Rusty Ganas
| No. 69 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive tackle |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 12, 1949 Waycross, Georgia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 257 lb (117 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Ware County (Waycross) |
| College | South Carolina (1967–1970) |
| NFL draft | 1971: undrafted |
| Career history | |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Russell Lindberg Ganas (born August 12, 1949) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for one season with the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Early life and college
[edit]Russell Lindberg Ganas was born on August 12, 1949, in Waycross, Georgia.[1] He attended Ware County High School in Waycross, lettering in football, basketball, baseball, and track.[1][2] He was inducted into the Waycross-Ware County Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.[2]
Ganas was a member of the South Carolina Gamecocks of the University of South Carolina from 1967 to 1970. He was a three-year letterman and three-year starter from 1968 to 1970.[1][3]
Professional career
[edit]After going undrafted in the 1971 NFL draft, Ganas signed with the Baltimore Colts, who were coming off a Super Bowl-winning season.[4][5] He played in one game for the Colts during the 1971 season.[6] He also spent time on the team's taxi squad that season.[7] Ganas was cut by the Colts on August 26, 1972.[3]
Ganas signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 1973.[4] He was cut on August 6, 1973.[8]
Ganas was signed by the Philadelphia Bell of the upstart World Football League in 1974. He left the team voluntarily on June 9, 1974.[9]
Coaching career
[edit]Ganas began his teaching and coaching career as an assistant varsity football and baseball coach at Bacon County High School.[2] He became the defensive coordinator and head baseball coach at Coffee High School in 1974.[2] He quit baseball in 1977 to became Coffee's head girls' basketball coach. Ganas became the defensive coordinator and head baseball coach at Waycross High School in 1979.[2] He helped Waycross win the football state title in 1981.[2] In 1986, Ganas was named the head football coach and athletic director at his alma mater, Ware County High School.[2] He lost the head coaching job in 1993 when Ware County High and Waycross merged but stayed on as Ware County's athletic director until 2008.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "RUSTY GANAS". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Russell L. (Rusty) Ganas Jr. – 1991". Waycross-Ware County Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ a b "Colts cut tackle Ganas". The Lowell Sun. United Press International. August 27, 1972. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ a b "Rusty Ganas Transactions". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ^ "Ganas Fills Gap In Colt Line". The Evening Sun. August 25, 1971. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ "Rusty Ganas". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ^ "Cold Wave Hits Colts". Quad-City Times. Associated Press. January 1, 1972. p. 12. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ^ Batson, Larry (August 7, 1973). "Marshall is Vikings' best in his quiet way". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ "400 Watch Bell Make Contact at Glassboro". Gloucester County Times. June 10, 1974. p. 15. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- Living people
- 1949 births
- American football defensive tackles
- South Carolina Gamecocks football players
- Baltimore Colts players
- Minnesota Vikings players
- Philadelphia Bell players
- Players of American football from Waycross, Georgia
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- High school football coaches in Georgia (U.S. state)
- High school baseball coaches in the United States
- High school basketball coaches in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Coaches of American football from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Baseball coaches from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Basketball coaches from Georgia (U.S. state)
- High school athletic directors in the United States
- Ware County High School alumni