Former Husker All-America running back Presnell dies at 99

IRONTON, Ohio (AP) - Glenn Presnell, who was one of the National Football League's oldest living former players, has died. He was 99.

Presnell, an All-America running back at Nebraska and Detroit Lions player in the 1930s, died Monday. Presnell, who was from DeWitt, Neb., lettered at Nebraska from 1925 through 1927.

After playing semipro ball for the Ironton Tanks until 1930, Presnell joined the Portsmouth Spartans of the NFL, which three years later became the Detroit Lions.

It was in Detroit that Presnell enjoyed his finest NFL seasons, leading the Lions to the 1935 league championship. It was also in Detroit that Presnell earned his best-ever pro football salary of $4,000.

Presnell was a first-team all-pro in 1935. He had earned second- team honors before, and on Oct. 7, 1934, kicked a then-NFL record 54-yard field goal. The record stood for 19 years. In 1933, he led the NFL in scoring with 64 points, including a league-leading six field goals.

Presnell retired after nine professional seasons and spent one year as an assistant coach at Kansas, then went to his alma mater Nebraska where he was 3-7 in one season as head coach before serving in the Navy for three years during World War II.

After the war, Presnell was hired as a football coach at Eastern Kentucky, serving as the head coach from 1954 to 1963. He added another 11 as the athletic director at EKU before retiring in 1974.

Presnell passed away on Sept. 13, 2004, at the age of 99. Prior to his death, Presnell was the oldest living NFL player. He was born July 28, 1905 in Gilead, Neb.