Mel Maceau

Melvin Anthony Maceau (December 25, 1921 – February 16, 1981) was an American football center in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the Cleveland Browns from 1946 to 1948.

Mel Maceau
Maceau in 1946
No. 24
Position:Center
Personal information
Born:(1921-12-25)December 25, 1921
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Died:February 16, 1981(1981-02-16) (aged 59)
Bowling Green, Ohio
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:203 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High school:Milwaukee (WI) Rufus King
College:Marquette
NFL Draft:1944 / Round: 14 / Pick: 141
(by the Cleveland Rams)[1]
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 1948
Games played:37
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Maceau grew up in Wisconsin and played football at the collegiate level at Marquette University. He served for two years in World War II between 1943 and 1944 before returning to Marquette at the end of the 1945 season. Maceau then signed with the Browns, where he played as a backup center for three years. Paul Brown, Cleveland's head coach, waived him before the 1949 season, and he retired from professional football. The Browns won the AAFC championship in each of the years Maceau played for the team.

Early life and high school

Maceau grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and attended Rufus King High School.[2]

College and professional career

After high school, Maceau went to Marquette University in Milwaukee and played on the school's football team in 1941 and 1942 as a center.[2] The following year, he joined the Army Air Corps during World War II and trained as a cryptographer.[3] He served for two years in the China Burma India Theater, returning to Maruqette in 1945 to complete his studies.[2] Maceau also played on Marquette's football team for part of the 1945 season.[2] He was selected by the Cleveland Rams in the 1944 NFL Draft, but did not sign with the team because of his military service.[4]

In early 1946, Maceau played for the Omar Bakers in the Classic Basketball League.[5] Later that year, he joined the Cleveland Browns, a team under formation in the new All-America Football Conference (AAFC), along with three former Marquette teammates, John Harrington, George Groves and Wilfred Kramer.[6][7] Maceau and Harrington made the team.[6]

Maceau played with the Browns for three seasons between 1946 and 1948; the team won the league championship in each of those years.[8] Maceau was a third-stringer behind Mike Scarry and Frank Gatski at center, but he got playing time in late 1947 when Scarry was injured, substituting as a defensive lineman.[9] Before the beginning of the 1949 season, Cleveland coach Paul Brown released Maceau on waivers, allowing other teams to pick him up.[10] Maceau then retired from professional football.[11]

References
  1. "1944 Cleveland Rams". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2007. Retrieved July 17, 2020.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. "Mel Maceau Rejoins Hilltop Grid Squad". The Milwaukee Sentinel. November 6, 1945. p. 4. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  3. Fullerton, Jr., Hugh (May 31, 1943). "Fullerton on Sports". The Telegraph-Herald. Associated Press. p. 7. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  4. "Mel Maceau NFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  5. "Bradleys Can Gain Tie for Classic Cage Title". The Milwaukee Journal. February 6, 1946. p. 2. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  6. Piascik 2007, p. 45.
  7. "Harrington Is Arrival in Brown Camp". Cleveland Plain Dealer. August 3, 1946. p. 14. Harrington had a reunion here with three of his old Marquette teammates, Mel Maceau, George Groves and Wilfred Kramer.
  8. Piascik 2007, pp. 64, 81, 121.
  9. Sauerbrei, Harold (November 6, 1947). "Browns Unveil Two Able Subs for Scarry". Cleveland Plain Dealer. p. 24. Coach Paul Brown has had one of those pleasant surprises with the performances of Frank Gatski and Mel Maceau at the pivot position. Gatski has been handling the offensive duties and Maceau has worked defensively ever since Scarry's injury.
  10. "Browns To Begin Drills Wednesday". Toledo Blade. July 25, 1949. p. 18. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  11. "Browns' Grid Vets Fight For '49 Jobs". Cleveland Plain Dealer. July 24, 1949. p. 5B. With Mel Maceau definitely retired from football, the only other center will be Dwight Follin of Kent State.

Bibliography
  • Piascik, Andy (2007). The Best Show in Football: The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns. Lanham, MD: Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58979-571-6.
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