Hall of Fame
Position: End
Years: 1936-1938
Place of Birth: Ponca City, OK
Date of Birth: Sep 04, 1916
Place of Death: Tokyo, Japan
Date of Death: Jan 09, 1945
Jersey Number: 49
Height: 6-2
Weight: 201
High School: Ponca City, OK (Ponca City HS)
Football success came early for Walter "Waddy" Young when, as a high school senior, he was selected as an All-State end in his native Ponca City, Oklahoma. And even before that, as a junior high schooler, he had played on an undefeated, untied and unscored upon Ponca City team. Born on September 4, 1916, "Waddy" went on to become a 6-2, 203 pounder at the University of Oklahoma, where he was coached during his sophomore year by Lawrence "Biff" Jones. Later, under coach Tom Stidham, as the first player from that era at Oklahoma to receive such national attention, he made consensus All-America by being picked in 1938 for first teams from the Associated Press, Colliers and the International News Service. Following graduation he played pro ball for two years in Brooklyn for coach Jock Sutherland before entering the Air Force. On January 9, 1945, during a raid on Tokyo and while assisting a comrade whose plane had one engine on fire, Walter "Waddy" Young died while serving his country.
