A Chicle a day through the end of May

[jefferyepayne]

Card #36 in the Chicle set is Bernie Masterson. It is the last card and last short print in the 1935 National Chicle set.

Bernard Edward "Bernie" Masterson was born in 1911 in Shenandoah, IA. A three sport athlete at Lincoln High in Lincoln, NE, Masterson was an all-state quarterback in football, a starter on the 1930 state championship basketball team and a track star. At the University of Nebraska, Masterson was quarterback of three straight unbeaten Big Six championship teams from 1931 - 1933. He was selected All-Big Six in 1933.

Masterson played quarterback in the NFL for the Chicago Bears from 1934 to 1940. He led the league in TD passes in 1937 and was a member of the Bears 1940 NFL Championship Team. Masterson was selected in 1936 as All-NFL and played in the 1940 Pro Bowl. During his time with the Bears, Masterson learned the "T" formation offense that Halas used to defeat the Washington Redskins 73-0 in the 1940 NFL Championship game.

After retiring from the NFL, Masterson became a football coach. He was brought to Stanford by head coach Clark Shaughnessy to teach the "T" formation to QB Frankie Albert. Shaughnessy inherited a Stanford squad that had gone 1-7-1 the prior year and led them to a 10-0 record and a Rose Bowl win the next season using the "T" formation. Frankie Albert was a consensus All-American under Masterson's tutelage.

After serving in the Navy during WWII, Masterson was hired by his Alma Mater to be their head football coach. Nebraska had a record of 5-13 during his tenure. After leaving Nebraska, Masterson was an assistant at both the college and professional level.

Masterson is in the University of Nebraska Football Hall of Fame and the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame.

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This completes the "A Chicle a day through the end of May" thread. Thanks all for checking it out.

jeff