Red Conkright

William Franklin Conkright (April 17, 1914 – October 27, 1980), known more commonly by the nickname "Red", was an American football center and end who played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and was later the head coach of the Oakland Raiders for part of the 1962 season.

He scouted and coached for the Rams in 1944 and 1945, and moved to the Cleveland Browns of the new All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1946.

In 1962, Conkright was hired as an assistant coach and director of player personnel by the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League.

The team's head coach, Marty Feldman, was fired in the middle of the season and Conkright replaced him.

"[6] Conkright was selected in the fifth round of the 1937 draft by the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL).

[8] Conkright was sold to the Cleveland Rams ahead of the 1939 season in a cash deal that did not involve any other players.

[12] Rams owner Dan Reeves moved the team to Los Angeles after the season, but Conkright decided to stay in Cleveland, where he and his family lived.

[12] He took a job as a scout and coach for the Cleveland Browns, a team that was to start play in 1946 in the new All-America Football Conference (AAFC).

[13] Before the 1946 season started, Reeves sought an injunction in federal court to prevent Adams from signing with the Browns and force the tackle to honor his contract with the Rams.

[17] While with the Browns, he coached ends Mac Speedie and future Pro Football Hall of Fame member Dante Lavelli, who he praised for his "uncanny way of getting into the open" to receive passes from quarterback Otto Graham.

[17] Conkright convinced the Bills to put into place Brown's version of the T formation offense, and the team improved in the 1947 and 1948 seasons.

[22][23] Two years later, he was named the head football coach at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.