Legendary Penn tailback dies at 66

Francis James "Reds" Bagnell, former Penn football star and Philadelphia businessman, died of heart failure Monday, July 3, at Hahnemann University Hospital. He was 66 years old. "He just died of a tired heart," a family spokesman said. "He died in his sleep." Bagnell played tailback for the Quakers from 1948 to 1950 -- the golden era of Penn football -- performing similar duties to today's quarterback. During the Bagnell era, the Red and Blue regularly squared off against national powerhouses like Army and Notre Dame in front of capacity crowds of 80,000 at Franklin Field. In those days, the Quakers led the nation in attendance and routinely outdrew their Philadelphia pigskin rivals -- the Eagles -- by a 2-1 margin. In his senior season, Bagnell was regarded as the finest tailback in the nation. In the Dartmouth game during that 1950 campaign, Bagnell completed 14 consecutive passes and accounted for 490 yards of total offense, both of which still stand as records at Penn . By year's end, Bagnell had rushed for more than 1,700 yards and tossed 88 passes without an interception. Those accomplishments earned him the prestigious Maxwell Award and the Helms Athletic Award. Bagnell finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting that year, behind winner Vic Janowicz of Ohio State and Southern Methodist's Kyle Rote. "He did a helluva job as a leader," said Chuck Bednarik, a teammate who went on to lead the Eagles to an NFL championship. "The quarterback is the most important player on the team, and he was ours. He was never a big fellow, but he had a lot of ability and he did his job." Bagnell's stellar career earned him a place in the National Football Foundation's Hall of Fame, into which he was inducted in 1977. During his time as a Quaker, Bagnell also excelled as a baseball and basketball star, becoming one of five Penn athletes in history to earn nine varsity letters. "Reds was an outstanding athlete," teammate and fellow all-American Bernie Lemonick said. "He was an amazing tailback and his performances were wonderful. He was generally very tenacious. He was always optimistic, never doubting. These qualities that made him an outstanding athlete also made him a spectacular person." Until his death, Bagnell continued to be a major supporter of Penn football. The Bagnell Award is given annually to the Quakers' most improved player. Bagnell grew up minutes away from Franklin Field. At the age of 12 he became the Quakers' waterboy. He attended West Catholic High School, which he led to Catholic League championships in 1944 and 1945. Bagnell's success continued far beyond his academic days. Upon graduation from Penn, he entered the Navy for four years, then the securities industry in Philadelphia. One of his early bosses and mentors was a young Don Regan, who went on to become Treasury Secretary in the Reagan Administration. At the time of his death, Bagnell was still the president and chief operating officer of Resource America, Inc., a publicly traded oil and gas company that he founded. Several years ago, Bagnell reentered the Penn sports scene in a major way, becoming the national chairman of the Weightman Society. His duties included encouraging and gaining financial support for the Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics at the University. "He was very personable and cared a lot about about people," Lemonick said. "He always gave back to his community -- especially the Penn community." Bagnell was also active in civic life in Philadelphia, serving on the boards of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Police Athletic League, the Easter Seal Society, the Hahnemann University Hospital Arthritis Center and the Alan Ameche Memorial Foundation. "The Penn community is deeply saddened by Reds' death," said Fran Connors, one of Penn's associate athletic directors. "He was a cherished member of the Penn athletic family, an important link to the glory days of Penn football, and a key source of support for today's Ivy League championship football program." Bagnell is survived by his wife Joanne, two children and five grandchildren. The Philadelphia Inquirer contributed to this story.