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Ettinger, who attended William Chrisman High School in 1938,1939 and 1940, made an NFL roster all the way back in 1948.
And according to many that know the history of Ettinger, he should be credited with practically inventing the quarterback rush.
In fact, Ettinger, though he played in a time when quarterback sacks were not kept track of, is thought of to be the father of the sack, thus earning the nickname "Red Dog."
Following three years on the field for the Bears and a collegiate football stint at the University of Kansas, Ettinger took his game to the NFL's New York Football Giants. His first year on the field with the Giants was in 1948, a year after he was named All-Big Six tackle at Kansas. He also played fullback, guard and center for the Jayhawks.
Ettinger's bio from the 1948 media guide reads, in part, "Still has speed of a back. Very strong and durable. Especially formidable on offense."
In the 1949 media guide, Ettinger is listed under the "guards" category instead of under the "tackles" as he was in 1948.
His 1949 bio reads, "One of the freshman 'finds' of the league last year, Red, as a rookie, was selected on several All-League teams. A throw back to the 'rock em and sock em' days, he's just a guy who likes to play football and the harder the hitting, the better.
Ettinger, who got his nickname in part because he had red hair and in part for his tenacity to rush the quarterback, did not appear on any NFL roster after 1950.
While at Chrisman, Ettinger was a two-time Greater Kansas City Conference All-Star pick, once on the second team and once on the first team.
Ettinger also played in the first night game in Chrisman history on Oct. 21, 1939 against Liberty.
As the 1939 Gleam yearbook reports, "Independence scored its greatest victory in the history of many long years of football attendance on the night of the Liberty game, October 21. In the years to come, an attendance of two thousand may become commonplace, but that first record shattering crowd conclusively proved the value of lighting the field.
"Seemingly celebrating, Ettinger kicked a field goal and, after J.W. Davis had scored in a sustained drive of sixty yards, he made a freak touchdown on his own kickoff to win 16-0."
After his career in the NFL, Ettinger played for six seasons in the Canadian Football League before landing a coaching job with the Houston Oilers for five seasons as the offensive line coach.