Note: Mr. Glenn Presnell passed away on September 13, 2004 at the age of 99. Glenn was a true gentleman and a personal friend.
ESPN's Kenny Mayne interviewed Mr. Presnell on October 27, 2002 as part of its weekly NFL morning show. The televised interview was conducted at Tanks Memorial Stadium and featured several film clips demonstrating Glenn's football skills.
Keith Morehouse of WSAZ TV-3 compiled and aired (February 2003) an excellent piece on the amazing life of our hometown NFL superstar.
In the Winter of 2004, Gridiron Greats magazine had a nice article detailing Presnell's exploits as a member of the Ironton Tanks.
2004 magazine article about Glenn Presnell's feats as a member of the 1930 Ironton Tanks
It is great that Glenn Presnell received regional, and even national, recognition. Will the NFL Hall of Fame recognize Mr. Presnell's football exploits?
Our interview with the legendary Glenn Presnell
Please click on thumbnails to enlarge.
In June of 2002, Glenn Presnell granted this Web site a personal interview in his Ironton-area home. Glenn Presnell is the oldest former NFL player and will be 97 in July of 2002. Presnell was a star player with the Ironton Tanks, Portsmouth Spartans and Detroit Lions. Jim Ridgeway and I met with Mr. Presnell and his wife, Mary. The 1.5 hour interview that we taped covered topics from football to the city that Presnell returned to in his retirement years.
Mr. Presnell is a humble and soft-spoken man. You won't get any bragging or statistical rhetoric from Glenn Presnell. Maybe that is why the NFL Hall of Fame has passed on him so many times in the past. Presnell was one of the greats in his era and his football exploits must not be forgotten.
Glenn with Detroit Lions
Fast facts about Presnell
Born: July 28, 1905
Place: Gilead, Nebraska
High School: Dewitt High School (now Tri-County High School)
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 190
Position: Single-wing offense (HB & QB) Middle safety on defense.
College: University of Nebraska (Class of 1928) Played football 1925, 1926, 1927
Glenn
at Nebraska
1926 photo courtesy of University of Nebraska Sports Information Office (
special thanks to Don "Fox" Bryant )
Highlights from college: Helped Nebraska shutout an Illinois team with Red Grange (14 -0) (1925)
Three-year starter at halfback
Played basketball for two years
Named all-conference (Missouri Valley Conference) in 1926 & 1927
1927: New York Sun all-American, Walter Camp 2nd team all-American
Selected as HB for 1927 East-West Shrine game (San Francisco, CA)
(only all-star game at that time)
Glenn's all-American trophy
Member of Nebraska Hall of Fame (1973)
Glenn wore number 18 while at Nebraska.
This authentic jersey was a 98th birthday gift from the University of Nebraska.
Professional football: Signed with Ironton Tanks (Fall 1928) Played 3 seasons (1928, 1929, 1930)
Served as player-coach with Tanks until hiring of Greasy Neale
Ironton
Tanks
Played in the NFL with Portsmouth Spartans 1931, 1932, 1933
Portsmouth Spartans
Presnell is number 60 in team photo.
Above three photos courtesy of Scioto Ribber in Portsmouth
Presnell & franchise move to Detroit and become Lions 1934
Presnell played 3 seasons for Detroit Lions 1934, 1935, 1936
Highlights as pro: Helped Tanks defeat three NFL teams (Spartans, Giants, & Bears) in 1930
( roster of Bears included Red Grange & Bronko Nagurski)
Placekicked 54-yard field goal on Oct. 8, 1934 that was NFL record for 19
years & team record until 1995
Topped NFL in made field goals (1933 with 6)
NFL scoring leader in 1933 with 64 points (6 TD, 6 FG, and 10 PAT)
Helped Detroit Lions win franchise's 1st NFL championship in 1935
Played with Lions against the college all-stars (Chicago, 1935)
Twice named all-Pro
Interesting tidbit: Presnell and his first wife helped pick present Lions' uniform colors
Pay: Ironton Tanks 1928 ( $150/game and $1,600 to teach science at IHS)
Detroit Lions 1934 ($4,000)
Teacher: Taught science at Ironton High (1928-29 school year) & later taught at Russell High (KY)
Glenn from Ironton High yearbook
Assistant Football Coach (backfield): Kansas (1937)
Nebraska (1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1946)
1938 photos courtesy of University of Nebraska Sports Information Office (
special thanks to Don "Fox" Bryant )
1940 photos courtesy of University of Nebraska Sports Information Office (
special thanks to Don "Fox" Bryant )
Eastern Kentucky University (1947, 1948, 1949, 1950,
1951, 1952, 1953)
College Head Football Coach: Nebraska (1942)
1942 photo courtesy of University of Nebraska Sports Information Office (
special thanks to Don "Fox" Bryant )
College Head Football Coach: Eastern Kentucky University (1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958,
1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963)
%20EKU%20head%20football%20coach.jpg)
Photo courtesy of Eastern Kentucky University-Division of Sports Information
College Golf Coach: Eastern Kentucky University
Photo courtesy of Eastern Kentucky University-Division of Sports Information
Athletic Director: Accepted A.D. position at Eastern Kentucky University in Nov. 1963 & oversaw construction of new athletic facilities to upgrade programs until retirement on December 31, 1971. Presnell was E.K.U.'s full-time A.D.
