Ken Kavanaugh, three-time NFL champion, Chicago Bears legend, and member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Kenneth William Kavanaugh was born on November 23, 1916 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from high school in 1936 and attended Louisiana State University. A year later, Ken began playing for the LSU Tigers. Nearly two meters tall, he was one of the most dimensional receivers of his time, physically overwhelming defenders. Head coach Bernie Moore said Kavanaugh could catch a pass that no other player would take. He quickly became one of the SEC's top stars. Ken had his most successful season in 1939 and was named SEC Player of the Year. In one game, against the College of the Holy Cross, he scored four touchdowns and later recounted finding four rusty nails on the edge of the field. The nails and touchdowns story was repeated for three more games. Then LSU faced top-ranked Tennessee and a local reporter wrote that he saw Coach Moore stocking up on nails at a hardware store. Be that as it may, Ken was unable to score any points in the Tennessee game and LSU lost 0-20. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1963.
After completing his college career, Ken signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team to begin his career with one of their minor league affiliates, but he later received an invitation from Chicago owner George Halas. He joined the ranks of the Midway Monsters, who dominated the league.
In 1940, Kavanaugh won the NFL championship with the team. In the final against Washington, which the Bears won 73-0, he authored the only touchdown on a reception.
In 1941, the team repeated the success, with Ken scoring a 42-yard touchdown on a fumble return in the finals. Then World War II broke out and he was one of those who went to the front. As a bomber pilot, Kavanaugh made thirty combat sorties over Europe and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and Air Medal. He returned home with the rank of captain.
In 1945, Ken rejoined Chicago. The following season, the Bears again reached the finals where they beat the Giants. For Kavanaugh, this title was the third of his career. And here again he distinguished himself with a touchdown. In his NFL career, Ken played for the team for eight seasons, ending his performances in 1950. He left Chicago as the franchise record holder for receiving touchdowns, and his thirteen touchdowns in the 1947 season remain a franchise record to this day. Kavanaugh was later named to the NFL All-Star team of the 1940s and to the list of the top 100 Greatest Bears of all time.
After retiring as a player, Ken began his coaching career. In his first four seasons he worked with receivers at Chicago, Boston College and Villanova University. In 1955, he was called to the same position with the New York Giants. It was there that Kavanaugh spent the rest of his subsequent football life. For fifteen years he trained the team's receivers, and from 1971 to 1999 he labored as a scout. After retirement, Ken moved to Florida. He passed away from complications of pneumonia on January 25, 2007. Ken Kavanaugh was ninety years old.