5'4" Claude "Buddy" Young, also known as the "Bronze Bullet," had exceptional quickness and acceleration. He is one of the shortest men ever to play NFL football. A world-class sprinter, Buddy Young enjoyed a lengthy pro football career and served as an assistant commissioner in the NFL. In a college career split by the armed services, the halfback earned All-America honors in 1944. Young scored 13 touchdowns in his All-America year, while rushing for 842 yards with an amazing 8.9 yards-per-carry average. He rushed for 103 yards in Illinois' 45-14 upset of un­beaten UCLA in the 1947 Rose Bowl and was selected as the game's MVP.

Born January 5, 1926 in Chicago Illinois, Claude "Buddy" Young was one of nine children and grew up in poverty with a single mother trying to make ends meet for the large family. Buddy Young grew to a mere 5' 4", but he was a quick and hard working skilled athlete that stood head and shoulders above his peers. When his Englewood High School coach refused to let him play because he was too small, he switched to rival Phillips High and returned to score four TDs against his old school.