Thomas Jesse Fears (December 3, 1922 – January 4, 2000) was a Mexican-American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League, playing nine seasons from 1948 to 1956.
Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Fears was the son of an American mining engineer who had married a Mexican woman, and moved with his family to Los Angeles at the age of six. There, he began to display his ample work ethic by unloading flowers for 25 cen...
more
Thomas Jesse Fears (December 3, 1922 – January 4, 2000) was a Mexican-American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League, playing nine seasons from 1948 to 1956.
Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Fears was the son of an American mining engineer who had married a Mexican woman, and moved with his family to Los Angeles at the age of six. There, he began to display his ample work ethic by unloading flowers for 25 cents an hour, and later serving as an usher at football games for double that amount.
Fears first played football at Los Angeles' Manual Arts High School, then advanced to compete for Santa Clara University. He spent one year at the latter school before he was drafted for World War II and spent the next three years in military service. After his father became a Japanese prisoner of war, Fears sought to become a fighter pilot to fight Japan. He became a pilot, but was instead shipped to Colorado Springs to play football for a service team.
Upon...
less
