Mike Kabealo

Michael T. Kabealo (October 1, 1915 – September 24, 1993) was an American professional football player who was a halfback for one season with the Cleveland Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and was co-captain of the 1938 team. Kabealo was blind in one eye due to a childhood accident.

Early life Michael T. Kabealo was born on October 1, 1915, in Youngstown, Ohio. He was blind in his left eye due to an injury he suffered when he was seven or eight years old. He was playing cowboys and Indians with his brother Johnny when Johnny accidentally shot him in the eye with an arrow. He was a forward in basketball. However, sophomore Bill Booth ended up winning the job by the time the regular season started. On October 14, following the second game of the year against Pittsburgh, Ohio State head coach Francis Schmidt benched Kabealo (now the starting left halfback) for poor kicking against Pittsburgh and replaced him with Jumpin' Joe Williams. Through three games, Kabealo led the team in scoring with 13 points (which was noted as being far below Williams' total of 36 points through three games in 1935). Kabealo returned to the starting lineup later in the season after Williams suffered an injury. Kabealo hurt his knee in the penultimate game of the year against Illinois but returned to the starting lineup for the season finale against Michigan. He received one vote for the team's MVP award.

After Booth was killed in an automobile accident and Williams was declared ineligible, Kabealo cemented himself as Ohio State's starting left halfback heading into the 1937 season. It was also reported that he would be the team's probable punter. In September 1937, the Dayton Daily News said Kabealo would serve as the "key man" for Ohio State that year. Kabealo played both left halfback and quarterback for Ohio State during the 1937 season. On October 23 against Northwestern, he made a punt that went out of bounds at the one-yard line, helping clinch the victory for Ohio State.

Kabealo split time between left halfback and quarterback again in 1938, and was co-captain of the team (along with Carl Kaplanoff). The Capital Times also stated that the Kabealo's were the best football family in the Big Ten, "although three short of the Crowe brothers of Notre Dame." While at Ohio State, Kabealo studied at the College of Commerce and Journalism. He also punted twice. Kabealo began the 1939 season as the starting quarterback for the Polar Bears, but had become a backup by November.

After over five years away from football, Kabealo signed with the Cleveland Rams of the National Football League on July 30, 1944. He played both offense and defensive halfback for Cleveland. Kabealo played in all ten games, starting seven, for the Rams during the 1944 season, totaling 47 carries for 152 yards and one touchdown, two receptions for 20 yards, two interceptions for nine yards, four kick returns for 126 yards, seven punt returns for 64 yards, and one of one pass attempts for 54 yards and a touchdown. Kabealo became a free agent after the 1945 season.

Personal life In 1947, Kabealo became the manager of the Dayton, Ohio, branch of the Marchant Calculating Machine Company. He previously worked with his brother John in the company's Columbus branch.