JIM WEATHERALL - INDUCTEE #26
hall of fame fast fact:
Kyle McMenamin remembered the story of when Jim Weatherall was playing with the NFL Eagles. Weatherall's dad (the 5-10, 180-pounder) lived in Philadelphia at the time and was shouting to his son from the stands. "Uncle Jim just walked over to the stands and picked his dad up and carried him over to the bench so he could meet the rest of the team," McMenamin said.
Jim Weatherall
An all-state center from White Deer, Jim Weatherall was among the first Texas high school players to migrate to Oklahoma and star for the Sooners.
The 6-4, 240-pound Weatherall played offensive tackle and defensive end back in the days of single-platoon football; Weatherall also handled the kicking chores for OU. He was a two-time All-American and was the first Oklahoma player to win the Outland Trophy, representative of the nation’s best lineman, in 1951. He helped lead the Sooners to their first national championship in 1950, blocking for future Heisman Trophy winner Billy Vessels.
After college, he served as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps, seeing action in Korea.
He played one season with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League, then went on to play in the NFL for many seasons.
Even after his playing career ended, Weatherall kept his hand in football, coaching a semi-pro team for two years.
Jim Weatherall died in 1992 at age 62.
