TCU 1938 national championship team member, NFL player Don Looney dies

Don Looney, believed to be one of the last surviving members of TCU’s 1938 national championship football team and one of the oldest remaining former NFL players, died Sunday at his home in Fort Worth. He was 98.

Mr. Looney starred for coach Dutch Meyer and the Horned Frogs after accepting a scholarship out of Sulphur Springs, where he had been an all-state player. He won a team MVP award at TCU and was a co-captain on a squad with Heisman Trophy winner Davey O’Brien.

Mr. Looney was selected in the eighth round of the 1940 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles and played one year for them and two for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He led the NFL in receptions (58) and receiving yards (707) as a rookie and was third in touchdown catches (four), earning second-team All-NFL honors. Born Sept. 2, 1916, Mr. Looney was the second-oldest entry on the website OldestLivingProFootball.com.

After retiring, he became an NFL official and worked games until 1963, when his son, Joe Don Looney, became an NFL player. Joe Don died in a motorcycle accident near Alpine in 1988.

Mr. Looney went on to a career in oil, becoming a top executive or associate for companies such as Ralph Lowe Drilling, Maralo Oil and Justiss-Mears Oil.

Services are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Greenwood Chapel in Fort Worth.

This story was originally published April 7, 2015 at 8:56 AM with the headline "TCU 1938 national championship team member, NFL player Don Looney dies."