Charlie Berry conquered both the gridiron and the baseball diamond, transforming from a Walter Camp All-American at Lafayette to an early NFL star for the Pottsville Maroons before leaving his mark on the major leagues.
Football Bio
October 18, 1902 – Phillipsville, New Jersey – Charlie Berry, the end from Lafayette College, was born.
Charlie played collegiate football for the Leopards from 1921 through 1924. Berry earned the distinction of making Walter Camp’s last handpicked All-America Team shortly before the innovator of football’s untimely death.
According to the National Football Foundation’s article on Charlie, the Leopards compiled a 29-5-2 record in his four years at Lafayette, with the 1921 team going undefeated. Charlie went on to play professionally for the NFL’s Pottsville Maroons and was the equivalent of being an All-Pro. You can learn a great deal more about Charlie and the Maroons saga in our book Marooned: The Rise, The Fall, and the Redemption of the Pottsville Maroons.
The great athlete played in the major leagues of pro baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago White Sox, and even umpired in the MLB. The National Football Foundation selected Charlie Berry to enter the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980.
Berry cemented an extraordinary multi-sport legacy, dominated early professional football, and earned a well-deserved place among the game’s all-time greats.
Accolades and Football Accomplishments
- Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980.
- Named a First-Team All-American by Walter Camp in 1924.
- Led Lafayette to an undefeated season in 1921.
- Played end and kicker for the NFL’s Pottsville Maroons during their controversial 1925 season.
- Led the NFL in scoring during the 1925 season with 74 points.
- Later served as a highly respected NFL official, working numerous high-profile matchups including the famous 1958 NFL Championship game.
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