Loyd Arms

Oklahoma A&M

Loyd "Pig" Arms (September 24, 1919 – June 18, 1999) was an American professional football player. He was born in Sulphur, Oklahoma. Arms was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1943, but he played his entire professional career (1946–1948) with the Chicago Cardinals.

Following high school, Arms began wrestling at Oklahoma A&M University. He was named an All-American during his sophomore season in 1941 when he placed third in the nation in the heavyweight division. The following year as a junior, he won the NCAA national championship in the heavyweight division. He spent the next three years in the Army serving his country during World War II.

After the conclusion of the war, Arms aimed to defend his title as the NCAA heavyweight national champion. In the 1946 NCAA tournament, he was knocked out of title contention by George Bollas, a 300+ pound wrestler from Ohio State. Arms would place fourth, and was named an All-American for the third time.

NFL career Arms was drafted in the 14th round by the Chicago Bears with the 129th overall selection of the 1943 NFL draft, becoming the second player in the history of Oklahoma A&M to be drafted into the NFL. He would not play a game until the conclusion of World War II. In 1946 Arms began his NFL playing career with the Chicago Cardinals.

The following season, Arms appeared in seven games (two starts) with the Chicago Cardinals. The Cardinals finished the season 11–1, eventually losing a 7–0 battle to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1948 NFL Championship Game. Following the 1948 season, Arms retired from the NFL.

Arms was mentioned on page 268 of Howard Robert's book, "The Story of Pro Football" written in 1953. When discussing the 1947 Chicago Cardinals championship season, Johnson describes Arms as one of the "potent guards" who helped block for the "dream backfield" that led the Cardinals to the championship.

Death Arms died on June 18, 1999; he was 79 years old. He is buried in the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.