List of NFL players in World War II


The United States entered the fighting in World War II in December 1941, just as the 1941 NFL season was drawing to a close. Mass enlistments and military conscription drew hundreds of players in the National Football League to the colors, greatly impacting both team rosters and players' careers. Some players were able to continue to play football while in the military as part of the military service teams which proliferated as a focus for physical training and source of mass entertainment. Hundreds of NFL players had their playing careers interrupted or terminated by the conflict for months or years, losing seasons in their athletic prime.
This is a sortable list of players in the NFL who were active at their time of induction and who served in the American military at some point between 1940 and 1945. It includes their team at time of induction, position, branch of military service, year of enlistment, service details, and information on the military service teams on which they played during the war, if known.
NameTeamPositionBranchInductService notes
Albrecht, ArtBoston YanksTackleArmy1944
Dubzinski, WalterBoston YanksCenterNavy1944
Falkenstein, TonyBoston YanksFullbackNavy1944
Goldman, SamBoston YanksEndArmy1944
Harrison, RichardBoston YanksEndArmy1944
Riggs, ThronBoston YanksTackleArmy1944
Santora, FrankBoston YanksQuarterbackArmy1944
Walker, William B.Boston YanksGuardNavy1944
Alfson, WarrenBrooklyn DodgersGuardNavy1941Officer
Bailey, E.L.Brooklyn DodgersEndNavy1941Officer
Bushby, SherillBrooklyn DodgersGuardArmy1940
Cafego, GeorgeBrooklyn DodgersHalfbackArmy1940Officer; medical discharge
Cassiano, DickBrooklyn DodgersHalfbackArmy1940
Coon, EdwardBrooklyn DodgersGuardArmy1941
Courtney, GeraldBrooklyn DodgersHalfbackArmy1942
Deremer, ArthurBrooklyn DodgersCenterNavy A.C.1942Officer
Dougherty, GeorgeBrooklyn DodgersFullbackArmy A.C.1940
Eliason, DonBrooklyn DodgersEndArmy1942
Fedora, WalterBrooklyn DodgersFullbackArmy1942
Francis, SamBrooklyn DodgersFullbackArmy1940Officer
Frick, RayBrooklyn DodgersCenterArmy1941
Fronzcek, AndrewBrooklyn DodgersTackleArmy1941
Gifford, RobertBrooklyn DodgersQuarterbackArmy1942
Gussle, MikeBrooklyn DodgersGuardArmy1940Officer
Heineman, KenBrooklyn DodgersHalfbackNavy1943
Hodges, HermanBrooklyn DodgersEndMarines1942Officer
Jeffries, RobertBrooklyn DodgersGuardNavy A.C.1942
Jocher, ArthurBrooklyn DodgersGuardNavy1942
Johnson, CecilBrooklyn DodgersHalfbackArmy1944
Jones, LewisBrooklyn DodgersGuardNavy1944
Jones, ThurmanBrooklyn DodgersQuarterbackArmy1941Medical discharge
Jurich, MichaelBrooklyn DodgersTackleArmy1942
Kapitansky, BernardBrooklyn DodgersGuardArmy1942
Kercheval, RalphBrooklyn DodgersHalfbackArmy1940Officer
Kinard, GeorgeBrooklyn DodgersGuardNavy1942
Kinard, Frank "Bruiser"Brooklyn DodgersTackleNavy1944
Kish, BenBrooklyn DodgersQuarterbackArmy1941Medical discharge
Koons, JoeBrooklyn DodgersCenterArmy1941
Koshlap, JulesBrooklyn DodgersHalfbackArmy1941
Kracum, GeorgeBrooklyn DodgersFullbackArmy1941
Kristufek, FrankBrooklyn DodgersTackleArmy1941