Alphonse "Tuffy" Emil Leemans (November 12, 1912 – January 19, 1979) was an American football player. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978.
The New York Giants first learned of Leemans after a vacationing high school boy reported to his father what he had witnessed during a game between George Washington University and Alabama. What he saw was a sensational performance by Leemans who from 1933 to 1935 starred for George Wash...
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Alphonse "Tuffy" Emil Leemans (November 12, 1912 – January 19, 1979) was an American football player. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978.
The New York Giants first learned of Leemans after a vacationing high school boy reported to his father what he had witnessed during a game between George Washington University and Alabama. What he saw was a sensational performance by Leemans who from 1933 to 1935 starred for George Washington, after a year at the University of Oregon. The high school boy was Wellington Mara, son of the Giants owner Tim Mara. Thanks to young Mara, Leemans became the no. 2 draft pick of the Giants in the National Football League's first-ever college draft in 1936.
Leemans was named the outstanding player in the 1936 College All-Star game.
Upon joining the Giants, Leemans immediately took over as one of the NFL's most dependable workhorses. The 6-0, 195-pound fullback led the league in rushing as a rookie with 830 yards. He was the only rookie...
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