After his athletic retirement,
David (Ham) Cullen lived near Butler, but
his heart was still in Beaver County, where he was a star athlete at
Freedom High School and Geneva College. Born and raised in Conway,
he attended Freedom High School in the early 1920s and spent a year at McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois, before transferring to
Geneva. At Freedom, David won the WPIAL discus throw
championship in 1922 and set the Beaver County shot put record in
1923. He also played guard on the Bulldog football team. At Geneva,
he won honors both in track and football, and he won the shot put,
discus throw, and hammer throw championships at the Tri State
conference meets of 1926 through 1928. David also took several AAU
titles in the same events. He was a star guard on the Geneva
College football teams of 1925 through 1927 and was named to the
All Conference team twice and to the All District team in1927. At
college, Dave had brief careers in both coaching and professional
football, mixing the two occupations. He was line coach at Geneva in
1928 and an assistant football coach in 1929 and 1930. He played
semipro football for the Burns AC team of New Kensington, then pro ball for the Portsmouth Spartans as an offensive and
defensive guard from 1928 through 1930. He finished his pro career
with the Cleveland Indians in 1931.
After his athletic retirement,
David (Ham) Cullen lived near Butler, but
his heart was still in Beaver County, where he was a star athlete at
Freedom High School and Geneva College. Born and raised in Conway,
he attended Freedom High School in the early 1920s and spent a year at McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois, before transferring to
Geneva. At Freedom, David won the WPIAL discus throw
championship in 1922 and set the Beaver County shot put record in
1923. He also played guard on the Bulldog football team. At Geneva,
he won honors both in track and football, and he won the shot put,
discus throw, and hammer throw championships at the Tri State
conference meets of 1926 through 1928. David also took several AAU
titles in the same events. He was a star guard on the Geneva
College football teams of 1925 through 1927 and was named to the
All Conference team twice and to the All District team in1927. At
college, Dave had brief careers in both coaching and professional
football, mixing the two occupations. He was line coach at Geneva in
1928 and an assistant football coach in 1929 and 1930. He played
semipro football for the Burns AC team of New Kensington, then pro ball for the Portsmouth Spartans as an offensive and
defensive guard from 1928 through 1930. He finished his pro career
with the Cleveland Indians in 1931.