Hall of Fame
Position: Halfback
Years: 1940-1942
Place of Birth: New York, NY
Date of Birth: Jan 05, 1921
Place of Death: San Diego, CA
Date of Death: Feb 14, 1978
Jersey Number: 41
Height: 5-11
Weight: 186
High School: New York, NY (Evander Childs HS)
A native New Yorker, Paul Governali went right from stardom at Evander Childs High School to stardom at Columbia. A skillful passer and play caller under coach Lou Little, Paul won honors as an All-American from the All-American Board, Associated Press, Colliers and United Press. Among his additional honors were All-Scholastic at Evander Childs (1938), All-America at Columbia (1942); AP Best All- Around Eastern College Athlete (1942); Maxwell Memorial Award Winner (1942); First Runner-up Heisman Trophy (1942). Paul was also All-Ivy League in baseball at Columbia in 1942 and was selected to the All-Time Columbia baseball team. He served in the Marines from 1943 to 1946, then played football for two years for the Boston Yanks and the New York Giants. From 1949 to 1956 he returned to Columbia to work for his doctorate and to assist coach Little. Prior to his death in 1978, at the age of 57, he was Professor of Physical Education at San Diego State University.
