Daniel J. DeSantis was a former American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 running back

Running back

A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...

 in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 for the Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 and in the Canadian Football League

Canadian Football League

The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....

 for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...

. He was also a lieutenant colonel

Lieutenant colonel

Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...

 in the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

.

Career

DeSantis was a prominent athlete known both locally and nationally. While in high school, he earned all city honors in both football and basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 at the former Trott Vocational High School. At Niagara University, he played football as a halfback

Halfback (American football)

A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...

 and was named to the all-star team of the Little Three

Little Three

The "Little Three" is an unofficial athletic conference of three elite liberal arts colleges in New England, United States. The "Little Three" are:* Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts* Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut...

 Conference, the All East Squad and also earned All American honorable mention in 1940. He also played American Legion, Muny League, and Industrial League baseball as well. DeSantis went on to play professional football with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1941 until 1946 and would later become the first NFL player to play in the Canadian Football League when he joined the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1947.

Personal life

DeSantis was born in Niagara Falls, New York

Niagara Falls, New York

Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...

. He graduated from Niagara Falls High School

Niagara Falls High School

Niagara Falls High School is a high school located at 4455 Porter Road in Niagara Falls New York. Niagara Falls High School was established in 2000, with the merging of the "old" Niagara Falls High School and La Salle High School, both located in Niagara Falls...

 in 1937. He graduated from Niagara University

Niagara University

Niagara University is a Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition, located in the Town of Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. Originally founded by the Congregation of the Mission in 1856 as Our Lady of Angels Seminary, it became Niagara University in 1883. The University is still run by...

 with a bachelors degree in accounting 1941. He served in the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 during the second World War as a captain with the 4032nd Army Air Force Base Unit, from March 16, 1942 until his honorable discharge on April 1, 1946. He later actively served as major with the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, from April 16, 1951 until his honorable discharge on September 15, 1952. After that, he continued serving in the U.S. Air Force Reserves until his honorable discharge as a lieutenant colonel on July 7, 1969. For twenty-five years, he was employed as a traffic coordinator at Kimberly Clark in Niagara Falls, NY.