Born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1895, Paddy Driscoll was a multi-sport standout at Northwestern University before embarking on one of the most storied careers in the early history of professional football. A gifted baseball player, he appeared in 13 games for the Chicago Cubs in 1917 before turning his full attention to football. He served in the United States Navy during World War I, playing for the undefeated 1918 Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets, alongside future Hall of Famers George Halas and Jimmy Conzelman, and was a starring performer in the team’s 1919 Rose Bowl victory. Driscoll joined the Racine/Chicago Cardinals when the NFL was founded in 1920, becoming the league’s first All-Pro quarterback and cementing his reputation as the finest drop-kicker of his era.

Over six seasons with the Cardinals, Driscoll was a dominant force,leading the NFL in scoring in 1923, setting an NFL field goal record with a 55-yard drop kick in 1924, and captaining the 1925 Cardinals to the NFL Championship with a 12–2–1 record. His career highlights include a famous Thanksgiving Day game in 1925 in which he neutralized Red Grange’s professional debut with strategic punting, drawing the ire of fans but earning wide praise for his football intelligence. After his playing career, Driscoll spent 28 years with the Chicago Bears as an assistant coach, head coach, and administrator, winning four NFL championships as an assistant and leading the Bears to the 1956 Western Division title as head coach. George Halas called him “the greatest athlete I ever knew.”

Driscoll was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974, and was named to the NFL’s 1920s All-Decade Team. He lived his later years in Park Ridge, Illinois, with his son John, and passed away in Chicago in June 1968 at the age of 73.