Sonny Grandelius
Encyclopedia
Everett John "Sonny" Grandelius (April 16, 1929 – April 25, 2008) was an American football
player, coach, announcer, and executive. He served as the head coach at the University of Colorado at Boulder
from 1959 to 1961, compiling a record of 20–11. Grandelius played football at Michigan State University
from 1948 to 1950 and with the NFL
's New York Giants
in 1953.
, Grandelius attended Muskegon Heights High School
, and is a 1987 inductee to the Muskegon Sports Hall of Fame. He led his team to back-to-back state championships in 1945 as a quarterback
and in 1946 as a fullback
when he was also selected as a first team All-State.
He gained 184 rushing yards in the 1950 season opener, establishing a then school record. During his senior season, he gained 1,023 yards and 11 touchdown
s on 163 attempts, the 17th back in NCAA
history to rush for 1000 yards or more in a season and the first at Michigan State. He was the leading scorer for the team and selected as the team's MVP. Grandelius also was an All-American
his senior year in 1950, selected by three publications including the AP
. As of 2006, he was ranked fourth in career average yards per carry at Michigan State (6.09, minimum of 150 attempts) and tied for tenth in rushing touchdowns for a single season (11). He had seven 100-yard rushing games in his career. He was the MVP of the 1951 Hula Bowl
and also lettered in boxing his sophomore year.
Drafted as the 11th pick in the third round (37th overall) of the 1951 NFL Draft
, Grandelius played one season (1953) in the NFL for the New York Giants
. He rushed 108 times for 278 yards with 1 touchdown and 3 fumbles and also had 15 receptions for 80 yards.
to pay between 15 to 30 top recruits and their families. The NCAA investigated and released the findings on April 27, 1962, which resulted in Grandelius' firing. Only one regent, Charles Bromley, of the University voted not to fire Grandelius, saying the firing "violated every principle of fair play since the Magna Carta
."
The football team was also punished for two seasons by not allowing television coverage of games or be involved in any post-season bowl game
s. At least 20 players lost scholarships or left Colorado. News accounts at the time claimed that Grandelius was the first coach in the country fired for recruiting improprieties.
After leaving Colorado, Grandelius went on to assistant coaching positions with the Detroit Lions
and Philadelphia Eagles
.
for Detroit Lions telecasts on CBS
from 1965 to 1967. He was also the general manager for the WFL Detroit Wheels
in 1974. Grandelius died at age 79 in Beverly Hills, Michigan
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player, coach, announcer, and executive. He served as the head coach at the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
from 1959 to 1961, compiling a record of 20–11. Grandelius played football at Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
from 1948 to 1950 and with the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1953.
Playing career
Born in Muskegon Heights, MichiganMuskegon Heights, Michigan
Muskegon Heights is a city in Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 12,049 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles , all land....
, Grandelius attended Muskegon Heights High School
Muskegon Heights High School
Coaches = Keith Guy,Willie Snead III Teachers = 9th"Muskegon Heights High School is located in Muskegon Heights, Michigan...
, and is a 1987 inductee to the Muskegon Sports Hall of Fame. He led his team to back-to-back state championships in 1945 as a quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
and in 1946 as a fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
when he was also selected as a first team All-State.
He gained 184 rushing yards in the 1950 season opener, establishing a then school record. During his senior season, he gained 1,023 yards and 11 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s on 163 attempts, the 17th back in NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
history to rush for 1000 yards or more in a season and the first at Michigan State. He was the leading scorer for the team and selected as the team's MVP. Grandelius also was an All-American
1950 College Football All-America Team
The 1950 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams for the 1950 college football season...
his senior year in 1950, selected by three publications including the AP
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. As of 2006, he was ranked fourth in career average yards per carry at Michigan State (6.09, minimum of 150 attempts) and tied for tenth in rushing touchdowns for a single season (11). He had seven 100-yard rushing games in his career. He was the MVP of the 1951 Hula Bowl
Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl was an independently administered post-season invitational college football game held each year in Hawaii from 1947 to 2008. The game was last played at Aloha Stadium in the Hālawa district of Honolulu, Hawaii. At one point the longest-running sporting event in Hawaii, it had been...
and also lettered in boxing his sophomore year.
100-yard rushing games
- 1949 season
- October 1 • 11 carries for 104 yards vs. MarquetteMarquette UniversityMarquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
- November 19 • 12 carries for 116 vs. ArizonaArizona Wildcats footballThe Arizona Wildcats football team is the football team of the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level.-Early years:...
- October 1 • 11 carries for 104 yards vs. Marquette
- 1950 season
- September 23 • 24 carries for 184 vs. Oregon StateOregon State Beavers footballThe Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive...
- October 7 • 14 carries for 110 vs. MarylandMaryland Terrapins footballThe Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
- October 21 • 16 carries for 122 vs. Marquette
- October 28 • 21 carries for 114 vs. Notre DameNotre Dame Fighting Irish footballNotre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
- November 4 • 25 carries for 177 vs. IndianaIndiana Hoosiers footballThe Indiana Hoosiers football program represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and in the Big Ten Conference.-Bowl games:...
- September 23 • 24 carries for 184 vs. Oregon State
Drafted as the 11th pick in the third round (37th overall) of the 1951 NFL Draft
1951 NFL Draft
The 1951 National Football League Draft was held on January 18–January 19, 1951. The Baltimore Colts folded after the 1950 season. The NFL placed their players in the 1951 NFL draft.-Player selections:-Round one:...
, Grandelius played one season (1953) in the NFL for the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He rushed 108 times for 278 yards with 1 touchdown and 3 fumbles and also had 15 receptions for 80 yards.
Coaching career
Grandelius was hired as the head football coach of Colorado beginning with the 1959 season. He would lead the team to controversial greatness, including a Big Eight Conference Championship in 1961. However, shortly after the 1962 Orange Bowl that Colorado lost, it became apparent that Grandelius had been using a slush fundSlush fund
A slush fund, colloquially, is an auxiliary monetary account or a reserve fund. However, in the context of corrupt dealings, such as those by governments or large corporations, a slush fund can have particular connotations of illegality, illegitimacy, or secrecy in regard to the use of this money...
to pay between 15 to 30 top recruits and their families. The NCAA investigated and released the findings on April 27, 1962, which resulted in Grandelius' firing. Only one regent, Charles Bromley, of the University voted not to fire Grandelius, saying the firing "violated every principle of fair play since the Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
."
The football team was also punished for two seasons by not allowing television coverage of games or be involved in any post-season bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
s. At least 20 players lost scholarships or left Colorado. News accounts at the time claimed that Grandelius was the first coach in the country fired for recruiting improprieties.
After leaving Colorado, Grandelius went on to assistant coaching positions with the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
and Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Later life and death
Grandelius was a color commentatorColor commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for Detroit Lions telecasts on CBS
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
from 1965 to 1967. He was also the general manager for the WFL Detroit Wheels
Detroit Wheels
The Detroit Wheels were an American football team, a charter member of the ill-fated World Football League.The Wheels were founded December 13, 1973 by ten investors, whose number eventually grew to 33, including singer Marvin Gaye, Motown Records vice-president Esther Edwards, and Little Caesars...
in 1974. Grandelius died at age 79 in Beverly Hills, Michigan
Beverly Hills, Michigan
Beverly Hills is a village in Southfield Township, Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,267.-Geography:...
.