Jump to content

Jerry Niles

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jerry Niles
Niles, circa 1945
No. 22, 46[1]
PositionQuarterback
Personal information
Born(1919-05-01)May 1, 1919
East Moline, Illinois, U.S.
DiedDecember 27, 1950(1950-12-27) (aged 31)
Sumter, South Carolina, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolClinton (Clinton, Iowa)
CollegeIowa
Career history
Awards and highlights
  • ACFL champion (1946)
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Jerry Maynard Niles Jr. (May 1, 1919 – December 27, 1950) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Early life

[edit]

Jerry Maynard Niles Jr. was born on May 1, 1919, in East Moline, Illinois.[1] He played high school football at Clinton High School in Clinton, Iowa.[1][2]

College career

[edit]

Niles enrolled at the University of Iowa to play college football for the Hawkeyes. He was on the freshman team in 1937.[3] He played fullback for the varsity team in 1938, and led the team in rushing yards with 51 carries for 176 yards and two touchdown.[4] Niles also led the Hawkeyes in scoring that year with 16 points (two touchdowns and four extra points).[4] In March 1939, Iowa head coach Eddie Anderson said that Niles would likely play center during the 1939 season.[5] Before the start of the 1939 season, Niles left the team for an unclear reason.[6]

Niles was on the freshman team at Saint Louis University in 1940.[7] He also played hockey for the Billikens.[8] He then served in the United States Navy during World War II as a dive bomber and company commander.[9][2] Niles saw action in the Pacific Theater.[10]

In 1945, Niles returned to the University of Iowa to captain, and quarterback, the Hawkeyes football team.[9] He completed 63 of 177 passes for 889 yards and seven touchdowns.[10] His 889 yards and 177 attempts were both school records while his 63 completions were the third most in the country that year.[10][11]

Professional career

[edit]

Niles signed with the New York Giants of the National Football League on June 15, 1946.[1] He played for the Giants' farm team, the Jersey Giants of the Atlantic Coast Football League, in 1946 as a left halfback.[1][12] He appeared in five games, starting three, during the 1946 season, completing 16 of 41 passes (39.0%) for 239 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions.[1] He scored 20 points overall during the 1946 season (three touchdowns and two extra points).[1] On December 8, 1946, the Giants played the Akron Bears in the league championship game.[13] Niles threw one touchdown as the Giants won 14–13.[12]

Niles played in four games at quarterback for the New York Giants during the 1947 NFL season before suffering a season-ending injury (two cracked ribs which pinched a nerve, causing neuritis).[14] Overall during the 1947 season, he recorded 19 completions on 57 passing attempts (33.3%) for 269 yards, one touchdown, and seven interceptions while also rushing eight times for 24 yards.[15]

Personal life

[edit]

Niles was later a district sales organizer for Pillsbury Mills in Florence, South Carolina.[10] He died on December 27, 1950, in Sumter, South Carolina, of injuries suffered in a car accident.[10]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Jerry Niles". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Jerry Niles, Former Iowa Athlete, Is Company Commander at Naval Reserve Air Base, Robertson, Mo". Quad-City Times. April 9, 1942. p. 26. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Hawkeyes Start Work For Game With Michigan". The Courier. Associated Press. October 19, 1937. p. 11. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Iowa Hawkeyes' year-by-year statistical leaders". Hawkive.com. July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Jerry Niles Will Play Center For Anderson on 1939 Eleven". Iowa City Press-Citizen. March 22, 1939. p. 11. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Niles Quits Iowa U.; Two Other Gridders On "Absent" List". The Gazette. September 29, 1939. p. 21. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  7. ↑ Tietjen, W. Vernon (November 27, 1940). "Washington U. Star Is Impersonated By Niles Of Frosh Team". The St. Louis Star and Times. p. 19. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Billiken Hockey Player Break the Ice". The St. Louis Star and Times. December 7, 1940. p. 5. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Jerry Niles Defies Axiom; Returns To Gridiron Warfare After Service In Navy; Wins Praise From Mentor". The Daily Times. October 18, 1945. p. 21. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jerry Niles, Former Football Star, Killed". The Daily Times. December 27, 1950. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  11. ↑ W.J. Bingham, ed. (1946). The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide including the Official Rules 1946. A.S. Barnes and Company. p. 35.
  12. 1 2 Jurgens, Jerry (December 11, 1946). "Sport-O-Scope". The Daily Times. p. 24. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  13. ↑ "1946 Jersey City Giants (AFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Jerry Niles Hurt And Removed From Game for Season". The Daily Times. November 13, 1947. p. 28. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Jerry Niles". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jerry_Niles&oldid=1370121294"