Emlen Tunnell

Emlen Lewis Tunnell (March 29, 1924 – July 23, 1975), nicknamed "the Gremlin," was an American professional football player and coach who played safety and return specialist in the National Football League. Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, he played college football for the Toledo Rockets in 1942, the San Francisco Coast Guard Pilots in 1944, and the Iowa Hawkeyes in 1946 and 1947. He served in the United States Coast Guard from 1943 to 1946, receiving the Silver Lifesaving Medal for heroism in rescuing a shipmate from flames during a torpedo attack in 1944 and another shipmate who fell into the sea in 1946.

Tunnell played 14 NFL seasons, with the New York Giants from 1948 to 1958 and the Green Bay Packers from 1959 to 1961, becoming the first African American to play for the Giants. He was selected first-team All-Pro six times and played in nine Pro Bowls, and was a member of NFL championship teams in 1956 and 1961. When he retired as a player, he held NFL career records for interceptions with 79, interception return yards with 1,282, punt returns with 258, and punt return yards with 2,209. He was the first African American to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.