Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, Elmer “Bud” Angsman attended Mount Carmel High School before going on to play college football at Notre Dame, where, as a 17-year-old freshman, he was a reserve on the 1943 Fighting Irish team that won a national championship. Selected by the Chicago Cardinals with the 16th overall pick in the 1946 NFL Draft, Angsman quickly established himself as one of the most explosive backs in the league, averaging a career-high 6.8 yards per carry in his rookie season.

Angsman’s defining moment came in the 1947 NFL Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, where he set a championship game record with 159 rushing yards on just 10 carries, including two touchdown runs of 70 yards each. His 15.9 yards-per-carry average in that game remained an NFL postseason record (minimum 10 carries) at the time of his death. He was the leading rusher on that Cardinals championship squad, and his production continued to rank among the NFL’s best through 1949. Following the 1950 season, he was selected to the inaugural Pro Bowl. He retired after the 1952 season with 2,908 career rushing yards and 27 touchdowns.

After football, Angsman built a successful career in business, co-founding a paper plate manufacturing company in Indiana, and spent 14 years as a color commentator for CBS, ABC, and NBC, calling notable games including the 1968 Sugar Bowl and several Orange Bowl contests. He retired from broadcasting in 1972. Angsman passed away in April 2002.