Charlie Choo Choo Justice

died today. He still owns lots of UNC records and several high school rushing records too

RIP 3

 

CHERRYVILLE, N.C. — Charlie ‘‘Choo-Choo’’ Justice, twice a runner-up for the Heisman Trophy while piling up yardage as an elusive running back at North Carolina in the late 1940s, died Friday morning. He was 79.

Justice had been in declining health for the last five years, according to family friend Hugh Morton, who said Justice died at 3:25 a.m. at his home in Cherryville.

‘‘The sports world and the state of North Carolina lost a legend today,’’ Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford said in a statement.

‘‘His contributions to the university and intercollegiate athletics as a whole are immeasurable,’’ Swofford said. ‘‘However, as impressive as his accomplishments were on the field, they couldn’t surpass the quality of the individual. Greatness and humility are too seldom linked, but they certainly were with Charlie.’’

North Carolina athletics director Dick Baddour called Justice, ‘‘one of the most beloved people in the history of this great university.’’

When he completed his four years at Chapel Hill, Justice gained 4,883 yards running and passing, a record that stood for 45 years until quarterback Jason Stanicek topped it in 1994. Justice was on hand to congratulate Stanicek.

‘‘He clearly was the most exciting football player that I’ve ever seen,’’ Morton said in a telephone interview.

‘‘He was the best broken field runner that has ever been as far as I’m concerned. There were all kinds of jokes and stories about his going by various locations on the field at least twice’’ in the same play, Morton said.

In 1948, Justice was second to Doak Walker of SMU in the Heisman Trophy balloting. The next season, Notre Dame’s Leon Hart got the award ahead of Justice.

North Carolina went to the Sugar Bowl twice and to the Cotton Bowl during the Justice era. The Tar Heels lost all three games, but went 32-9-2 while Justice played in Chapel Hill.

In four seasons, Justice scored 234 points and accounted for 64 touchdowns. He rushed for 2,634 yards.

Justice was named four times to the all-Southern Conference team, of which North Carolina was a member prior to joining the Atlantic Coast Conference. He was Southern Conference player of the year in 1948 and 1949.

His popularity inspired a song, ‘‘All the Way, Choo Choo,’’ recorded by bandleader Benny Goodman in 1949.

Justice went on to play for the Washington Redskins from 1950-1954. He gave fans a preview of what he had to offer in the 1950 College All-Star Game in Chicago, gaining 133 yards, 48 more than the Philadelphia Eagles collected as a team. He was named the game’s most valuable player.

Justice was honored by the Redskins in 2002 as one of the team’s 70 greatest players during its 70th anniversary celebration.

He also was the first athlete inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

Surviving members of the Justice teams from 1946-1949 were to hold their annual gathering in Chapel Hill Friday night as part of homecoming weekend.

In the book, ‘‘They Made the Bell Tower Chime,’’ Justice is said to have been given the nickname during his stint in the Navy, when a fellow sailor remarked, ‘‘He runs along just like a choo-choo train.’’ The book also says Benny Goodman and Johnny Long recorded the hit song, ‘‘All The Way Choo-Choo’’ that sold by the thousands.

Justice is survived by his wife, Sarah Hunter Justice; a daughter, Barbara Crews; two granddaughters and one great-granddaughter.

Funeral services have not been completed.

 

Unfortunately, this may be the biggest Tar Heels football story of the year. I had the honor of meeting Choo Choo years ago. He was genuine and few people ever loved their alma mater more. A fine man has passed.

Charlie Justice bio
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The North Carolina Tarheels and their highly publicized running back, Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice, were beat by the No. 5 ranked Rice Owls, 27-13, on January 2, 1950.

 

great ron green sr. column in tomorrow's observer on choo-choo.

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Season per game:
265.8 - Montrell Coley (Goldsboro), 1996
265.0 - Charlie Justice (Asheville Edwards), 1942

Season per attempt: 18.63 - Charlie Justice (Asheville Edwards), 1942
Career per attempt: 14.0 - Charlie Justice (Asheville Edwards), 1940-42

60 years and counting he still owns those NC high school records and probably always will.

 

From the High Point Enterprise "Hit and run" column, a daily short by one of their writers about the day in sports...

Back in that era, you nver had to guess who was the best player on any high school team.

The top halfback or single-wing tailback on every team wore No. 22.

That was Charlie "choo-Choo" Justice's number and no player before or since in North Carolina has stirred the interest old No. 22 did.

"Choo-Choo" gained nearly 5,000 yards running and passing during his four years at Carolina.

Maybe it wasn't the running and passing that made hom exciting. Maybe it was just the way he ran. From his tailback position on the single wing, he ranks as perhaps the best broken field runner this state has ever known.

Justice could start a sweep behind his interference, cut back behind a single blocker, reverse the field a couple of times, then tip-toe into the end zone. Fans in the stands were known to get tired and take their seats from the time he took the snap until his run was completed.

Like a true tailback of the single wing, Justice could thread a needle, with his razor-sharp passing, the eye most often being the finger tips of All-America end Art Weiner.

He could punt the ball, too, for what seemed to most high school kids a country mile.

Justice, who passed away Friday, was perhaps the state's greatest. There was a lot of football player wrapped under that No. 22 jersey.

Most of all, I guess, he was everybody's hero -- especially every single high school player in the state who every put on a uniform or ever hoped to wear a uniform. They worshiped him, and they honored him by sometimes literally fighting to wear No. 22.

-- Benny Phillips, High Point Enterprise Sports Editor

 

Damn - I just saw this.

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Yes sir the first and only time I ever wore anything for the Tar Heels. Sweat shirt with Choo Choo on it. Proudly I wore it in grammer school.

 

Spelling wasn't your best grammar school subject I hope. :shakehead

 

never has been but then again I could use spell check. But I'm not gonna.