View source for Paul Governali

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1921–1978)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name           = Paul Governali
| image          = Paul Governali 1947.jpg
| alt            =
| caption        = Governali, {{circa}} 1947
| number         = 4, 41
| position       = [[Quarterback]]
| birth_date     = {{Birth date|1921|1|5}}
| birth_place    = [[The Bronx]], New York, U.S.
| death_date     = {{Death date and age|1978|2|14|1921|1|5}}
| death_place    = [[San Diego]], California, U.S.
| height_ft      = 5
| height_in      = 11
| weight_lb      = 194
| high_school    = [[Evander Childs High School|Evander Childs]] <br> (Bronx, New York)
| college        = [[Columbia Lions football|Columbia]] (1940–1942)
| draftyear      = 1943
| draftround     = 1
| draftpick      = 4
| pastteams      = * [[Boston Yanks]] ({{NFL Year|1946|1947}})
* [[New York Giants]] ({{NFL Year|1947|1948}})
| pastcoaching   = * [[Columbia Lions football|Columbia]] (1950–1955) <br> Backfield coach
* [[San Diego State Aztecs football|San Diego State]] (1956–1960) <br> Head coach
| highlights     = * [[Maxwell Award]] (1942)
* Consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1942 College Football All-America Team|1942]])
* First-team All-Eastern ([[1942 All-Eastern football team|1942]])
* Second-team All-Eastern ([[1941 All-Eastern football team|1941]])
| statlabel1     = Passing attempts
| statvalue1     = 500
| statlabel2     = Passing completions
| statvalue2     = 218
| statlabel3     = Completion percentage
| statvalue3     = 43.6%
| statlabel4     = [[Touchdown|TD]]–[[Interception|INT]]
| statvalue4     = 31–33
| statlabel5     = Passing yards
| statvalue5     = 3,348
| statlabel6     = [[Passer rating]]
| statvalue6     = 59.5
| overall_record = {{Winning percentage|11|27|4|record=y}}
| pfr            = G/GovePa20
| CollegeHOF     = 1609 
}}

'''Paul Vincent Governali''' (January 5, 1921 – February 14, 1978), nicknamed "'''Pitchin' Paul'''", was an [[American football]] player and coach. He played [[college football]] for the [[Columbia Lions football|Columbia Lions]], where he played as a [[Halfback (American football)|halfback]]. He was a consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] in 1942, won the [[Maxwell Award]] and was runner-up to [[Frank Sinkwich]] for the [[Heisman Trophy]]. Governali passed for 1,442 yards in nine games that season, threw for 19 touchdowns, and completed 52% of his passes, all new collegiate records. He was also among the leading [[Punter (gridiron football)|punters]] in the nation. He still holds the Columbia Lions record for touchdown passes in one game, with five. He was inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] in 1986.

==Professional career==
Upon graduating in 1943, he passed up offers from both professional [[baseball]] and football teams to enlist in the [[United States Marine Corps]], where he served for three years. After the war, he played play in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) from 1946 to 1948 with [[Boston Yanks]] and the [[New York Giants]].

==After football==
Governali retired from playing following the 1948 season and returned to Columbia, where he worked as an assistant coach while pursuing his [[doctorate]] in education, which he received in 1951.

==Head coaching career==
He served as the head football coach at [[San Diego State University]] from 1956 to 1960, compiling a record of 11–27–4. He was succeeded as head coach of the [[San Diego State Aztecs football|San Diego State Aztecs]] by [[Don Coryell]].

==Head coaching record==
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[San Diego State Aztecs football|San Diego State Aztecs]]
 | conf      = [[California Collegiate Athletic Association]]
 | startyear = 1956
 | endyear   = 1960
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1956 college football season|1956]]
 | name         = [[1956 San Diego State Aztecs football team|San Diego State]]
 | overall      = 4–3–2
 | conference   = 2–1
 | confstanding = T–2nd
 | bowlname     =
 | bowloutcome  =
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1957 college football season|1957]]
 | name         = [[1957 San Diego State Aztecs football team|San Diego State]]
 | overall      = 2–7
 | conference   = 0–1
 | confstanding = 5th
 | bowlname     =
 | bowloutcome  =
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1958 college football season|1958]]
 | name         = [[1958 San Diego State Aztecs football team|San Diego State]]
 | overall      = 3–5
 | conference   = 2–3
 | confstanding = 4th
 | bowlname     =
 | bowloutcome  =
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1959 college football season|1959]]
 | name         = [[1959 San Diego State Aztecs football team|San Diego State]]
 | overall      = 1–6–1
 | conference   = 0–5
 | confstanding = 6th
 | bowlname     =
 | bowloutcome  =
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1960 college football season|1960]]
 | name         = [[1960 San Diego State Aztecs football team|San Diego State]]
 | overall      = 1–6–1
 | conference   = 0–5
 | confstanding = 6th
 | bowlname     =
 | bowloutcome  =
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = San Diego State
 | overall    = 11–27–4
 | confrecord = 4–15
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
 | overall  = 11–27–4
 | bowls    = no
 | poll     = no
 | polltype = 
 | legend   = no
}}

==Personal life==
Governali also had a minor stint as an actor, portraying a professional football player in the 1948 film titled, ''[[Triple Threat (1948 film)|Triple Threat]]''.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Top Grid Stars Appear In Picture "Triple Threat" |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121636036/messenger-inquirer/ |newspaper=[[Messenger-Inquirer|The Owensboro Messenger]] |location=[[Owensboro, Kentucky]] |date=November 28, 1948 |page=3B |access-date=March 25, 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{Open access}} }}</ref>

He and his wife, Edna, had four children: Paul, Jeannie, Nicole, and Sam.

==Death==
Governali died on February 14, 1978, at Kaiser Hospital, in [[San Diego]], following a long illness.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Paul Governali, at 56, football star in 40s |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121637211/obituary-for-paul-governoli/ |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |location=[[Boston|Boston, Massachusetts]] |date=February 16, 1978 |page=45 |access-date=March 25, 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{Open access}} }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{College Football HoF|1609}}
* {{Footballstats |nfl=paul-governali |espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |si= |pfr=G/GovePa20 |rotoworld= }}
* {{IMDb name|0332850}}
* {{Find a Grave|155489229}}

{{Navboxes
|list =
{{Columbia Lions quarterback navbox}}
{{New York Giants starting quarterback navbox}}
{{San Diego State Aztecs football coach navbox}}
{{Maxwell Award Winners}}
{{1942 NCAA Division I FBS College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{NCAA major college football passing yardage leaders}}
{{1943 NFL Draft}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Governali, Paul}}
[[Category:1921 births]]
[[Category:1978 deaths]]
[[Category:American football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:Boston Yanks players]]
[[Category:Columbia Lions football coaches]]
[[Category:Columbia Lions football players]]
[[Category:El Toro Flying Marines football players]]
[[Category:Maxwell Award winners]]
[[Category:New York Giants players]]
[[Category:San Diego State Aztecs football coaches]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Players of American football from the Bronx]]
[[Category:Coaches of American football from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Military personnel from New York City]]