Sonny Grandelius

College coach infobox


Name = Sonny Grandelius
| ImageWidth =
Caption =
DateOfBirth = Birth date|1929|4|16|mf=y
Birthplace = Muskegon Heights, Michigan
DateOfDeath = Dda|2008|4|25|1929|4|16cite web | url=http://buffzone.com/news/2008/apr/27/ex-buff-coach-grandelius-dies/ | title= Ex-Buff coach Grandelius dies | publisher=Daily Camera| date=2008-04-27 | accessdate=2008-04-28]
Deathplace = Beverly Hills, Michigan
Sport = football
College =
Title = Head coach
CurrentRecord =
OverallRecord = 21-10
BowlRecord = 0-1
Awards = 1991 Duffy Daughtery Awardcite web | url=http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/msu/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/03mg-9Honors-Awards241-266.pdf | title=2003 Michigan State Media Guide | publisher=Michigan State | accessdate=2007-01-10 | date=2003 | format=PDF | language=English]
Championships = 1961 Big Eight Championship
CFbDWID = 900
Player = Y
Years = 1948-51
1953
Team = Michigan State
New York Giants
Position = Halfback
Coach = Y
CoachYears = 1959-61
CoachTeams = Colorado

Everett John "Sonny" Grandelius (April 16 1929 - April 25 2008) was the an American football coach who served as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes from 1959 to 1961. He posted a 20-11 (.645) record as head coach. He was a halfback for Michigan State from 1948 to 1950.

Player

Born in Muskegon Heights, Michigan, he attended Muskegon Heights High School, and is a 1987 inductee to the Muskegon Sports Hall of Fame.cite web | url=http://www.mashf.com/1987_inductees.htm | title=CLASS of 1987 | publisher=mashf.com | accessdate=2007-01-10 | language=English | format=HTML] He led his team to back-to-back state championships in 1945 as a quarterback and in 1946 as a fullback when he was also selected as a first team All-State.

He gained 184 rushing yards in the 1950 season opener, establishing a then school record. During his senior season, he gained 1,023 yards and 11 touchdowns on 163 attempts, the 17th back in NCAA history to rush for 1000 yards or more in a season and the first at Michigan State. He was the leading scorer for the team and selected as the team's MVP. Grandelius also was an All-American his senior year; selected by three publications including the AP. In 2006, he was ranked 4th in average career yards per carry (6.09) at Michigan State (min 150 attempts) and tied for 10th in rushing touchdowns for one season (11). [cite web | url=http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/msu/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/06-mg-section3.pdf | title=Rushing Records (p. 96) | accessdate=2006-07-10 | date=2006 | language=English | format=HTML] He had 7 100-yard rushing games in his career. He was the MVP of the 1951 Hula Bowl and also lettered in boxing his sophomore year.

100-yard rushing games

* 1949 season
** October 1 • 11 carries for 104 yards vs. Marquette
** November 19 • 12 carries for 116 vs. Arizona
* 1950 season
** September 23 • 24 carries for 184 vs. Oregon State
** October 7 • 14 carries for 110 vs. Maryland
** October 21 • 16 carries for 122 vs. Marquette
** October 28 • 21 carries for 114 vs. Notre Dame
** November 4 • 25 carries for 177 vs. Indiana

Drafted as the 11th pick in the third round (37th overall) of the 1952 NFL Draft, [cite web | url=http://www.databasefootball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?yr=1951&lg=NFL | title=1952 NFL Draft | accessdate=2007-01-10 | language=English | format=HTML | publisher=databasefootball.com] he played one season (1953) in the NFL for the New York Giants. He rushed 108 times for 278 yards with 1 touchdown and 3 fumbles and also had 15 receptions for 80 yards. [cite web| url=http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/players.nsf/ID/03430106 | title=Sonny Grandelius | date=2003-07-20 | accessdate=2007-01-10 | language=English | format=HTML | publisher=JT-SW.com | author=John Troan]

Coaching

Grandelius was hired as the head football coach of Colorado beginning with the 1959 season. He would lead the team to controversial greatness, including a Big Eight Conference Championship in 1961. However, shortly after the 1962 Orange Bowl that Colorado lost, it became apparent that Grandelius had been using a slush fund to pay between 15 to 30 top recruits and their families. The NCAA investigated and released the findings on April 27 1962, [cite web | url=https://goomer.ncaa.org/wdbctx/lsdbi/LSDBi.MajorInfPackage.ProcessMultipleBylaws?p_Multiple=0&p_PK=169&p_Button=View+Public+Report&p_TextTerms=ThisIsADummyPhraseThatWillNotBeDuplicated&p_TextTerms2=ThisIsADummyPhraseThatWillNotBeDuplicated&p_Division= | title=Colorado's 1962 NCAA Public Infraction Report | date=1962-04-27 | accessdate=2007-01-10 | publisher=NCAA] which resulted in Grandelius' firing. Only one regent, Charles Bromley, of the University voted not to fire Grandelius, saying the firing "violated every principle of fair play since the Magna Carta." [cite web | url=http://www.cualum.org/coloradan/June2005/newsofcu.pdf | title="Coloradan" Boulder Beat | author=Paul Danish | accessdate=2007-01-10 | date=June 2005 | format=PDF]

The football team was also punished for two seasons by not allowing television coverage of games or be involved in any post-season bowl games. At least 20 players lost scholarships or left Colorado. News accounts at the time claimed that Grandelius was the first coach in the country fired for recruiting improprieties. [cite web | url=http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/buffzone_news/article/0,1713,BDC_2448_2638885,00.html | title=CU-News:Recruiting violations | publisher=Boulder Daily Camera | date=2004-02-07 | accessdate=2007-01-10]

After Colorado, he went on to coaching positions with the Detroit Lions, and Philadelphia Eagles. He then was an NFL color commentator for CBS for the Detroit Lions in 1965-67. Grandelius was also the general manager for the WFL Detroit Wheels in 1974. [cite web | url=http://www.helmethut.com/WFL/WFLWheels1.html | title=Detroit WFL Wheels - 1974 | publisher=Helmethut.com | accessdate=2007-01-10] He died at age 79 in Beverly Hills, Michigan.

Coaching record

CFB Coaching Record Team
team = Colorado Buffaloes
conf = Big Eight
startyear = 1959
endyear = 1961CFB Coaching Record Entry
year = 1959
team = Colorado
overall = 5-5
conference = 3-3
confstanding = T-3rd

CFB Coaching Record Entry
year = 1960
team = Colorado
overall = 6-4
conference = 5-2
confstanding = 2nd

CFB Coaching Record Entry
championship = conference
year = 1961
team = Colorado
overall = 9-2
conference = 7-0
confstanding = 1st
bowlgame = Orange Bowl
bowlopp = LSU
bowlscore = L, 25-7
ranking = 7thCFB Coaching Record Team End
team = Colorado
overall = 20-11
confrecord = 15-5CFB Coaching Record End
overall = 20-11
bcs = no

External links

* [https://goomer.ncaa.org/wdbctx/lsdbi/LSDBi.MajorInfPackage.ProcessMultipleBylaws?p_Multiple=0&p_PK=169&p_Button=View+Public+Report&p_TextTerms=ThisIsADummyPhraseThatWillNotBeDuplicated&p_TextTerms2=ThisIsADummyPhraseThatWillNotBeDuplicated&p_Division= 1962 NCAA Public Infraction Report]
* [http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/buffzone_news/article/0,1713,BDC_2448_2638885,00.html Recruiting Violations at Colorado history by Boulder Daily Camera]
* [http://www.cualum.org/coloradan/June2005/newsofcu.pdf "Coloradan" Boulder Beat by Paul Danish] (page 3)
* [http://www.mashf.com/1987_inductees.htm Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame Class of 1987]

References