Connor, George
Football
b. Jan. 21, 1925, Chicago, IL
After starting at tackle for Holy Cross in 1943, Connor spent two years in the Army and then went to Notre Dame, where he was an All-American in 1946 and 1947 and winner of the 1946 Outland Trophy as the nation's outstanding collegiate lineman.
His Notre Dame coach, Frank Leahy, said of Connor, "He had the agility to sort out the ball-carrier and the toughness to break up the power play. He was indestructible."
Connor wasn't indestructible when he began life. Born prematurely, he weighed only 3 pounds and wasn't expected to live. His father, a doctor, and mother, a nurse, finally put the tiny baby on a diet of boiled cabbage juice. Eventually, he gained both weight and strength.
He began playing football as a 13-year-old freshman in high school, when weighed only 135 pounds. By the time he graduated, he was well over 200 pounds. In college, he played at 225 or 230 pounds and grown to 240 by time he joined the Chicago Bears in 1948.
Connor became a two-way tackle with the Bears and was an All-Pro in 1949 and 1950. He continued to play both offense and defense even after NFL teams adopted the two-platoon system in 1951. He was a consensus All-Pro at both offensive tackle and defensive tackle that season.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Connor was moved to outside linebacker on defense in 1952. The Associated Press again named him an All-Pro offensive tackle and the United Press named him an All-Pro linebacker in both 1952 and 1953. He played only linebacker in 1954 and 1955, his final season.