Elmer Angsman

Elmer Joseph "Bud" Angsman Jr. (December 11, 1925 – April 11, 2002) was an American professional football player who was a halfback for the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1952. He was the leading rusher on the 1947 Cardinals team that won the NFL championship. In the 1947 NFL Championship Game, he set a championship game record with 159 rushing yards, including two runs of 70 yards each. In both 1948 and 1949, he ranked second in the NFL in rushing yards per carry and third in total rushing yards. After the 1950 season, he was selected to the inaugural Pro Bowl.

Angsman also played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 1943 to 1945. As a 17-year-old freshman, he was a reserve player on their 1943 team that won a national championship. He was selected by the Cardinals with the 16th overall pick in the 1946 NFL draft.

Early life and career Angsman was born in Chicago in 1925. As a rookie in 1946, he rushed for 328 yards on 48 carries for a career-high average of 6.8 yards per carry.

In 1947, he led the Cardinals with 412 rushing yards on 110 carries. In the 1947 NFL Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Angsman set a new record for an NFL championship game with 159 rushing yards on 10 carries, breaking the prior record of 109 yards set by Bill Osmanski in 1940. Angsman scored twice on runs of 70 yards each. At the time of his death in 2002, his 15.9 yard per carry average was still an NFL post-season record (10 carries or more).

Don Paul, a former defensive back for the Cardinals and later the Cleveland Browns, described Angsman as "a straight ahead north and south runner who would just as soon leave cleat marks on your balls as run around you."

In 1948, Angsman ranked third in the NFL with 638 rushing yards on 120 carries, trailing only Steve Van Buren (945 yards) and teammate Charley Trippi (690 yards). Angsman's eight rushing touchdowns and his average of 4.9 yards per carry both ranked second in the NFL. The Cards edged the Chicago Bears for the West Conference title. They met the Eagles once again in the 1948 NFL Championship Game now referred to as "The Blizzard Bowl". The field was covered by snow and the entire game was played in a storm. The Cardinals running attack was greatly hampered. Angsman gained only 33 yards on 10 carries. The Eagles won the game, 7–0.

Angsman had his best season in 1949 with 674 yards rushing, again ranking third best in the NFL. His 1949 average of 5.4 yards per carry ranked second in the NFL. Angsman's production fell off significantly in 1950 and 1951, with 363 and 380 yards, respectively, and an average under 3.5 yards per carry. Angsman was selected to the inaugural Pro Bowl after the 1950 season.

By 1952, with rookie halfback Ollie Matson joining the club, Angsman was relegated to a backup role. He retired after the 1952 season at age 27. He finished with career totals of 683 carries, 2,908 rushing yards (4.3 yards per carry), and 27 touchdowns. He caught 41 passes for 654 yards and five touchdowns.

NFL career statistics Legend Won the NFL championship Led the league Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Rushing Receiving GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1946 CHI 11 5 48 328 6.8 61 2 2 44 22.0 38 0 1947 CHI 12 1 110 412 3.7 18 7 5 138 27.6 52 1 1948 CHI 12 8 131 638 4.9 72 8 9 142 15.8 38 1 1949 CHI 12 12 125 674 5.4 82 6 5 57 11.4 32 0 1950 CHI 12 12 102 362 3.5 21 1 7 56 8.0 20 1 1951 CHI 12 12 121 380 3.1 28 3 9 195 21.7 80 1 1952 CHI 12 2 46 114 2.5 9 0 4 22 5.5 9 1 83 52 683 2,908 4.3 82 27 41 654 16.0 80 5

Playoffs Year Team Games Rushing Receiving GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1947 CHI 1 0 10 159 15.9 70 2 1 -4 -4.0 -4 0 1948 CHI 1 1 10 33 3.3 18 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 1 20 192 9.6 70 2 1 -4 -4.0 -4 0

Family and later years Angsman was married in 1951 to Suzanne Skahen. He later remarried to his second wife, Diane