Charlie Sumner

For the British politician and trade unionist, see Charlie Sumner (politician).

Charles Edward Sumner (October 19, 1930 – April 3, 2015) was an American football player who was selected by the Chicago Bears in the 22nd round of the 1954 NFL draft. A 6'1", 194 lbs. safety from the College of William & Mary, Sumner played in eight National Football League (NFL) seasons, from 1955 to 1962. He later was an assistant coach in the NFL for many years, including three stints with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders.

Charlie Sumner

No. 26
Position:	Safety
Personal information
Born:	(1930-10-19)October 19, 1930 Radford, Virginia, U.S.
Died:	April 3, 2015(2015-04-03) (aged 84) Maui, Hawaii, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	194 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:	Dublin (VA)
College:	William & Mary
NFL draft:	1954 / round: 22 / pick: 258
Career history
As a player:
Chicago Bears (1955–1960) Minnesota Vikings (1961–1962)
As a coach:
Oakland Raiders (1963–1968) Defensive backs coach Pittsburgh Steelers (1969–1972) Defensive backs coach New England Patriots (1973–1978) Defensive coordinator Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders (1979–1984) Defensive coordinator Oakland Invaders (1985) Head coach Los Angeles Raiders (1986-1988) Defensive coordinator
Career highlights and awards
2× Super Bowl champion (XV, XVIII)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 73 Interceptions: 21 Stats at Pro Football Reference
Record at Pro Football Reference

Sumner's only head coaching stint was with the Oakland Invaders of the United States Football League (USFL) in 1985. That year, he led the Invaders, a club that featured future NFL stars Anthony Carter, Bobby Hebert, Ray Bentley and Gary Plummer, to the USFL Championship Game. The 1985 USFL Championship game was the last game the league ever played. The Invaders lost to the Baltimore Stars, 28–24, at Giants Stadium.

Sumner was born in Radford, Virginia. He was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. He died in Maui, Hawaii on April 6, 2015.^[1]

References

1. Jerry McDonald: Former Raiders coach Charlie Sumner, architect of Super Bowl XVIII touchdown, dies in Maui at age 84. Archived 2017-04-11 at the Wayback Machine Obituary on ibabuzz.com, 6 April 2015, retrieved 7 April 2015.