In college, Schnellbacher was a two-sport star at the University of Kansas, earning him the nickname "the double threat from Sublette". On the gridiron, Schnellbacher, along with teammate Ray Evans, was KU's first football All-American in 1947. That same season, Schnellbacher led the Jayhawks to a Big 6 conference title and an Orange Bowl berth. Schnellbacher also excelled in basketball, where he was a four-time first-team all-conference selection (one of only three Jayhawks to do so). He was a member of the 1943 Big Six conference championship team (which also featured All-American teammates Charles B. Black and the aforementioned Ray Evans) that is regarded as one of the program's greatest teams.
Pro career
He had his first season as a football career in 1948 at the age of 25. He didn't play his first game until the fourth week against the Baltimore Colts, where he made three receptions. Two weeks later, he had his first interceptions as a back against the Buffalo Bills, recording two of them. After having none in his next game, he then went on a streak of seven straight games with an interception, which included two each against Chicago and Los Angeles that saw him record eleven total to lead the All-America Football Conference. His first touchdown came on an interception returned all the way against the Cleveland Browns. He played in just six games the following year. He recorded four interceptions, which included two against Chicago. In the playoffs that year, he recorded three punt returns for 34 yards in the 17-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.[1]
He played in six games for the 1950 season but recorded an interception in five of them. This included a three-interception game against the Browns in a 17-13 victory on October 22. He was part of head coach Steve Owen's alignment idea (conceived to deal with the Browns) later called the "Umbrella defense", which had two defensive ends drop from the line of scrimmage with four defensive backs spread out.[2] In the playoffs against the Browns, he returned three punts for 21 yards and recorded an interception in the 8-3 loss.[3][4]
He closed out his career in 1951 with eight games that saw him intercept a game in each of them (with two-pick games in three of them) to go with two being returned for touchdowns. The eleven interceptions led the NFL, which made him the first person to lead interceptions in two different football leagues. He played his last game versus the New York Yanks at the age of 28 before retiring to become an insurance executive in Topeka.[5] He played in just four seasons but compiled 34 interceptions, which actually was tied for second all-time in NFL history when he retired in 1951 to Frank Reagan, who had 35.[6] Teammate Emlen Tunnell would later surpass him on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Personal life and death
Schnellbacher died at the age of 84 from cancer.[7]