Photo courtesy of Eastern Kentucky University-Division of Sports Information
E.K.U. today: Presnell Building constructed and dedicated in his honor
Presnell at a 2002 E.K.U. football game with school president
Sports Illustrated's Top 50 Sports Figures (Nebraska): Presnell is listed as the 26th greatest
athlete from Nebraska
NFL HOF member and Ironton High graduate George McAfee on Presnell:
G. McAfee
"I can remember seeing the
Tanks when I was a child.
They were tough. I still can't
understand why Glenn Presnell
is not in the Hall of Fame."
(Barnett, Bob & Carroll, Bob.
George McAfee: "One-play")
Other HOF members on Presnell:
"I don't know why Glenn Presnell has never made it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I've written letter after letter. I think he should be in there as well as some of the ones already in there. He played 60 minutes of football. He very seldom got hurt. He was a triple threater (SIC) and he won a lot of ball games for Portsmouth and later the Detroit Lions. And I think he belongs in there". Clark Hinkle, Glenn's contemporary and NFL HOF member (Source: Pro Football: Once a Small Town Sport 1984)
Glenn's contemporary and NFL HOF member, Bronko Nagurski: "I'd name Ken Strong, Cliff Battles, Beattie Feathers, and Presnell as the greatest stars in the game today." (period newspaper article)
Transcription of the Presnell Interview
KEY: GP (Glenn Presnell) JR (Jim Ridgeway) BV (Bob Vaughn) MP (Mary Presnell)
JR: What was your initial impression of when you first came to Ironton of the city and its high
school?
GP: It was very impressive to me being just an old country boy from Nebraska... a small town boy.
Very impressive.
BV: What year did you come to Ironton?
GP: It would have been in the fall of '28... my first year.
JR: How did the Tanks' facility compare with other teams' facilities?
GP: There were not very many covered stadiums I know that... in those days. They didn't have
lights. We played in the daytime all the time. We practiced at night. They had floodlights on
the top of the stadium...hard to catch a ball looking back into those lights. We had to practice
at night cause about all the Tanks players taught school in those days... Hanging Rock,
Pedro, Blackfork, South Point, Chesapeake, Coal Grove, Proctorville, and Rome. I coached
over at Russell and one of the other boys coached down at Raceland. We all had jobs other
than playing football.
Tanks Memorial Stadium...when it was new
JR: I read where the Tanks use to scrimmage Ironton High School's team.
GP: We never did scrimmage them. We might have had forward pass practice... a time or two I
remember.
JR: Are you really excited about being at the dedication of the Ohio historical marker?
GP: Oh yea. Very exciting to me.
JR: There are a lot of football injuries these days and some people blame it on the hard helmets?
When you played it was a different type of helmet without the face mask.
GP: Very few people wore a face mask in those days. They were leather helmets. Now they are
plastic.
JR: Kind of hard.
GP: Harder than they were then.
JR: From what you have seen, do you feel that there are more or less injuries now than back
then?
GP: I can't say exactly that. I doubt if there is any difference much.
JR: What were your most memorable moments with the Tanks?
GP: I remember one game where we played Armco. They had a team. We played Armco up here
in a snow storm. I kicked a field goal. I don't know how far it was... wasn't very long. We
beat them three to nothing. (laughing) I remember that game very well.
JR: Was there a lot of fans there that day in the snow?
