Pat McHugh

William Patrick McHugh (1919 – 2004) was a professional American football player. He was defensive back and halfback in the National Football League. He is also a member of the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame and the Chattanooga Hall of Fame.

McHugh was born on December 21, 1919, in Alabama, U.S.A. He attended Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was recognized as one of the best football players in the school’s history. Because of his exceptional talent in football, he received a  scholarship from Georgia Institute of Technology. At the university, he played for their team, Yellow Jackets, and in 1946, he was chosen the university's Most Valuable Player.

The same year, in the Houston "Oil Bowl," he returned an interception seventy-three yards for a touchdown in the university’s defeat of St. Mary’s. 

After graduating, McHugh went on to play for Alfred Earle "Greasy" Neale and the Philadelphia Eagles. During his five year career - from 1947 to 1951 - with the Philadelphia Eagles, he played in three consecutive NFL world championship games, with his team winning in 1948 and 1949. 

McHugh played both offense and defense, but he was exceptional on the latter.  Coach Neale said on his defense game: "the best defender in football." 

After retiring from football, McHugh returned to Chattanooga and was employed by Combustion Engineering, where he also found the time to work as a football official in the SEC. 

McHugh died on September 19, 2004, Chattanooga, Tennessee.