Sponsors sought for cards showing photos of Emlen Tunnell’s life

RADNOR » Some 42 years after his death, a statue of Emlen Tunnell is slated to be placed in front of the Radnor Township Building to the right of the entrance.

Tunnell, a World War II hero who saved the lives of two of his fellow Coast Guard members and the first African American inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, grew up in the Garrett Hill neighborhood of Radnor.

Money to fund the bronze statue, commissioned from artist Jennifer FrudakisPetry, is still being raised. To that end, Jim Vankoski, president of Sports Legends of Delaware County, a museum now housed in the township building, said sponsors are being sought for 14 cards with photos of Tunnell from various times in his life at $200 each. Sets of the cards will also be given to donors who contribute toward the statue.

Meanwhile the Coast Guard named a gym for Tunnell in Alameda, Calif., said Vankoski. Tunnell was posthumously awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal, Combat Action Ribbon and other honors. Tunnell saved a fellow Coast Guardsman who was on fire when their ship was rocked by an explosion, burning his hands, and jumped into frigid water to save another shipmate who was drowning in a separate incident.

“If they can name a gym after him 3,000 miles away, we can have a statue closer to home,” said Vankoski.

Tunnell graduated from Radnor High School in 1942 and went off to play football for the University of Toledo, where he broke his neck. The neck injury kept him from joining the Army or Navy in World War II but he persisted in his desire to serve his country and was accepted into the Coast Guard. After the war, he played for the University of Iowa.

Once he was out of college, Tunnell hitchhiked to New York to try out for the Giants and was the first African American to play for that team. He later played for the Green Bay Packers, as well.

“We’ve gotten donations from four of his teammates in the 1950s,” Vankoski said. “Rosey Grier is the best known.”

“Everyone who knew Tunnell has something positive to say,” said Vankoski. “He was not only a leader on the field but off the field.”

About $40,000 toward the $75,000 cost of the 7-foot high statue has been raised, said Vankoski. It will show Tunnell in a running pose, with one arm outstretched and the other carrying a football. The statue will be cast by the Laran Bronze Inc., a foundry in Chester.

“The sculptor is not done yet,” said Vankoski. He believes the statue will be cast before the end of the year but the unveiling ceremony will likely be held next spring. “That’s the game plan right now,” he said.

A 5-acre park in Radnor also bears Tunnell’s name.

Sports Legends of Delaware County is running a coloring contest with a picture of Emlen Tunnell to get children involved. That contest ends July 24.

For more information about the statue, cards and coloring contest check out their website at: www.emlentunnell.com