George Young

George Donald Young ( – ) was an American football defensive end who played eight seasons in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland Browns. He later was an umpire officiating in the American Football League (AFL) for its entire existence, from 1960 through 1969. He officiated in the first AFL championship in 1960 and the first Super Bowl after the 1966 season.

Young grew up in a poor family outside of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was a star athlete in high school, playing on his football team and winning a state heavyweight title in wrestling as a senior. Young attended the University of Georgia and was on the Bulldogs football team in 1941 and 1942, when the school won the Rose Bowl. He then spent three years in the military during World War II and played service football as he trained in the U.S. Navy. He played in 1944 for Paul Brown, then the head football coach at a Naval facility outside Chicago. After the war, Brown became head coach of the Cleveland Browns in the AAFC and signed Young. He played on the defensive line for the Browns until his retirement in 1953, a span during which the team won five league championships. After his playing career, Young worked as an executive at a utility in Illinois and officiated in the AFL. He died of a brain tumor in 1969.

Early life and college career

Young grew up poor in Forty Fort, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Wilkes-Barre. His mother died when he was 10 years old, and dinner often consisted of canned beans or soup.

Later life and officiating career

Young worked during the off-season in his last two years with the Browns at the Public Service Company of Northern Illinois in its personnel department. He continued his regular job as an area manager for the utility in Illinois while officiating games part-time. He served as the umpire in the AFL's first championship between the Houston Oilers and the Los Angeles Chargers. He was an AFL official for the league's entire existence; the AFL and NFL formally merged starting in the 1970 season. He was survived by his wife, Norma Young, and daughters Sally and Diane.