Johnny "Blood" McNally

By Matthew Strauss and Pam Richter.  This article originally appeared in the Fall 2012 issue of Western Pennsylvania History. There was a time when Pittsburghâ??s sports teams shared more than just team colors. When Art Rooney established his professional football franchise in 1933, he borrowed the name of the cityâ??s well-established baseball team, hoping the â??Piratesâ?â?¦

Stats for Johnny McNally

John McNally still had a year of college eligibility remaining when he decided to take a shot at pro football. To protect his eligibility, he needed an alias, a common practice in the 1920s. He and a friend passed a theater where the movie, Blood and Sand, was playing. Suddenly, McNally exclaimed to his friend: "That's it. You be Sand. I'll be Blood." So "Johnny Blood" it was, through 14 seasons in the NFL.

McNally played for five different NFL teams-- Milwaukee Badgers, Duluth Eskimos, Pottsville Maroons, Green Bay Packers, and PIttsburgh Pirates.

Steelers halfback (1937-38) Johnny "Blood" McNally was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.

Johnny 'Blood' McNally played and coached for the Steelers.

The Green Bay Packers were founded more than a decade before the Steelers, but the two teams an early star. Johnny

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John Victor "Blood" McNally (November 27, 1903 - November 28, 1985) was an American football player and coach. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1963.