GP: They usually turned out very well. They were very loyal fans here.
BV: What was one of the greatest Tanks players that really stood out in your mind?
GP: Big fullback...Joe Gembis was from Michigan. He was a good player. Fullback from Ohio
State... Deb Rowan. He was from Chillicothe.
JR: With the talk about the Bears game and how the Tanks team was able to beat some NFL
teams, do you really think that the Tanks team could have competed at that level on a full-
time basis playing against the NFL teams?
GP: I doubt if they could have on a full-time basis It was just a practice game for them and they
didn't take it very seriously. Of course, to us it was big time and we it took it real seriously.
We probably played over our heads and they didn't play their best, I'm sure.
JR: You scored the big touchdown against the Bears?
GP: I remember that one. I ran about 80 yards off tackle. (note: run was 88 yards)
JR: That's when the Bears had their star running back too.
GP: They had Nagurski and Grange.
JR: Do you remember actually tackling one of those two fellows because you played defense as
well?
GP: Yea. It was pretty rough tackling Nagurski I'll tell you. He weighed about 230. That was
big in those days.
BV: Did you ever play against Jim Thorpe?
GP: He was before my time. He came back and played at Portsmouth only two or three years
before I came here.
(note: Nearly 40, Thorpe dressed for the Spartans and helped defeat the Tanks the
season (1927) prior to Presnell's arrival in Ironton. )
BV: Who was the hardest hitting guy you ever had to tackle?
GP: Nagurski would be the hardest.
JR: In the early days of the NFL when you played for both Portsmouth and Detroit, was the
college game still bigger than the professional game?
Presnell
displays his athletic abilities
Source: Presnell's scrapbooks
GP: Oh yea. They kind of looked down on the pros in the early days. They didn't think so
much about it as they do now.
JR: Is there anything you really like to tell us about your football days that we haven't asked?
GP: I really enjoyed my days in professional football and got to travel a lot...went all over the
United States...to Hawaii. Things that would have never happened if it hadn't been paid
by football. We use to travel by bus out of Portsmouth. I remember on one trip we went
to Boston. From Boston we came back down to New York We use to stay at New York for
about a month. We played the New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, Stanton Island is right
across the river...they were in the league, and we would go across and play exhibition games
in Trenton. I remember the Marcell Hotel at 103rd and Broadway... for about a month.
We would practice in the park. It was about three or four blocks across town to the park and
we would go over there and practice every morning. (note: practiced in Central Park)
JR: You got to see a lot in your days playing football.
GP: Yea, but I would have never been able to see them if I hadn't been playing football.
JR: What kept you in Ironton all these years?
GP: I was down at Eastern Kentucky for years. I'd lost my first wife. I met Mary and she was
from Columbus. She didn't want to live in Richmond and I didn't want to live in Columbus.
She was originally from here and her son lived here at that time. Both of us were a good
friend of Lucille Truby who sold us this piece of property. We built a house on it.
JR: The Tanks played about a year or two without you.
GP: I think they did have a team after I left...going down to Portsmouth.
JR: I don't think they played very long without you.
GP: No, they didn't play much of a schedule I don't think.
JR: Were some of those Armco teams you played really good?
GP: I know they had lot of good players.
JR: The stuff I read in the past said that Armco was able to offer them a really good job at Armco.
GP: Some of those players stayed there years...worked at Armco and retired from there.
JR: What was the best year that the Tanks had?
GP: When we beat the New York Giants and Chicago Bears in the same year...and Portsmouth...
Portsmouth was in the National League. Your Greasy Neale was coaching then. (Note:
1930)
JR: Fans in Ironton are crazy about football. Were they still that crazy when you played?
GP: Oh yea. Great football area.
JR: People in this town literally can't wait for football season.
GP: I know it. Ironton's got great tradition.
JR: In the early days, did a lot of guys lift weights to stay in shape?
GP: Not too much at all.
JR: They say you helped pick the Lions' team colors.
GP: Yea. When I was recruited, I went up in the summer time. I had already decided to quit
playing pro ball. I took a coaching job up at the University of West Virginia. Mr. Richards,
who had purchased the Portsmouth franchise in the meantime, invited me up to Detroit to
see if he could sign me. I hadn't signed yet. We were up to his office in the summertime.
After I signed the contract, we went out and in the room next to his office there was a table
there with all these different colored uniforms on. He said, "Glenn pick out what you like".
