Tiny Croft
| No. 75 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | November 7, 1920 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | January 22, 1977 (aged 56) Woodruff, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 287 lb (130 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Steinmetz (Chicago, Illinois) | ||||||||
| College: | Alabama Ripon | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1942 / round: 20 / pick: 186 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Milburn Russell "Tiny" Croft (November 7, 1920 – January 22, 1977) was an American professional football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers from 1942 to 1947. He played college football at Ripon College and the University of Alabama. Croft was selected by the Washington Redskins in the 20th round of the 1942 NFL draft. He won an NFL Championship with the Packers in 1944.
Early life and education
[edit]Croft was born on November 7, 1920 in Chicago, Illinois,[1] and graduated from Steinmetz High School.[2] While there, he was selected to an all-star team of high school players from Chicago to travel to Arizona for a game against an all-star team of Phoenix area players.[3] Croft then began attending Ripon College. Despite his size, Croft was known to be gentle on the football field, because of this, the Ripon coaches set up a boxing match with a semi-professional boxer who punched Croft in the nose, angering him. This experience was seen as a turning point in his athletic career as he became more aggressive.[4] Croft went on to become a three-year starter as a linemen for the Ripon Red Hawks, earning first-team All-Midwest Conference in three consecutive years.[5] He was also the team's placekicker.[6] He also played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide.[2]
Professional career
[edit]After finishing his college career, Croft was drafted as the 186th overall pick in the 20th round of the 1942 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins.[7][2] Croft was acquired by the Green Bay Packers during his first training camp before he had a chance to play a league game for Washington.[8][9] He won an NFL Championship Game in 1944 with the team as a reserve.[10][11] Croft would go on to play for the Packers until 1947.[12] While with the Packers he played in 51 games, 11 of which he started. During his career, he was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 287 pounds. He played as a tackle and was number 75 with the Packers.[2]
Personal life
[edit]In his freshman year, Croft wrote to actress Ann Sheridan to invite her to his college's prom. Sheridan wrote back to him, declining the invitation. However, she did send a signed picture. Four other college students also invited actresses, with Croft being the only one to get a personal response.[13] He married Myra Ann Wasserburger in 1944.[14] He was a district manager for American Motors.[1] Croft died of a heart attack on January 22, 1977, at age 56 in Woodruff, Wisconsin.[12][2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Obituary for Milburn Milburn Croft". Green Bay Press-Gazette. January 24, 1977. p. 25. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Tiny Croft Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ "State Prep Gridders Arrive for Drills". Arizona Republic. December 27, 1937. p. 10. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ "Punch in Nose Awakens Gridder Tiny Croft". Wausau Daily Herald. October 12, 1939. p. 18. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ "Milburn Croft first all-midwest conference 3rd time in a row". The Gazette. November 30, 1941. p. 13. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ "Coe-Ripon (Tiny Croft)". The Gazette. September 28, 1941. p. 12. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ "Tiny Croft 'Light'". Green Bay Press-Gazette. July 15, 1942. p. 13. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ "Lambeau Makes Shifts in Lineup; Packers Get Croft from Redskins". Kenosha News. September 10, 1942. p. 8. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ Humanities, National Endowment for the (September 21, 1947). "Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, September 21, 1947, Image 34". ISSN 2331-9968. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ^ "1944 NFL Championship Game". goldenrankings.com. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ Humanities, National Endowment for the (December 18, 1944). "Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, December 18, 1944, Image 12". pp. A. ISSN 2331-9968. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ^ a b "Obituary for Milburn Croft (Aged 56)". Chippewa Herald-Telegram. January 26, 1977. p. 13. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ "Tiny Croft Gets Ann Sheridan's Picture". The Morning Call. February 8, 1939. p. 20. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ "Wassserburger-Croft Wedding". Ironwood Daily Globe. January 7, 1944. p. 3. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
