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Charlie or Charley Conerly?

Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 2:38 pm
by JohnTurney
Most Giants media guides of the 1950s have Charley, as do football cards.

However, there are exceptions. The common usage is "Charlie" for most
people ... like "Johnny" is more common than "Johnnie" but for
Charles it is the opposite

Newspapers Archives is about 2-1 "Charley" in search hits ... from 1948-60ish
didn't do Google ...

Wikipedia, HOF and NFL.com and PFRA is "Charlie"
but "ey" seems like a majority

Re: Charlie or Charley Conerly?

Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 2:59 pm
by TanksAndSpartans
I googled for Conerly's autograph and was able to find examples of him signing it both ways. I checked another board and the son of Giants' player Hap Moran refers to him as Charley, but there was an old letter from the Giants posted that used "ie".

I had this same issue with Charlie Gelbert who played around the turn of the 20th century, but in my case the "ie" usage was pretty consistent across the sources I found, so that's the spelling I used my article.

Re: Charlie or Charley Conerly?

Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 3:22 pm
by Bryan
Image

Re: Charlie or Charley Conerly?

Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 4:58 pm
by RichardBak
Baseball great Charlie/Charley Gehringer solved the problem by signing all his autographs Chas. Gehringer.

Re: Charlie or Charley Conerly?

Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 6:45 pm
by TodMaher
I've always used Charley.

Of course, nfl.com and PFR still have Erny Pinckert as Ernie.

Re: Charlie or Charley Conerly?

Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 6:47 pm
by TodMaher
Also, is it Stephen or Steven Hauschka?

Re: Charlie or Charley Conerly?

Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 9:20 pm
by JameisBrownston
Hauschka looks like a Kendry(s) Morales situation. Listed as Steven for years until he corrected the record himself. https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/sea ... ot-steven/

There was also a Spec/Speck Sanders thread some time back. Evidence seemed to lean toward Speck being what he went by, but PFR has yet to update.

Conerly appears to be in the vein of Robby/Robbie Anderson, where it just never seemed to ossify in either direction.

Re: Charlie or Charley Conerly?

Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 10:35 pm
by JohnTurney
TodMaher wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2023 6:45 pm I've always used Charley.

Of course, nfl.com and PFR still have Erny Pinckert as Ernie.
As someone else mentioned Conerly even signed it both ways... but I always
think of "Charley" and not "Charlie" about him.

It's one of those preponderance of the evidence rather than beyond
a reasonable doubt things... it's more than a 50% chance Charley
is the more common usage for him but it's not like it's 90% either.

Re: Charlie or Charley Conerly?

Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 10:37 pm
by JohnTurney
JameisSaintston wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2023 9:20 pm Hauschka looks like a Kendry(s) Morales situation. Listed as Steven for years until he corrected the record himself. https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/sea ... ot-steven/

There was also a Spec/Speck Sanders thread some time back. Evidence seemed to lean toward Speck being what he went by, but PFR has yet to update.

Conerly appears to be in the vein of Robby/Robbie Anderson, where it just never seemed to ossify in either direction.
Yes, Speck and Spec - both were used at the tie and I think I've seen he used "Speck" in his own business
later in his life ... but when it came to football books I remember it seems "Spec" was more common.

But in his personal life "Speck" seems to be the preferred name.

Re: Charlie or Charley Conerly?

Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2023 12:46 am
by Cali_Eagle
In Perian (Charlie's wife) Conerly's book about Charlie and her life with him (Backseat Quarterback, avail at Amazon- 1963) She uses "Charlie". One would think she would know.