Cecil Isbell (July 11, 1915, in Houston, Texas, USA - June 23, 1985, in Hammond, Indiana) was a professional football player for the Green Bay Packers. He attended Purdue University. He was best known for passing to Don Hutson when Hutson was at his peak. He led the Packers to an NFL championship in 1939. July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Green Bay is the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. ... June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 191 days remaining. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time. ... Tailback is an offensive backfield position in the sport of American football. ... This is a list of athletic conferences of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). ... Purdue University (Purdue) is a land-grant, public university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States. ... The NFL Draft (officially the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting) is an annual sports draft in which National Football League (NFL) teams take turns selecting amateur college American football players and other first-time eligible players. ... The 1938 NFL Draft was held on December 12, 1937. ... Bills Dolphins Patriots Jets Ravens Bengals Browns Steelers Texans Colts Titans Broncos Chiefs Raiders Chargers Cowboys Giants Eagles Redskins Bears Lions Packers Vikings Falcons Panthers Saints Buccaneers Jaguars Cardinals Rams 49ers Seahawks The National Football League (NFL) is the largest professional American football league, consisting of thirty-two teams from... City Green Bay, Wisconsin Team colors Dark Green, Gold, and White Head Coach Mike McCarthy Owner 111,967 stockholders Chairman Bob Harlan General manager Ted Thompson Fight song Go! You Packers! Go! League/Conference affiliations Independent (1919-1920) National Football League (1921–present) Western Division (1933-1949) National Conference (1950... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Nickname: Bayou City Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Counties Harris County Fort Bend County Montgomery County Mayor Bill White Area    - City 1,558 km²  (601. ... June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 191 days remaining. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Flag Seal Location Location in the state of Indiana Coordinates , Government County Lake Mayor Thomas McDermott, Jr. ... City Green Bay, Wisconsin Team colors Dark Green, Gold, and White Head Coach Mike McCarthy Owner 111,967 stockholders Chairman Bob Harlan General manager Ted Thompson Fight song Go! You Packers! Go! League/Conference affiliations Independent (1919-1920) National Football League (1921–present) Western Division (1933-1949) National Conference (1950... Purdue University (Purdue) is a land-grant, public university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States. ... Donald Montgomery Hutson (b. ...

Life before the NFL

Cecil was born in Texas, the second son of Adger and Sarah Isbell. His older brother Cody was also a football player for Purdue. Cecil also had two younger brothers who played college football, "Dub" Isbell at Rice University and Larry Isbell at Baylor University. Cecil attended Sam Houston High School in Houston. Cecil played for Purdue from 1935 through 1937. He was voted the Boilermakers' most valuable player for the 1937 season. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1967. In the summer of 1938, he led the College All-Stars to victory over the NFL champion Washington Redskins at Soldier Field, Chicago. Isbell was named the game's MVP as the All-Stars prevailed 28-16. He was drafted in the first round of the 1938 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers. Lovett Hall William Marsh Rice University, commonly called Rice University and opened in 1912 as Rice Institute, is a private research university located near the Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. ... Baylor University is a private, Baptist-affiliated research university located in Waco, Texas. ... The College Football Hall of Fame, located in South Bend, Indiana, United States, is a hall of fame devoted to college football. ... City Landover, Maryland Other nicknames The Skins Team colors Burgundy and Gold Head Coach Joe Gibbs Owner Daniel Snyder General manager Vinny Cerrato Fight song Hail to the Redskins League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1932–present) Eastern Division (1933-1949) American Conference (1950-1952) Eastern Conference (1953-1969) Capitol... Soldier Field is located on famous Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, and is currently home to the NFLs Chicago Bears. ... City Green Bay, Wisconsin Team colors Dark Green, Gold, and White Head Coach Mike McCarthy Owner 111,967 stockholders Chairman Bob Harlan General manager Ted Thompson Fight song Go! You Packers! Go! League/Conference affiliations Independent (1919-1920) National Football League (1921–present) Western Division (1933-1949) National Conference (1950...

