Tuffy Leemans

Alphonse Emil "Tuffy" Leemans (November 12, 1912 – January 19, 1979) was an American professional football player who was a fullback and halfback who played on both offense and defense for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL).

A native of Superior, Wisconsin, Leemans played college football for the Oregon Ducks and the George Washington Colonials. He was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 1936 NFL draft and played eight years for the Giants from 1936 to 1943. He led the NFL as a rookie with 830 rushing yards and was selected as a first-team All-Pro in 1936 and 1939. He was also selected to play in the Pro Bowl in 1938 and 1941 and helped lead the Giants to the 1938 NFL Championship and the 1939 and 1941 NFL Championship Games. He was named in 1969 to the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978.

After his playing career ended, Leemans worked briefly as a backfield coach for the Giants and at George Washington. He also operated a laundry and dry cleaning business and a duckpin bowling alley.

Early life Alphonse Leemans was born in 1912 in Superior, Wisconsin. His father Joseph Leemans (1887–1979) immigrated from Belgium in 1909 and worked as a hoister for the Pittsburg Coal Co. on the coal dock in Superior. His mother Hortense (1897–1964) was born in Illinois, the daughter of Belgian immigrants. Leemans had three younger sisters Carolyn, Dorothy, and Doris.

Leemans attended East High School in Superior.

College career In 1932, Leemans enrolled at the University of Oregon, where he was a member of the Oregon Ducks freshman football team. He then transferred to George Washington University, where he was the star of the George Washington Colonials football team from 1933 to 1935. In his three years at George Washington, he rushed for 2,382 yards on 490 carries for an average of 4.86 yards per carry. He also passed for 966 yards and returned 84 punts for 984 yards, an average of 11.7 yards per return.

Professional career In the fall of 1935, Wellington "Duke" Mara, son of New York Giants owner Tim Mara, was a 19-year old junior at Fordham University in New York. As a football enthusiast, the young Mara monitored the sports sections of dozens of out of town newspapers and maintained a clippings file of prospective Giants players.

In his first NFL season, Leemans played at the fullback position for the Giants and led the NFL with 830 rushing yards and an average of 69.2 rushing yards per game. He also impressed with his defensive play at the safety position. He was the only rookie to be honored by the NFL as a first-team player on the 1936 All-Pro Team. After the season ended, Leemans reported that he found it easier to make long gains in the NFL rather than college, citing better blocking in the professional ranks.

Following rumors that he intended to retire from professional football after one season, Leemans signed a contract in August 1937 to return to the Giants. Despite the reduced offensive output, Leemans continued to garner credit for his overall play and was selected by the NFL and the New York Daily News as a second-team player on the 1937 All-Pro Team.

Leemans continued to be one of the NFL's leading players, receiving either first- or second-team All-Pro honors every year from 1936 through 1942. He received first-team honors in 1936 and 1939 and second-team honors in each of the remaining years. However, most of the spectators and players at the Polo Grounds remained unaware of the attack until after the game. Leemans' attempts to enlist in the Navy and Army during World War II were rejected on multiple occasions due to defective hearing in one ear caused by a concussion sustained in a football game as well as poor eyesight. He signed on as a backfield coach with the Giants in 1943, but shortly before the season started, he opted to return as a player for one final year. He appeared in 10 games during the 1943 season, only one as a starter.

In 1969, Leemans was selected as one of the backs on the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team. In 1978, Leemans was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. At the induction ceremony, he was introduced by his high school football coach Peter Guzy. In his speech, Leemans mentioned two of his teammates, Mel Hein, the Hall of Fame center, and Leland Shaffer, who Leemans credited as "my top blocker".

Coaching career After his playing career ended, Leemans continued for one year as the Giants' backfield coach in 1944. However, he retired from coaching in August 1945 to devote his time to his laundry business.

He returned to coaching in 1946 as the part-time backfield coach for the George Washington Colonials while continuing to operate his laundry and dry cleaning business.

Leemans also coached football at St. John's College High School and Archbishop Carroll High School, both in Washington, D. C. They remained married for 41 years (until Leemans' death) had two children, Joseph, who died in 1977, and Diane, who passed in 2023.

Leemans and his wife lived in Silver Spring, Maryland. Leemans operated a duckpin bowling alley known as Tuffy Leemans' Glenmont Lanes. He also operated a laundry and dry cleaning business in the Washington, D. C., Silver Spring area dating back to and following his years as a football player. He was also active in the DC Touchdown Club and was elected as the organization's president in 1956.

Leemans' weight rose in his later years to 300 pounds from his playing weight of 180 pounds. He was interred at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Silver Spring.