They had every color under the sun there. That Honolulu blue stood out. I picked that out.
Not really, it was not my decision alone. I told him I like that one very much.
MP: Your wife was there too.
GP: My wife liked it very much. I'm sure that had something to do with it.
JR: I think you played in the first Thanksgiving day game too.
GP: The first one against the Bears.
JR: Do you know Mr. George McAfee at all?
GP: Oh yea.
JR: He had a whole bunch of brothers who played football for Ironton too. There was a big
McAfee clan.
MP: Five or six boys and one girl I think. I knew his brother that was a doctor in Portsmouth.
I was a nurse down there when he was there.
JR: George McAfee is down in North Carolina.
MP: We saw him once when we were down there.
JR: You were a really muscular-type guy. Now days guys have to lift weights to look like that.
GP: I worked on the railroad. My father was a section foreman. I started when I was about a
freshman or sophomore in high school. Doing a man's job. Every summer from then on.
MP: What was the name of the railroad?
GP: Rock Island.
JR: So you wore number three for the Lions.
GP: Uh huh.
JR: What number did you wear for the Tanks?
GP: I got a different number every year... number twenty one year.
JR: The Browns Backers out of Portsmouth have said some really nice things about you on the
Internet. They've got a petition on the Internet for people to click and sign in order to get
you into the NFL Hall of Fame.
MP: It might get the attention of someone from the Hall of Fame.
GP: I've been bypassed so many times that I doubt if I'll ever make it. It doesn't make any
difference to me.
JR: Have you actually been to the Hall of Fame before?
GP: I've been up there.
Detroit Lions
Glenn Presnell (front row, 3rd from right)
BV: When you played, who was the best quarterback you played against?
GP: Benny Friedman was good... played for the Giants. The quarterback
that played for the Chicago Bears was pretty good. Can't think who he was right now.
BV: Way it is now, everyone is just out there for money. That's all it's about.
JR: Talk about money. Team and camaraderie... it's out the door.
GP: Wasn't that way back when I played. Money didn't mean much because nobody made any.
They played because they liked the game. Wasn't very much money involved in those days.
Presnell on
the run with the Lions
Source: Presnell's scrapbooks
JR: You've seen a lot in your days. You got to see a lot of places... a lot of people.
MP: Glenn... almost a century...that's a lot of living.
JR: Somebody gave you some good genetics. You inherited some good genes.
GP: I did.
BV: Glenn and Mrs. Presnell, we sure thank you for this.
MP: You're welcome.
Glenn Presnell spoke at Tanks Memorial Stadium's historical marker ceremony
July 21, 2002
and was
presented a football by the Detroit Lions
proclaiming Presnell as the Lion King
More pictures of Presnell and friends from the ceremony
John Bankert, Executive Director of the NFL Hall of Fame, addressed the issue of Presnell's enshrinement at the July 21, 2002 ceremony.
"Over 17,000 men have played the sport of professional football, but only 216 have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Anyone in the Hall of Fame who doesn't deserve to be there? We don't think so. There are two men who are in the Hall of Fame who have strong Ironton connections. Greasy Neale, a coach with the Tanks who played in a few games, and George McAfee who is a local boy in the Hall of Fame and rightly so. Is there anyone who isn't in the Hall of Fame who should be? There are some men who we have forgotten. One such man is Glenn Presnell. A two-time all-Pro in the NFL, he was a genuine superstar in the National Football League. He was a complete player . He was a 60-minute man who played both offensively and defensively. He was an excellent passer... a runner... a punter... a placekicker. Could he play in today's game? You bet your sweet bippy. He has been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and remains eligible. So Glenn, don't give up hope!"
Follow-up interview with Mr. Presnell
Jim Ridgeway and I conducted a second interview with Mr. Presnell just eight days after the ceremony for Tanks Memorial Stadium.
KEY: GP (Glenn Presnell) JR (Jim Ridgeway) BV (Bob Vaughn)
JR: What are your thoughts about the Tanks Memorial Stadium ceremony... turnout... how it went?
GP: I thought it was great. Ironton is a very loyal football town.
JR: Pretty big turnout.
GP: Real nice turnout. I enjoyed it very much after all these years.
JR: Lot of old friends there to see you.
GP: Yea, I had a lot of old friends there. Lot of fond memories connected with the stadium.
