A U.S. Coast Guard cutter named for NFL Legend Emlen Tunnell formally was commissioned on Friday in Philadelphia.
Tunnell, a two-time NFL champion and member of the NFL 100 All-Time Team, was the first African American enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 1967.
Before Tunnell achieved fame on football fields as a defensive back with the New York Giants (1948-1958), where he was the first Black player in franchise history, and Green Bay Packers (1959-1961), he served with the Coast Guard as a steward’s mate during World War II. He is credited with saving the lives of two fellow shipmates in separate incidents.
In April 1944, in Papua New Guinea, Tunnell was unloading cargo when a Japanese torpedo hit the ship. He used his bare hands, suffering burns, to put out the fire on a shipmate. In 1946, Tunnell jumped into freezing water while stationed in Newfoundland to save another shipmate who had fallen overboard from the USS Tampa.