NFL Career

When Isbell arrived in Green Bay, the Packers already had an All-Pro tailback, Arnie Herber who had led the Packers to the NFL championship in 1936. Coach Curly Lambeau alternated Isbell and Herber and occasionally used them in the same backfield, with Isbell at halfback. This "platooning" allowed Isbell to learn Lambeau's offense, the Notre Dame Box. Isbell was a very accurate passer and a good runner and he led the Packers in rushing and passing in his rookie year. The Packers came in first in the West and faced the New York Giants in the championship game. Isbell rushed 11 times for 20 yards and was 3 of 5 passing for 91 yards, but the Giants prevailed 23-17. In 1939, the Packers used the same attack and again Isbell led the team in rushing while catching 9 passes as well. The Packers finished in first again and faced New York in a rematch from the year before. This time the Packers crushed the Giants 27-0, with Isbell throwing a 27 yard touchdown. From 1940 to 1942, the Packers finished second in the West to the Chicago Bears each year. Isbell became a more accomplished passer during this time, connecting regularly with Don Hutson in record-setting frequency. In 1941, Isbell set the NFL record for yards passing with 1479 and threw 15 touchdown passes, 10 of them to Hutson. He also completed 56.8% of his passes, an unheard of rate in those days and testimony to Isbell's accuracy as a passer. The Packers finished tied with Chicago but lost in a divisional playoff 33-14. In 1942, Isbell bettered his record with 2021 yards passing and a record 24 touchdowns. Hutson also had record numbers, with 1211 yards receiving and 17 touchdowns (Hutson's TD mark stood until 1984). Still, the Packers finished second to Chicago, who were 11-0 in the regular season. After the 1942, Isbell quit the NFL to coach at Purdue. Isbell made it clear he wanted to quit while he was still on top of his game and not be pushed out after getting old and slow, as he had seen happen to other players. He finished with 5945 yards passing, 59 touchdowns, and 52 interceptions. Had he continued to play, he would have probably been considered one of the top passers of his day, right along side Sammy Baugh and Sid Luckman. Arnold Charles Herber (April 2, 1910, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA-October 14, 1969) was a professional football player for the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants. ... Earl Louis Curly Lambeau (April 9, 1898 - June 1, 1965) was the founder, a player and the first coach of the Green Bay Packers professional football team. ... City East Rutherford, New Jersey Other nicknames Big Blue Wrecking Crew, Big Blue, G-Men, The Jints, The New York Football Giants Team colors Royal Blue, Red, Gray, and White Head Coach Tom Coughlin Owner The Mara and Tisch Families General manager Ernie Accorsi League/Conference affiliations National Football League... City Chicago, Illinois Other nicknames Da Bears, The Monsters of the Midway Team colors Navy Blue, Orange and White Head Coach Lovie Smith Owner Virginia Halas McCaskey Chairman Michael McCaskey General manager Jerry Angelo Fight song Bear Down, Chicago Bears Mascot Staley Da Bear League/Conference affiliations Independent (1919) National... Samuel Adrian Baugh (born March 17, 1914) is an American football player born in Temple, Texas. ... Sid Luckman on the cover of the October 1938 issue of Life Sid Luckman (November 21, 1916 - July 5, 1998) was an American football quarterback for the Chicago Bears from 1939 to 1950 leading the team to 4 NFL championships during that period. ...

Coaching Career

Isbell started out at Purdue as an assistant coach and took over as head coach in 1944. He coached there for three years with a 14-14-1 record. In 1947, he became a pro coach for the Baltimore Colts in the All American Football Conference. He coached for 2 1/2 years, never with much success. He was finally fired in 1949 after winning only 10 games. His one claim to fame from those years in the AAFC was he was the first coach of Y. A. Tittle, who went on to great success in the NFL. After a few more years as an assistant coach in the NFL, Isbell quit football for business in the mid 1950s. There have been two unrelated American football teams called the Baltimore Colts based in Baltimore, Maryland. ... The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the rival National Football League from 1946 to 1949. ... Yelberton Abraham Tittle (born October 24, 1926, in Marshall, Texas), better known as Y. A. Tittle, is a former American Football quarterback who played for the Baltimore Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and the New York Giants. ...