George Rado

George "Bullet" Joseph Rado (October 24, 1912 – April 30, 1992) was an American professional football player who was a guard and defensive end for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Duquesne Dukes. Rado was also nicknamed "Mouse" by his teammates due to his short stature.

Early life Rado was born on October 24, 1912, in Youngstown, Ohio. He attended Brookfield High School in Brooksfield, Ohio from 1929 to 1931. Rado played football as a lineman and "one of the school's greatest players". He was later inducted into the Trumbull County Sports Hall of Fame. He was chosen by the Associated Press (AP) as a first-team player on the 1933 All-Eastern football team. Rado was inducted into the Duquesne Hall of Fame in 1988.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates On August 15, 1935, Rado signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National Football League (NFL). In his rookie season he played in 11 games and started in eight. Rado had a fumble recovery against the Boston Redskins which set up the winning score.

Rado's second season in 1936, would be his best, appearing in 12 games and starting six of them at guard. He earned first-team All-Pro honors from Collyer's Eye and second-team from the Chicago Daily News.

On September 8, 1937, Rado was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for a player to be named later.

Philadelphia Eagles After being traded, Rado dressed in nine games and started in one at right guard for the Philadelphia Eagles. He became a free agent at the end of the season. In 1941, when Duquesne head coach Aldo "Buff" Donelli took the Pittsburgh Steelers job, Donelli brought Rado on the team with him. He was also working as a scout for the Dukes that same year.

Military career Rado served in the United States Army in World War II as a technical sergeant. He enlisted with fellow Duquesne football coaches, Ted Todd, Lou Skender, Steve Sinko, Jim Cessillo and head coach Aldo "Buff" Donelli. On December 15, 1942, Rado left Duquesne to serve in the Army, training at Fort Meade. In 1944, he was a member of the 99th Military Police platoon.