John William "Bill" Guckeyson was an American athlete and military aviator. He was the first University of Maryland football player selected in the NFL Draft. Guckeyson was killed in combat as a fighter pilot during the Second World War.
Early life and college career
Guckeyson was born in Washington, D.C. and graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in 1933. While there, he played basketball, soccer, and competed in track & field. In 1932, at the Maryland state track meet, he set the state shot put record at 50 feet, which stood for 28 years. There, it is reported that Guckeyson also won the 100-yard dash event with a recorded time of 10.2 seconds. He was the captain of the basketball team for two years and the varsity soccer team for three years. Despite his high school not having a football team at the time, Guckeyson was awarded a football scholarship to attend Maryland based upon his soccer-playing ability. He attended college at the University of Maryland where he played football, basketball, and baseball, and ran track. In these athletic fields, Guckeyson compiled nine letters during his four years at Maryland. He set the school javelin throw record at 204 ft, 5 in. In both 1935 and 1936, he was named an All-Southern Conference football player and an honorable-mention All-American. Frank Dobson—who coached football for forty years at Georgia, Clemson, South Carolina, Richmond, and Maryland—said Guckeyson was the best athlete he had known. During his senior year, Guckeyson was elected class president. Guckeyson also played college soccer for the Army Black Knights men's soccer program. In 1941, he was named an NSCAA All-American, becoming the first Army soccer player to earn the distinction.
Military career
Upon graduation from Maryland, Guckeyson was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 1937 NFL Draft, making him the first Maryland player ever selected. However, he turned down offers to play professional sports, and instead accepted a nomination to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. While there, Guckeyson was no longer eligible to play football, but was named a first-team All-American in soccer in 1941. Once again, he was elected as class president. Guckeyson graduated from West Point in 1942 and received a commission as an officer in the United States Army. He again turned down offers for a professional sports career when the former Washington Senators manager, Clark Griffith, and pitcher, Walter Johnson, asked him to join the major league. He attended flight school and was certified as a fighter pilot in the United States Army Air Forces before being deployed overseas in December 1942. As a fighter pilot, Guckeyson earned a Purple Heart, three Air Medals, and two Distinguished Flying Crosses—the fourth-highest award for combat valor in flight. While serving in the 375th Fighter Squadron, 361st Fighter Group, Guckeyson flew a P-47 Thunderbolt and, after his unit transitioned to the newer airframe, a P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft. He was credited with at least 2.5 enemy aircraft kills in aerial combat: two Bf 109 fighters and a Ju-188night fighter, which was destroyed with the assistance of another pilot. Guckeyson was reportedly killed on a strafing run on 21 May 1944 when his P-51 Mustang fighter was shot down. At the time of his death, he had attained the rank of captain, and his remains were interred in France. His remains are interred at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-Avold, France. In 1955, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School named its athletic playing field Guckeyson Memorial Stadium in his honor. He was inducted into the Touchdown ClubHall of Fame, and in 1982, the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame. Maryland's M Club annually honors the University's most outstanding male student-athlete with the John W. Guckeyson award.
