Education
He graduated from Girard in 1951 and was inducted into the Girard Hall of Fame in 1997.
He graduated from Girard in 1951 and was inducted into the Girard Hall of Fame in 1997.
He played high school football at Girard High School in Girard, Ohio. He played college football at the University of Toledo and was drafted by the Giants in the 1955 NFL Draft, where he played for six seasons. He was named New York"s outstanding offensive player in the game.
He left the Giants for the Minnesota Vikings, where he played in 1961 and 1962.
Including both teams, he totaled 2,857 yards and 14 touchdowns in his NFL career. Among the fans of Mel Triplett during his days on the New York Giants was a young basketball player in New York named Lew Alcindor, later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Abdul-Jabbar says in his 1983 memoir Giant Steps that it was largely Triplett"s wearing of uniform #33 that made Abdul-Jabbar adopt #33 as well, a number he made famous.