Charlie Justice, 79; Two-Time Runner-Up for Heisman Trophy
Charlie “Choo-Choo” Justice, 79, a two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up at the University of North Carolina in the 1940s, died Friday after a long illness, the university announced.
Born in Asheville, N.C., Justice served in the Navy during World War II. He was a running back at North Carolina from 1946-49. He finished his career as the school’s all-time career yardage leader with 4,883, a mark that stood for 45 years until broken by quarterback Jason Stanicek in 1994.
Justice finished second to Doak Walker of Southern Methodist University in the balloting for the 1948 Heisman Trophy, which is awarded annually to college football’s top player. The next year, he was runner-up to Leon Hart of Notre Dame.
North Carolina had a 32-9-2 record during Justice’s four seasons and played in three bowl games. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1961.
Justice also played in the National Football League with the Washington Redskins in 1950 and from 1952-54.
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