Biography.guide
Home › People › American football player › Charlie Sumner
Portrait of Charlie Sumner

Charlie Sumner

1930 – 2015

American football player and coach

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Charlie Sumner

Lived 1930 – 2015 (aged 84). Charlie Sumner was an American american football player.

Charles Edward Sumner (October 19, 1930 – April 3, 2015) was an American professional football player who was selected 258th overall by the Chicago Bears in the 22nd round of the 1954 NFL draft. A 6'1", 194 lbs. safety from the College of William & Mary, Sumner played in eight National Football League (NFL) seasons, from 1955 to 1962. He later was an assistant coach in the NFL for many years, including three stints with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders.

Sumner's only head coaching stint was with the Oakland Invaders of the United States Football League (USFL) in 1985. That year, he led the Invaders, a club that featured future NFL stars Anthony Carter, Bobby Hebert, Ray Bentley and Gary Plummer, to the USFL Championship Game. The 1985 USFL Championship game was the last game the league ever played. The Invaders lost to the Baltimore Stars, 28–24, at Giants Stadium.

Sumner was born in Radford, Virginia. He was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. He died in Maui, Hawaii on April 6, 2015.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Pulaski County High School
Also known as
Charles Edward Sumner

People in Charlie Sumner's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Charlie Sumner's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Charlie Sumner?

American football player and coach (1930-2015)

When was Charlie Sumner born?

Charlie Sumner was born on 19 October 1930 in Radford.

When did Charlie Sumner die?

Charlie Sumner died on 3 April 2015 in Maui.

What was Charlie Sumner's occupation?

Charlie Sumner was an american football player.

What nationality was Charlie Sumner?

Charlie Sumner was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Charlie Sumner

· Wikidata: Q5085580

· DBpedia: Charlie Sumner

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Charlie Sumner. https://biography.guide/charlie-sumner-american-football-player/

MLA: "Charlie Sumner." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/charlie-sumner-american-football-player/.

Chicago: "Charlie Sumner." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/charlie-sumner-american-football-player/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:06 UTC