Ralph Heywood

Ralph Alvin Heywood (September 11, 1921 – April 10, 2007) was an American football player. He was the only National Football League player to serve in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, serving as a Marine Corps officer for 32 years. Born in Los Angeles, California, he was an All-American for USC in 1943. In 2007, Heywood died at age 85 in Bandera, Texas. During a ceremony on 25 January 2013, he was inducted into the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame.

The Detroit Lions selected Heywood in the 1944 National Football League draft while he was still at war and he began playing after completion of his service. In 1952, he returned to active duty, where he would stay until 1974.