Charlie Behan
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | End |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 4, 1920 Crystal Lake, Illinois, United States |
| Died | May 18, 1945 (aged 24) Okinawa, Japan † |
| Career information | |
| College | Northern Illinois |
| Career history | |
| 1942 | Detroit Lions |
| Coaching profile at Pro Football ReferenceLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Stats at Pro Football ReferenceLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Other information | |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Unit | Sixth Marine Division |
| Conflicts | World War II |
Charles Edward Behan (August 4, 1920 – May 18, 1945) was a professional American football player. He was an end for one season for the Detroit Lions.
Football career
[edit | edit source]Behan caught 4 passes for 63 yards in 1942, his only year with the Lions.[1]
Behan enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces in 1942 and served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. Prior to his overseas deployment, he played for the football team at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.[2] In late 1944, when Behan was fighting with the newly reformed Sixth Marine Division on the island of Guadalcanal, he played in a hard-hitting "touch" football game on Christmas Eve between teams representing the 4th and 29th Regiments. Behan was the 29th Marines' player-coach and team captain in what the roster sheets passed out that day labeled "The Football Classic." The game ended in a scoreless tie.[3]
Death at Okinawa
[edit | edit source]Most Marine players and spectators involved in "The Football Classic" were shipped to Okinawa in April 1945. During the Okinawa campaign, Behan took part in the Battle of Sugar Loaf Hill. During the battle he was hit with shrapnel in the mouth. Insisting to stay on the front lines, Behan applied cotton to his mouth and changed it out regularly. After tossing grenades at a Japanese machine gun nest, Behan was hit by machine-gun fire and died.[3]
Behan was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.[3][4]
Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]Lua error in mw.title.lua at line 392: bad argument #2 to 'title.new' (unrecognized namespace name 'Portal').
- 1920 births
- 1945 deaths
- Sportspeople from Crystal Lake, Illinois
- Players of American football from McHenry County, Illinois
- American football wide receivers
- Northern Illinois Huskies football players
- Detroit Lions players
- United States Marine Corps officers
- United States Marine Corps personnel killed in World War II
- Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States)
- Deaths by firearm in Japan
- Military personnel from Illinois