George Preas
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| No. 60 | |
 Preas in 1961 | |
| Born: | June 25, 1933 Roanoke, Virginia, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died: | February 24, 2007 (aged 73) Roanoke, Virginia, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Tackle Guard Defensive end |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Weight | 244 lb (111 kg) |
| College | Virginia Tech |
| NFL draft | 1955, round: 5, pick: 51 |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1955–1965 | Baltimore Colts |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Honors | Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame Virginia Sports Hall of Fame |
| Career stats | |
| |
George Robert Preas Sr. (June 25, 1933 – February 24, 2007) was an American football lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts.
Biography
Early years
Preas grew up in Roanoke, Virginia and played high school football at Jefferson High School, graduating in 1951.
College career
He went on to star at Virginia Tech. During his college career, Preas was used offensively as a guard,[1] playing as a lineman on the defensive side of the ball under the one-platoon system used in college football during the 1953 and 1954 seasons.
Professional career
He was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the 1955 NFL draft, selected by the team in the 5th round as the 55th overall selection.
Preas' top contract in the NFL came ahead of the 1965 NFL season, his last, when he signed a deal with the Colts paying him $15,000.[2]
Life after football
After he left football, Preas was active in the world of business, owning a dairy franchise, a restaurant in Roanoke, Virginia, a motor inn, a shopping center called Piccadilly Square, and a number of office buildings.[2] During his free time he collected art.[2]
Death and legacy
Preas was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a chronic degenerative brain disorder in 1989, when he was 56 years old.[2] Traumatic brain injuries are strongly implicated as risk factors for the disease.[3]
He died in the South Roanoke Nursing Home of Parkinson's on February 24, 2007.[2] He was survived by his wife, Betty Joyce, and two children.[2]
Preas was inducted as a member of the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1983, the second year Tech honored its former athletes.
References
- ^ Baltimore Colts 1957: Press, Radio, TV. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Colts, 1957; p. 36.
- ^ a b c d e f Rick Schabowski, "George Preas," in George Bozeka (ed.), The 1958 Baltimore Colts: Profiles of the NFL's First Sudden Death Champions. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2018; p. 221.
- ^ V. Delic, K.D. Beck KD, K.C. Pang, and B.A. Citron, Biological Links Between Traumatic Brain Injury and Parkinson's Disease," Acta Neuropathologica Communications, vol. 8, no. 1 (2020), p. 45. doi=10.1186/s40478-020-00924-7, pmid=32264976, pmc=7137235, doi-access=free.