Ed Grain

Edwin Elswin "Bud" Grain III was an American football player who played at the guard position. He played college football for Penn Quakers football in 1942 and 1946 and professional football for the New York Yankees in 1947 and the Baltimore Colts in 1947 and 1948.

Early life

A native of Baltimore, he attended the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. He was a star athlete in wrestling, lacrosse, and football while at BPI. He was selected as an All-Maryland three consecutive seasons and at three different positions.

College football and military service

He attended the University of Pennsylvania where he played college football for the Penn Quakers football team in 1942 and also wrestled in the heavyweight class. During World War II, he served as a captain in the Army Air Forces and flew over 50 missions as a B-24 navigator in the Pacific Theatre. He was involved in two crash landings and also was hit in the back with flak. After the war, he was selected as the captain of the 1946 Penn Quakers football team.

Professional football

He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 1947 NFL draft. He opted instead to play in the All-America Football Conference for the New York Yankees in 1947. In late September 1947, he was purchased by the Baltimore Colts. He played for the Colts during their 1947 and 1948 seasons. He appeared in a total of 23 AAFC games, three as a starter.