John Panelli, Lions and Cardinals Fullback and Linebacker
March 5th, 2012 | Published in Player Deaths | 1 Comment
John Panelli, a fullback and linebacker from 1949 to 1953 for the Detroit Lions and Chicago Cardinals, passed away on March 2. In college, Panelli was a member of Notre Dame’s national championship teams of 1946 and 1947, and of its undefeated team of 1948. JohnPanelli.com, an impressive web site dedicated to Panelli, contains a detailed account of his football career, including many photos.
Panelli appeared on one football card, the 1950 Bowman card pictured here.
March 13th, 2012 at 8:27 AM (#)
May you rest in peace! God Bless you! Notre Dame National Championship team 1946-1947, my father’s great friend was Ed Hudak, and played for Notre Dame from 1946-1949. He was drafted in the 30th round in 1950 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he did not report to camp. He became an assistant coach at Lehigh University. He also passed away awhile ago. Great friend and good person. Small world!