JR: Would it had been nice to have had this a few years ago when some of the other Tanks players would have been around to enjoy it?
GP: Yes. I don’t think there is anybody else around now.
JR: Mr. John Bankert, Executive Director of the NFL Hall of Fame, said that you should not give up hope and that you are deserving of the Hall of Fame. How nice would it be to be inducted with next year’s Hall of Fame class?
GP: It would be great...that’s all I can say. It’s the ultimate in professional football to be in the football Hall of Fame.
Presnell
makes long run
Source: Presnell's scrapbooks
JR: Greasy Neale and George McAfee are the two NFL Hall of Fame members with an Ironton connection. You got to play for Greasy. What are your thoughts on him as a head coach?
GP: Greasy was a very good coach. He did know his football and got the most out of his players.
JR: In 1930, you took a step back from coaching and concentrated on just playing with the Tanks. Do you think having Greasy as the head coach made a difference with that team?
GP: I imagine it did. We had about the same players. With Greasy at the head of us, everybody put out a little more.
JR: You didn’t get the chance to play with George McAfee, but you did watch him play. What do you think of George Mcafee as a player..as a running back?
GP: He was a great player... very hard to tackle... very elusive runner.
JR: Your record NFL field goal of 54 yards that occurred at Green Bay. Can you still recall that day?
GP: I recall it very well. It was right at the end of the half. I remember John Schneller, an end, said why don’t you try a field goal; it’s as good as a punt. We were going to have to punt anyway. Ace held and it hung up, hung up and dropped over the bar 54 yards away. That turned out to be the margin of the game, 3 - 0.
Presnell
recreates his record field goal
Source: Presnell's scrapbooks
JR: How was the weather that day in Green Bay?
GP: It was a beautiful day... very nice.
BV: Was it windy Glenn?
GP: It was calm... very calm.
JR: The holder was named Ace...
GP: Ace Gutowski.
JR: What was probably your next longest field goal?
GP: I kicked some in the forties I know. I don’t remember just where and when.
JR: When you made the 54-yard field goal did you realize how long it really was?
GP: I didn’t realize it at all until maybe the next day when everybody got to talking about it.
JR: Was that field goal right down the middle?
GP: I can’t remember that (laughing). All I remember is it just dropped over the crossbar.
JR: The football that you played with was more round than today. It might not have been so aerodynamic as it is now.
GP: That’s right. It was more of a round ball than it is now. It’s more for passing now.
JR: The game that the Tanks played against the Chicago Bears at Redland Field in Cincinnati. Let’s talk about the trip. Were the fans in Ironton really pumped up for the game? Did a lot actually make it to the game?
Tanks visit Redland Field
GP: I am sure they were. They were loyal fans.
JR: So you went down by train?
GP: We went down by train. I think one time they had a special train to take all of the fans down to Redland Field. (note: N & W train took fans to see Bears and Tanks play in Cincinnati.)
JR: What was Redland Field like?
GP: It was a good field.
JR: Was there a full house for the game with the Bears?
GP: I doubt it. Football (professional) was not that popular back in those days. I think maybe 20,000, but of course the stands held a lot more than that.
JR: When you beat the Bears, did you all have a big celebration back in Ironton?
GP: I don’t remember if there was or not. There probably was. Everybody use to gather down at Klein’s to celebrate.
JR: Did Greasy Neale give you all any kind of pep talk before the Bears game?
GP: I don’t remember that at all. He must have. He was quite an innovator.
JR: Do you think the people of Portsmouth are going to want a day for their Spartan Stadium?
GP: I have no idea.
JR: I know a guy from Portsmouth was at the ceremony for Tanks Memorial Stadium and told me that some wanted to do a ceremony for Portsmouth’s stadium.
GP: That would be nice.
BV: Did you ever tackle Bronco Nagurski?
GP: I am sure that I must have. I don’t quite remember any particular instance. If you’re in a game that long...
JR: And you are in the middle of the field where you played...
GP: Bound to.
BV: I say Nagurski was a pretty tough hombre.
GP: Yes. He ran his own interference. He would drop this arm (Presnell demonstrated with his right forearm raised.) and block you off when you tried to tackle him. He was tough to bring down.
JR: I was really glad to have you there for the ceremony for Tanks Memorial Stadium.
GP: I enjoyed it very much. It brought back a lot of memories of games that I played there.
