Model of NFL legend Emlen Tunnell Coast Guard cutter now on display
GARNET VALLEY, Pa. — Last October, the U.S. Coast Guard commissioned the Emlen Tunnell, a 154-foot Sentinel-class cutter, a patrol vessel used in its deepwater program. Emlen Tunnell was a 1942 Radnor High graduate who went on to become a World War II hero and the first African American and first defensive player elected to the National Football League Hall of Fame.
“To the best of our knowledge, he is the only professional athlete whose name graces a military ship,” stated Jim Vankoski, the museum curator.
To commemorate this honor, John Bullock, a model ship builder and friend of the museum, constructed a model of the Emlen Tunnell. The scale of the model is 1/48, making it 40 inches long. “We’re excited to announce that this one-of-a-kind piece of memorabilia is now on display at our museum,” Jim said.
John, a lifelong resident of Delaware County, graduated from, Drexel Hill’s Monsignor Bonner High School and was later inducted into the school’s baseball hall of fame. He went on to graduate from Villanova University, where he was a member of the varsity baseball team. Currently, he is a U.S. Coast Guard auxiliary officer, serving as a Flotilla Staff Officer for Finance, based out of the Chesapeake Flotilla. He is also the director of business development at Vaughan Baio & Partners, a Philadelphia-based law firm.
John is a member of three prestigious model ship building clubs: the Ship Model Society of New Jersey, the Philadelphia Ship Model Society, and the Nautical Research Guild.
Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum
301 Iven Ave., Wayne
Time: Monday-Friday 9AM-4PM (Saturday and Sunday tours are available by appointment)
Cost: Free
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