Finley played both baseball and football at Southern Methodist University from which he graduated in 1937. He was a member of the SMU 1935 national champions and 1936 Rose Bowl team. At SMU, Finley is most famous for his play on November 30, 1935 in which No. 1 SMU played No. 2 TCU and Sammy Baugh in Ft. Worth. SMU scored the first 14 points of the game. But TCU came back and with the Horned Frogs leading late, 14–13, the Mustangs had fourth-and-four at the TCU 37. Out of punt formation, Finley threw a 37-yard touchdown to Bobby Wilson. SMU won, 20–14, and went to the Rose Bowl.\n', '

He was the varsity baseball coach at SMU from 1965 to 1976.\n', '

Finley was also a football official who worked in the Southwest Conference. He officiated professional football as an umpire and as a referee, one of nine on-field officials to serve in the American Football League (AFL) for its entire ten-year existence, 1960 through 1969. He also was a referee in the National Football League in 1970, the first season following the AFL–NFL merger. Finley retired following the 1970 season; his last game was a Pittsburgh Steelers–Philadelphia Eagles matchup at Franklin Field December 20.\n', '

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