John Chickerneo

{{Short description|American football player (1917–1995)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = John Chickerneo | number = 39 | position = Back, linebacker | birth_date = {{birth date|1917|3|13}} | birth_place = Gary, Indiana, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1995|10|3|1917|3|13}} | death_place = Deerfield, Illinois, U.S. | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 1 | weight_lb = 205 | high_school = Warren (OH) Harding | college = Pittsburgh | draftyear = 1939 | draftround = 3 | draftpick = 25 | pastteams = * New York Giants ({{NFL Year|1942}}) | highlights = * National champion (1936, 1937) * Eastern Championship/Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy (1936, 1937) * Rose Bowl (1937) | statlabel1 = Punts | statvalue1 = 8 | statlabel2 = Punt yards | statvalue2 = 302 | statlabel3 = Longest punt | statvalue3 = 45 | pfr = C/ChicJo20 }}

'''John''' "'''Chick'''" '''Louis Chickerneo''' (March 13, 1917 – October 3, 1995) was an American professional football player who won a national championship with the Pittsburgh Panthers in 1937 and then played one season with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL).

==Early life== Chickerneo attended Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, Ohio where he played football, baseball, basketball and ran track.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.profootballarchives.com/chic00400.html | title=JOHN CHICKERNEO | publisher=profootballarchives.com | accessdate=December 12, 2014 | archive-date=December 13, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213000820/http://www.profootballarchives.com/chic00400.html | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=JOHN CHICKERNEO |url=https://hphs.dist113.org/athletics/Documents/hall_of_fame/2003/chickerneo_john.pdf |access-date=21 March 2024 |archive-date=12 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141212234216/https://hphs.dist113.org/athletics/Documents/hall_of_fame/2003/chickerneo_john.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==College career== Chickerneo then played college football at the University of Pittsburgh from 1936 to 1938. He helped the team to win the Eastern Championship in 1936 and then the 1937 Rose Bowl. Some retroactive systems have named that team a National Champion. He helped the team to another Eastern Championship in 1937 and to its first AP National Championship as well, starting in several games that year. After the 1939 season he played in the East–West and North–South College All-Star Games.

==Professional career== Chickerneo was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1939 NFL draft and played for them in 4 games 1942.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1939 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1939/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Personal life== Chickerneo graduated with a degree in engineering and later joined the military, where he fought in World War II and the Korean War, rising to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.

In 1949, he moved on to coaching. He was an assistant coach at Pittsburgh from 1949 to 1952. He then became the Head Coach at Sharon High School in Sharon, PA from 1952 to 1959 where he led the team to 3 Conference Championships and 1 undefeated season. He moved to Highland Park High School where he was a math teacher and Head Football Coach from 1959 to 1984 and where he led the team to the 1964 Suburban League Football Championship.

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20141213022758/http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/john-chickerneo-1.html College stats] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20141212234216/https://hphs.dist113.org/athletics/Documents/hall_of_fame/2003/chickerneo_john.pdf John Chickerneo] *{{Find a Grave}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chickerneo, John}} Category:1917 births Category:1995 deaths Category:Players of American football from Gary, Indiana Category:American football running backs Category:American football linebackers Category:Pittsburgh Panthers football players Category:New York Giants players Category:Warren G. Harding High School alumni Category:20th-century American sportsmen