Ray Nesser
Encyclopedia
Raymond Nesser was a professional American football
player in the "Ohio League
" prior to the formation of the National Football League
for the Columbus Panhandles. He was also a member of the Nesser Brothers
, a group consisting of seven brothers who made-up the most famous football family in the United States
from 1907 until the mid-1920s.
It is unknown of the extent of which Ray played with the Panhandles. While he did appear in photos advertising the Panhandles, he did not play in many games with the club. However why he played in so few games remains a mystery. According to family accounts, Ray sprained his ankle in a game one day, and they put liniment on it and put his sock and shoe back on. He went out and played with it, and when they took the sock and shoe off, the skin just came right off of his foot.
While the rest of the Nessers became boilermakers for the Pennsylvania Railroad
, Ray decided not to follow his brothers footsteps. Instead he became a policeman for the city of Columbus, Ohio
. According to The Columbus Citizen-Journal
newspaper on June 6, 1927, Ray, a corporal with the Columbus Police Department, chased and shot an Angelo Furne who fled from the scene of an accident. During the chase, Furne held a hand out in front of body. Nesser fearing that he may have had gun, fired along with his partner an "Officer Knight" and shot Furne killing him. Both officers' actions were cleared by a review panel.
Raymond died on September 2, 1969 at the age of 71.
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...
player in the "Ohio League
Ohio League
The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1903 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship . As the name implied, its teams were based in Ohio...
" prior to the formation of 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 Columbus Panhandles. He was also a member of the Nesser Brothers
Nesser Brothers
The Nesser Brothers were a group of football playing brothers who helped make up the most famous football family in the United States from 1907 until the mid-1920s...
, a group consisting of seven brothers who made-up the most famous football family in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1907 until the mid-1920s.
It is unknown of the extent of which Ray played with the Panhandles. While he did appear in photos advertising the Panhandles, he did not play in many games with the club. However why he played in so few games remains a mystery. According to family accounts, Ray sprained his ankle in a game one day, and they put liniment on it and put his sock and shoe back on. He went out and played with it, and when they took the sock and shoe off, the skin just came right off of his foot.
While the rest of the Nessers became boilermakers for the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, Ray decided not to follow his brothers footsteps. Instead he became a policeman for the city of Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. According to The Columbus Citizen-Journal
The Columbus Citizen-Journal
The Columbus Citizen-Journal was a daily morning newspaper in Columbus, Ohio published by the Scripps Howard company. It was formed in 1959 by the merger of The Columbus Citizen and The Ohio State Journal. It shared printing facilities, as well as business, advertising, and circulation staff in a...
newspaper on June 6, 1927, Ray, a corporal with the Columbus Police Department, chased and shot an Angelo Furne who fled from the scene of an accident. During the chase, Furne held a hand out in front of body. Nesser fearing that he may have had gun, fired along with his partner an "Officer Knight" and shot Furne killing him. Both officers' actions were cleared by a review panel.
Raymond died on September 2, 1969 at the age of 71.