Bill Daley (American Football)

Bill Daley (American Football)

William Edward "Bullet" Daley (born September 16, 1919) was an All-American fullback who played for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers from 1940–1942 and for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 1943. The Gophers were National Champions in his freshman and sophomore years. He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943 and was assigned to the V-12 Navy College Training Program at the University of Michigan. He played football for the Wolverines in 1943 where he rushed for 817 yards in just six games before being reassigned by the Navy. Based on his performance in 1943, he was named an All-American and finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Daley has the unique status of having played in and won Little Brown Jug games for both Minnesota and Michigan, compiling a record of 4-0 in those contests. After active service in the Pacific Theater during World War II, Daley played professional football for three years in the All-America Football Conference with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1946), the Miami Seahawks (1946), the Chicago Rockets (1947), and the New York Yankees (1948). He later was one of the radio announcers for Minnesota Golden Gophers football for ten years and for the Minnesota Vikings when they first arrived in Minnesota. Since 1973, he has owned and operated the Daley Illustration Gallery in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota.