Elwin Elton "Tiny" Feather (February 23, 1902 – July 15, 1965) was an American professional football player who played running back for eight seasons for the Cleveland Bulldogs, Detroit Wolverines, New York Giants, Staten Island Stapletons, and Cincinnati Reds. A single wing fullback and blocking back (i.e. quarterback), Feather scored 10 touchdowns in a National Football League (NFL) career that spanned seven seasons.
Biography
Feather was a single wing fullback at Kansas State Agricultural College (today's Kansas State University), earning his first varsity letter as a sophomore in 1924."Letters to 23 Aggie Players: Eighteen of the 23 Will Be Back for Next Football Season," Manhattan Morning Chronicle, Dec. 4, 1924, p. 1. The Aggies finished with a record of 1–4–1 in the Missouri Valley Conference for the 1924 season — in 8th place out of nine teams.E.K. Hall (ed.), Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide 1925. New York: American Sports Publishing Co., 1925; p. 73.
In 1925, Feather's junior season at Kansas State, the team took a step forward, outscoring their opponents 70 to 43, en route to a tie for third place in the Missouri Valley Conference.E.K. Hall (ed.), Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide 1926. New York: American Sports Publishing Co., 1925; p. 95.
Feather also played for the Aggies as a senior in 1926.
He finally earned a degree from Kansas State in 1932."Tiny Feather Dead at 63," Salina Journal, July 16, 1965, p. 10.
Feather began playing football professionally in 1927 for the Cleveland Bulldogs of the National Football League (NFL). He would go on to play for a series of teams in the struggling league, including the New York Giants (1929–30, 1931–33), Staten Island Stapletons (1931), and the Cincinnati Reds (1934).
After leaving the NFL, Feather worked as a farmer in Sherman County, Kansas.
Feather died July 15, 1965, at Goodland, Kansas, of a heart attack.Associated Press, "Tiny Feather, Ex-Pro Player, Dies at Age 63," Chicago Tribune, section 3, p. 2 (p. 50). He was 63 years old at the time of his death.
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