was second in the NFL in long reception (75), third in touchdowns (8; still the team's all-time rookie record) and yards/rushing attempt (5.3), fourth in yards from scrimmage (614), and sixth in points scored (48).[11][1] That season he led the Eagles in touchdowns and scoring, despite having been primarily a blocking back in college.[3]

He played two more seasons for the Eagles.[1] In 1947 the Eagles traded Bleeker to the Los Angeles Rams for Art Mergenthal.[12]

In 2014 he was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[13]

References
  1. "Mel Bleeker Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  2. Edmon J. Rodman (January 14, 2016). "The call of the Rams to Jewish fans". Jewish Journal.
  3. Haskell Cohen (October 11, 1946). "Bleeker Sees Game, Rejoins Eagles". Jewish Post.
  4. "Mel Bleeker - 1941". The Los Angeles Times. April 10, 1941. p. 25.
  5. "Mel Bleeker". Pro Football Archives.
  6. "Helms Football Annual 1938". la84.org. December 20, 1938.
  7. "Helms Track and Field Annual 1938". la84.org. July 1938.
  8. "USC Trojan; Conference Champions"
  9. "USC Men's Track & Field National Champions". USC Athletics.
  10. "1942 NCAA MEN," Track and Field News.
  11. Kracz, Ed (January 30, 2018). "Eagles running back Corey Clement a true underdog". Bucks County Courier Times.
  12. "RAMS SWAP MERGENTHAL". San Pedro News Pilot. February 14, 1947.
  13. MEL BLEEKER; Football - 2014, Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.


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