Greasy Neale

Who was Greasy Neale?

Alfred Earle "Greasy" Neale was an American football and baseball player and coach. He played Major League Baseball as an outfielder with the Cincinnati Reds between 1916 and 1924 and briefly with the Philadelphia Phillies for part of the 1921 season. Neale was the starting right fielder for the 1919 Cincinnati Reds. He batted .357 in the 1919 World Series and led the Reds with ten hits in their eight-game series win over the scandalous White Sox. Neale also played professional football in the Ohio League with the Canton Bulldogs in 1917, the Dayton Triangles in 1918, and the Massillon Tigers in 1919. At Canton, he played alongside the great Jim Thorpe. Neale also coached the Dayton Triangles in 1918.

Neale began his coaching career while still a professional player. He served as the head football coach at Muskingum College, West Virginia Wesleyan College, Marietta College, Washington & Jefferson College, the University of Virginia, and West Virginia University, compiling a career college football record of 82–54–11. At Washington & Jefferson, he led his 1921 squad to the Rose Bowl, where the Presidents played the California Golden Bears to a scoreless tie. At Virginia, Neale was also the head baseball coach from 1923 to 1929, tallying a mark of 80–73–2. He coached basketball for two seasons at Marietta as well, amassing a record of 26–11. After a seven-year stint as an assistant football coach at Yale University, Neale moved to the National Football League, serving as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1941 to 1950. He led the Eagles to consecutive NFL Championships in 1948 and 1949, and tallied a mark of 66–44–5 including playoff games in his ten seasons with the club. Neale was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969. Both inductions recognized his coaching career.