Grange Among 136 NFL Old-Timers to Get $500

Football immortal Red Grange was given a $500 check Friday by Pro Legends Inc., a subsidiary of NFL Alumni formed to address the inadequacies of the league’s pension plan for players retired before 1959.

Grange, the All-American halfback from Illinois nicknamed the “Galloping Ghost,” earned approximately $500 per game in his rookie pro season 60 years ago.

The 82-year-old Grange was one of 136 former players excluded from the original NFL Player retirement plan but now qualify for royalties from Pro Legends Inc.

The NFL Alumni subsidiary is a one-year-old company that reaps profits from the use of the names and reputations of former players. The $500 checks, which will be sent to the remaining 135 qualified alumni by the end of the year, each represents a 1/136th share of the company’s profits.

The qualifiers are former players who are at least 65 years old, played a minimum of five NFL seasons and retired before 1959.

Pro players who retired before 1959 were excluded from the NFL’s pension plan and are ineligible to receive benefits. More than 700 of those players are still living and have never received a pension.

Other qualified retirees include NFL Hall of Famers Sammy Baugh, Don Hutson, Sid Luckman, Marion Motley, Bronko Nagurski, Ace Parker and Steve Van Buren.