Warren Kilbourne

Warren William Kilbourne (June 20, 1916 – May 16, 1967) was an American professional football tackle. He played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and then played three seasons professionally. He was a member of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), the Kenosha Cardinals, Buffalo Indians, New York Yankees and Cincinnati Bengals of the American Football League (AFL), and the St. Louis Gunners.

Early life Kilbourne was born on June 20, 1916, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His father served as the director of physical education in the Saint Paul public schools system. He attended Humboldt High School where he competed in three sports and received seven varsity letters, three each in football and basketball, and one in baseball. He played football as a tackle, basketball as a forward, and baseball as a first baseman. The Star Tribune described him as "the energetic type of lineman who seems to enjoy his work. He's powerful and ... gets around with pleasing quickness." He received a letter for the 1936 season and remained with the varsity team in 1937 and 1938, being a starter at right tackle as a senior. He helped Minnesota win the Big Ten Conference championship in the 1937 and 1938 seasons. In his collegiate career, he was always used on the right side of the line, and in addition to tackle, also saw action at guard as a senior in 1938. At and , he was one of the biggest players on the team. The Packers went on to win the 1939 NFL Championship. He initially returned to the Packers for the 1940 season, but was then sent to the St. Louis Gunners after not making the team. At the start of the 1940 season, the Gunners played a charity practice game, but did not pay their players for it. Kilbourne, upset at not being paid, led a strike that resulted in him and two others quitting the team. He did not appear in any games for the Indians and that same season joined the New York Yankees, appearing in two games for them. By 1949, he was working part-time at the University of Minnesota. He died on May 16, 1967, in Ramsey County, Minnesota, aged 50.