‘Galloping Ghost’ Red Grange in Parkinson’s Disease Battle

Harold (Red) Grange, football’s legendary Galloping Ghost, has been found to have Parkinson’s disease but should be home from an extended-care facility in a few weeks, his wife said.

“He won’t be going dancing,” said Muggs Grange, his wife of more than 49 years, “but he’s going to outlive all of us.”

The 87-year-old Grange, one of the 17 charter members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, went in for a checkup last month at Lake Wales Hospital and was hospitalized briefly, Mrs. Grange said.

He was moved to the extended-care facility early this month and is receiving physical therapy because the disease has affected his mobility and speech, she said.

Grange was the rage of the 1920s when he made the number 77 famous during a fabulous career as a running back at the University of Illinois and later in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears.

Grange’s speed and electrifying performances helped catapult football from deep inside sports sections to front-page headlines across the country. He once modestly admitted, “Yes, I think I brought some attention to the game.”

Grange played at Illinois from 1923 to ’25 and in his junior year scored four touchdowns in one game within a period of 12 minutes, racing 95, 67, 56 and 45 yards against Michigan.

He averaged more than 8.4 yards a carry and more than 10 points a game for his combined college and pro career.