Elvin Hutchison was an American football player and official

Official (American football)

In American football, an official is a person who has responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game.During professional and college football games, seven officials operate on the field...

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Early life and education

Elvin Clarence Hutchison was born October 14, 1912, in Guthrie Center, Iowa

Guthrie Center, Iowa

Guthrie Center is a city in Guthrie County, Iowa, United States, along the South Raccoon River. The population was 1,668 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Guthrie County....

. He graduated from Red Oak High School in Red Oak, Iowa

Red Oak, Iowa

-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 5,742 in the city, with a population density of . There were 2,887 housing units, of which 2,406 were occupied....

 and went on to Whittier College

Whittier College

Whittier College is a private liberal arts college in Whittier, California. As of January 2009, the college has approximately 1540 enrolled students.-Overview:...

, where he was known as the "Red Oak Express" on the football team before graduating in 1937. Hutchison later earned a Master's in Education from the University of Southern California

University of Southern California

The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...

 in 1948.

Career

Following his collegiate football career, Hutchison played professionally 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...

 for the Detroit Lions in 1939, and as a wingback for the Los Angeles Bulldogs

Los Angeles Bulldogs

The Los Angeles Bulldogs were a professional American football team that competed from 1936 to 1948...

 of the Pacific Coast Professional Football League

Pacific Coast Professional Football League

The Pacific Coast Professional Football League , also known as the Pacific Coast Football League and Pacific Coast League was a professional American football league based in California, USA, and competed from 1940 through 1948 in sports...

 from 1939 to 1946. He coached football at Burbank High School in 1947.

Hutchison officiated in the NFL from 1952 through 1959, and in the American Football League

American Football League

The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...

 for its entire existence, from 1960 through 1969.

In 1959, Hutchison was named principal of Kaiser Junior High School in Costa Mesa, California

Costa Mesa, California

Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...

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