George A. McAfee

1918 - 2009

George A. McAfee, 90, passed away Wednesday, March 4, 2009, at a suburban Atlanta, Ga., hospice.
Funeral: 1 p.m. Friday, March 13, at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Durham, N.C.
Memorials: In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 82 Kimberly Drive, Durham, N.C. 27707.
George Anderson McAfee was born March 13, 1918, in Corbin, Ky., to Clarence and Mary Lida McAfee, the 10th of 12 children, and grew up in Ironton, Ohio.
A standout athlete for the Tigers of Ironton High School, George earned a football scholarship to Duke University to play for legendary coach Wallace Wade. While at Duke he earned first-team All America honors at running back and was a member of the 1938 "Iron Dukes" who were undefeated, untied and un-scored upon during the regular season. After graduation in 1940, George embarked on a professional football career with the NFL's Chicago Bears, coached by George Halas. Utilizing his speed and an uncanny ability to change the course of a game at any time, George quickly established himself as one of the league's premier players, earning the nickname "One-Play McAfee" and guiding the Bears to NFL championships in 1940 and 1941. At the peak of his professional football career, George volunteered for military service during World War II, serving as a naval officer from 1942-1945. He returned to the Bears in 1945, won another NFL championship in 1946, and continued to play offense, defense, and return punts and kicks for Chicago until his retirement in 1950. Always fond of his college town, George returned to Durham, N.C., in 1950 and made the Bull City his home. He started McAfee Oil Company, an oil distribution service, with his brother, Wes, and continued to officiate NFL games for several years. George operated McAfee Oil for over 30 years until he sold the company and retired in the early 1980s. George was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1961, the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1967, and the charter class of the Duke Sports Hall of Fame in 1975. He was named to the NFL's 1940s All-Decade Team and the All-Time Two Way Team, and he held the NFL record for punt return average at 12.78 yard until recently.
George was preceded in death by his son, George A. McAfee Jr.; his wife of 53 years, Jeanne Mencke McAfee; seven brothers; and three sisters.
Survivors: Brother, Jack of Cincinnati, Ohio; daughter, Cheryl Morgan and husband, David, of Stone Mountain, Ga.; daughter, Mary Jeanne Stouffer and husband, Paul, of Fort Worth; grandchildren, Terri Harris, Stephanie Kay and husband, Rodney, Lt. Paul McAfee Stouffer, Caroline Stouffer, Charlotte Stouffer; great-grandchildren, Trevor and Payton Harris, and Lee and Morgan Kay; and many nieces and nephews.