Professional Football Player. He was a star quarterback at Indiana University in 1916 but lost his eligibility when it was found that he also played for a semi-pro team in Hammond. When the founding fathers of the NFL organized and chartered teams in 1920, the Hammond Pros were one of them. Wally played FB/TB/LB/DB for six (1920-1925) of their seven years in the league and acted as a player-coach for three (1922-1924) of them. Before football, he served as an ensign in the U.S. Navy during World War I. After football, he became a golf pro at Wicker Park Golf Course in Highland, Indiana, while also working a regular job in East Chicago, Indiana. He died while on a fishing trip in Crystal Falls, Michigan.
Professional Football Player. He was a star quarterback at Indiana University in 1916 but lost his eligibility when it was found that he also played for a semi-pro team in Hammond. When the founding fathers of the NFL organized and chartered teams in 1920, the Hammond Pros were one of them. Wally played FB/TB/LB/DB for six (1920-1925) of their seven years in the league and acted as a player-coach for three (1922-1924) of them. Before football, he served as an ensign in the U.S. Navy during World War I. After football, he became a golf pro at Wicker Park Golf Course in Highland, Indiana, while also working a regular job in East Chicago, Indiana. He died while on a fishing trip in Crystal Falls, Michigan.
Bio by: Andy Gappa
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Hess memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