JR: The author of the book Home and Away , Carl M. Becker, told me at the ceremony that the NFL had a meeting in 1929 and identified four teams that could join the league and compete immediately. Mr. Becker said that the Portsmouth Spartans, Ironton Tanks, and Ashland-Armco were three of those four teams.
GP: Is that right.
JR: That shows you how good our local teams were and what a high-level of football was played here.
JR: Mr. Becker said something nice about you in the forward of his book. He said that you were an all-American football player and an all-American man.
GP: That’s nice. I’ll have to read it again (laughing).
JR: Are you surprised that the people of Ironton still take such a big liking to you? How many autographs did you sign at the ceremony?
GP: Quite a few I know that (laughing).
JR: I know you were signing when you arrived and still signing after I went home. I think many of the people came to the ceremony just to see you.
BV: I hope we see you at another big celebration next year in Canton. We think you belong in the NFL Hall of Fame.
JR: I really think it could happen. I have talked with several people and they share the sentiment that you have the credentials to be there and that it is still possible.
GP: That would be nice, but I don’t think it will. I would have thought it would happen before now. I know that there are players that played about the same time that I did and didn’t have the credentials that I have are in there.
JR: When you look at your credentials... as a college player you were a great player. You were one of the best in the country at that level and then as a pro. Everywhere you went you played at the top of the game. Numbers from those days are not comparable to today’s. Scoring wasn’t as frequent as it is today.
GP: No, it was more of a defensive game.
JR: Players were worn out by halftime because they played both ways.
GP: That’s right.
JR: They were bruised up more because as a running back you took hits and on defense you were giving out hits.
GP: Played both ways. Played 60 minutes all of the time.
JR: They asked you to punt, kick a field goal, pass a football, whatever... you were asked to do things most running backs would not be asked to do today. When is a running back these days asked to line up for a field goal attempt? When is a running back asked to play quarterback? For a whole year you were asked to play quarterback and did.
GP: That’s right.
Presnell practices
fielding punts
Source: Presnell's scrapbooks
BV: What was your most memorable run?
GP: I ran 80 yards for a touchdown against the Bears in Cincinnati (note: actually 88 yards). That’s probably the longest run I ever made for a touchdown.
Presnell with the Tanks
JR: Was there a lot of cutbacks or was it you got out in the open field and left everybody?
GP: I was faster than most players so they couldn’t catch me.
JR: Was there a lot of applause?
GP: Oh, yea. I remember one time we had a trainload of people down there.
JR: Ironton fans still travel that way for high school football.
GP: They do. They are very loyal fans here.
JR: In this interview, we want to clarify that your record field goal was not a drop kick.
GP: No, it was a placekick. I never did drop kick. I placekicked in college.
JR: Really, when you played drop kicks were not that common.
GP: No, very few people did. Dutch Clark, a teammate of mine, he was an expert drop kicker.
JR: They say you could do it all. To go to the pros and become a pretty good field goal kicker, besides playing defense and offense... I have even seen where some writers said you were better on defense than offense.
GP: I loved playing defense.
Presnell
plays pass defense
Source: Presnell's scrapbooks
JR: Did you take a lot of pride in your defense?
GP: Oh, sure. Of course, you had to play both ways in those days. You didn’t have the size squads they have today.
JR: There weren’t many passes in those days.
GP: The running game was more common. They just did not pass as much in those days. The game has changed a lot now where it is more wide open. It wasn’t as near wide open back then.
Presnell
busts through the line
Source: Presnell's scrapbooks
JR: The formations you ran out of in those days...
GP: Hard to pass from... the old single wing.
JR: Where they do direct snaps to almost anybody in the backfield. Watching films, it is amazing how good the centers had to be to make those kind of plays work.
GP: (Regarding the tailback) The center had to be really good at snapping the ball back and giving you a lead. When you are going off tackle you wanted a little lead.
JR: You got some nice gifts at the ceremony for Tanks Memorial Stadium. Did you like the football Mr. Ford of the Detroit Lions sent you?
GP: Very much so. I enjoyed it.
JR: You like the title ‘Lion King’?
GP: (lots of laughter)
JR: We did not make that title up. Mr. Ford and the Lions did.
GP: That’s nice of him.
JR: We really feel that you still have a chance at the Hall of Fame.
GP: It would be nice. I would enjoy it.
