Harold "Red" Grange

After he retired from play in 1935, Grange stayed on with the Bears as an assistant coach and he also became a successful sports commentator. Again, he served as a pioneer in a relatively new venture. In the 1930s, most sports fans relied on the daily newspapers for their pre- and post-game coverage. Grange apparently won some converts. In 1937, his show's sponsors received forty-two million requests for the 'Red Grange Score Sheet,' which accompanied the show. Grange also became one of the first television sports announcers, launching that career in 1947.

While Grange received bags full of fan mail from female admirers throughout his career and had been linked to a number of Hollywood stars, his romantic life was largely subject to speculation until 1941 when he married Margaret Hazelberg in Crown Point, Indiana. The pair met on a flight to Omaha, where Margaret was working as a stewardess. The following year, Grange opened his own insurance practice, which he maintained until he and Margaret retired to Lake Wales, Florida. Grange died of complications from Parkinson's Disease in Lake Wales on January 28, 1991 at the age of 87.