Fred Evans

Frederick Owen "Dippy" Evans Jr. (May 23, 1921 – June 21, 2007) was an American professional football halfback who played for three years in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Football League (NFL) in the late 1940s.

Evans grew up in South Bend, Indiana and attended James Whitcomb Riley High School. He went to the University of Notre Dame and played halfback and fullback on the school's football team starting in 1940. After graduating from college, Evans joined the United States Army Air Corps during World War II, where he stayed until his discharge in 1945. He then signed with the Browns, a team in the new AAFC, where he played for one year. He subsequently played for the Buffalo Bills, the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Rockets in 1947 and 1948.

Evans moved to Cleveland after his playing career and owned a dry cleaning business. He died in 2007.

Early life

Evans was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and moved to Detroit before his family settled in South Bend, Indiana. Evans attended James Whitcomb Riley High School in South Bend, where he played football, baseball, basketball and track. Evans led the team in rushing yards and scoring in 1941. His professional football career, however, was delayed by service in World War II. Randolph won the national service title in 1944, when Evans was on the team. Later in the season, Evans twisted his knee and was sidelined for more than a month. The Browns went on to win the first AAFC championship in 1946.

Before the beginning of the 1947 season, Evans was sent to the Buffalo Bills in a special draft designed to help the AAFC's weaker teams. He played for the Chicago Rockets and Chicago Bears in 1947 and 1948. In 1948, Evans became the first player to have two scoop-and-score touchdown returns in a single game—a feat that would not be repeated for 71 years.

Later life and death

Evans came back to Cleveland after his football career and owned a dry cleaning business, with his wife Dorothy Evans, called Handee Cleaners in the city's West Park area. He transferred ownership of the business to his son Mark after he retired. Evans died in 2007. He had five children With Dorothy Jane Evans: Fred, Mark, Pat, Mimi, and Pam.