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HUGH McELHENNY

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1947 was a banner year for young Hugh McElhenny. He made varsity on both the football and track teams at Washington High in Los Angeles, established a world record in the California State Track Championship meet in High Hurdles, was team captain for the varsity football team and was selected High School Athlete of the Year by local Sportswriters and Sportscasters. McElhenny's dual strengths as football player and hurdling/broad jump champion are skills that certainly enhanced his speed and agility on the college and pro gridirons.

McElhenny graduated Washington High in 1947, and went on to Compton Junior College for one year before transferring to the University of Washington in 1949. In just three years at UW, Hugh McElhenny set 16 school records, three of which still stand today. His 296 yards rushing against Washington State in 1950 remains the single-game high for the Huskies, as do his average yards per carry in that game (14.8) and his five rushing TD's. These last two marks remain Pac-10 records today, as well. Today, 52 years after graduating from Washington, Hugh still ranks in the top 10 in NINE other school rushing categories.

Hugh McElhenny capped his stellar collegiate career with a 100-yard punt return against USC (1951), consesus All-American honors in 1951 and a trip to the Hula Bowl in 1952, where he was discovered by 49er quarterback Frankie Albert. A call to then 49er owner Buck Shaw ensured that Hugh would be chosen in the '52 draft- the ninth player overall chosen in the first round.

The speed and agility for which Hugh McElhenny was known on the field also characterized his development in the pros. He played his last Collegiate All-Star game on a Friday, reported to training camp on Saturday and was in uniform on Sunday for an exhibition game against the Chicago Cardinals. In his pro debut against the Detroit Lions, Hugh scored on a 42 yard run. It was one of the first times he would handle the ball, and it was an appropriate beginning. McElhenny's ball-handling would take him an additional 11,000 - plus yards, on his way to a total of 60 TD's. In his fourth league game against the Chicago Bears, he returned a punt 96 yards for a touchdown. That play earned him the nickname "The King," because of his command of the open-field. Long runs, grace in eluding even the toughest tacklers and his God-given talent earned him All-NFL Rookie of the Year, and Player of the Year from Sport Magazine.

By 1954 the Million-Dollar Backfield was formed, which in addition to McElhenny, included Joe Perry, John Henry Johnson and Y.A. Tittle - all of them Pro Hall of Famers today. The pure power of the 49er offense was stunning, but - due primarily to injury - not enough to take the San Francisco team to a championship win. As an individual, Hugh McElhenny excelled with the team, and took part in five Pro-Bowls during his 1952-1960 tenure.

Less noted in McElhenny's career are the years after 1960 when he played for the Vikings (1961-62), Giants (1963) and Lions (1964). This is not because his performance was in any way diminished. He played in the '61 Pro-Bowl and continued to slice through the aggressive tackles of any defensive lineman that might get his hands on the evasive halfback. Moreso, Hugh McElhenny is remembered as a San Francisco 49er because that is where he has his heart. "I don't want to be overly sentimental," says McElhenny, "but I'll always be a 49er."

After his retirement from football in 1964, Hugh McElhenny put his UW Business degree to work and became a Corporate Trade Relations manager for Alpac Corporation, a division of Pepsico. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970, and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982. Look up in the stands at a 49ers game today, and you've got a good chance of seeing Hugh, still a devoted fan and one of the team's all-time greats.