John O'Quinn (football player)

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John "Red" O'Quinn (September 7, 1925 – April 21, 2002) was a star football receiver.

Born in Bluett Falls, North Carolina, he played his university football with Wake Forest University's Demon Deacons between 1946 and 1949. He was a star receiver, with 1974 career yards, his best year being 1948, when he led the nation with 39 catches for 605 yards and 7 touchdowns. He was inducted into the Wake Forest University's Sports Hall of Fame in 1975.

O'Quinn was drafted by the NFL's Chicago Bears in 1949, in the third round, 31st overall. He would play 12 games for the Bears in 1950, intercepting 3 passes and returning 1 for a touchdown. He played 2 games with the Bears in 1951 before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he played 2 more games and caught 3 passes.

Red would move north to the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, where he would play 8 seasons (1952 to 1959) and 110 regular season games. He teamed up with CFL great Sam Etcheverry to form one of the best pass and catch tandems in league history. He caught 499 passes for 7,699 yards and 34 touchdowns in his career (all team records until Ben Cahoon recently broke them) and was a 5 time all star.

He played in three Grey Cup losses, though the classic 1954 42nd Grey Cup may have been his finest game. He caught a record 13 passes for a record 316 receiving yards, with 90 of those coming on one of the best pass touchdowns in Grey Cup history (and the second longest ever.)

After his playing days he was General Manager for the Ottawa Rough Riders and the Montreal Alouettes. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1981.

He died in Ottawa, Ontario in 2002.