[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 25, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN RECOGNITION OF EMLEN TUNNELL

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                          HON. PATRICK MEEHAN

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 25, 2017

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, today I recognize the life of Emlen Tunnell, 
a Radnor High School graduate, World War II hero, and the first African 
American to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.
   Tunnell grew up in Garrett Hill, PA where he excelled in all 
athletics but decided to accept a football scholarship to Toledo 
University. Unfortunately, a broken neck nearly cost him his life and 
football career. But Tunnell recovered. When World War II broke out he 
desperately wanted to enlist but was rejected from both the Army and 
Navy due to his injury. Finally, the Coast Guard accepted Tunnell. 
Twice while serving, he risked his own life to save a fellow 
serviceman--extinguishing flames that engulfed a friend after a 
Japanese torpedo attack, and again when he dove into freezing waters to 
rescue a shipmate.
   After serving his country, Tunnell returned to football. He played 
two years with the University of Iowa before hitchhiking from Lancaster 
Pike to New York where he tried out to become a Giant. It was a humble 
start to a stellar career. Tunnell spent 14 years in the league--11 
with the Giants and three as a Green Bay Packer. In that time he was 
selected to the Pro Bowl nine times, played on two championship teams, 
and held the then NFL record for consecutive games played at 143. In 
1967 he became the first African American inducted into the NFL Hall of 
Fame.
   Mr. Tunnell is an American hero. Yet, his name has largely been lost 
to the history books. That must change. The Sports Legends of Delaware 
County and Delaware County Veterans Memorial have initiated a campaign 
to erect a seven-foot bronze statue of Tunnell with that goal in mind. 
It is an important step to properly honoring this great Pennsylvanian. 
Through their efforts, Emlen Tunnell's remarkable life and 
accomplishments will rightly be remembered for decades to come.

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