JR: The Hall of Fame never really has looked back at those players from your generation. The Hall took a few in from your era early on and never looked back. If there is one to still take in from that era, we feel you are the right guy. I know that the Lions have Dutch Clark from your era in the Hall. You played with him.
GP: Portsmouth and Detroit.
JR: What positions did both of you play?
GP: Usually we didn’t play in the game at the same time. I remember one game down at Portsmouth when we played in the same game (together)...when we played against Green Bay and didn’t make a substitution. The same 11 men that started the game finished the game. Dutch and I alternated. I played tailback most of the time and he played wingback and would come carry around on reverses. He was a good pass receiver.
JR: Did you ever line up as a pass receiver?
GP: I very seldom ever caught a pass. I threw most of the time.
Presnell in rare role of pass
receiver
Source: Presnell's scrapbooks
JR: It was a big year for Ironton with the stadium celebration. If we can have you in the Hall of Fame for next year, that would cap it all off.
GP: That would top it all off. That would be very nice wouldn’t it.
JR: I think it would be nice not only for you, but all of Ironton and for the Tanks. To actually have a player from the Tanks in the Hall of Fame would say a lot for the quality of the team. The Tanks was not minor league football. They had 9 players off the 1930 Tanks team play in the NFL. You had a coach, Greasy Neale, that is in the Hall of Fame. The money you received was not second best. It was as good as what others made in that day. That does not sound like minor league football to me.
I think it hurts when they (the Hall of Fame voters) don’t take in account your years (3) of playing with the Tanks. Baseball really takes into account Negro League play. If the NFL thought the teams from Ironton, Portsmouth and Ashland were ready to compete in the NFL in 1929, then the quality of football played here was pretty good.
GP: It was.
JR: Well, I appreciate you taking the time.
GP: My time is not very valuable anymore.
BV: It is to us.
On October 5, 2003, Spartan Municipal Stadium received an Ohio historical marker. Glenn Presnell once again entered the stadium where his NFL career started back in 1931.
More pictures from Spartan Stadium historical marker dedication
Glenn Presnell Day was celebrated in Ironton on July 24, 2004.
More pictures from Glenn Presnell Day
Note from Bob Vaughn: The Presnells are some of the nicest people that I have ever met. They are an asset to our community. It was very exciting meeting Glenn and discussing football with a man that played against the NFL's best and often came out on top. Mr. Presnell has fallen in love with Ironton just as the boosters of the Tanks hoped when they recruited him out of Nebraska. The Hall of Fame needs to read what the legendary sportswriters said about Presnell, review the head-to-head meetings with Red Grange, take into account his feats with the Tanks, and consider that Presnell was a star on offense, defense, and special teams. In his era, football was about versatility. Presnell was maybe the most versatile athlete of his era. Glenn could run, pass, and even kick record field goals. On defense, Glenn could provide both run support and pass defense. Presnell was considered one of the best safeties in the league.
Glenn spent his early years playing outside of the mass-media markets like Chicago and New York. In 1930 with the Tanks, he was a key player in wins over those two cities' NFL teams. As the heart of the Portsmouth Spartans regular season NFL champions, Glenn put that small Southern Ohio city on the map in 1932. Presnell helped the Detroit Lions to the team's first NFL championship in 1935.
Let's get Glenn Presnell in the NFL Hall of Fame! Sign the petition on the Internet or write the Hall of Fame.
http://www.portsmouthspartans.org
Pro Football Hall of
Fame
2121 George Halas Drive NW
Canton, Ohio 44708
Attention: Selection Committee
For more informative reading on Mr. Presnell, click on the following links:
http://www.aafla.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH1995/JSH2203/jsh2203d.pdf
http://www.nfl.com/ce/multi/0,3783,5593717,00.html
http://www.detnews.com/2003/lions/0307/04/c04-209674.htm
http://www.portsmouthspartans.org
Ironton's Dave Berry wrote and performed a song as a tribute to professional football in our area. The names Jim (Thorpe), Earl (Dutch Clark), and Glenn (Presnell) refer to professional football stars that played in Southern Ohio back in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The song was played at Spartan Municipal Stadium on October 5, 2003 as Glenn Presnell was introduced as the special guest for the Ohio historical marker dedication.
http://tuhker.tripod.com/menofiron.html
All photos are the property of Bob Vaughn & may not be reproduced without permission.
Copyright Bob Vaughn 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved.
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