Art Albrecht (1921- 2004)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-31-at-5-18-30-am.png?1612095642)
Tackle/Center/Linebacker—(Wisconsin) Pittsburgh Steelers 1942, Chicago Cardinals 1943, Boston Yanks 1944
Earle "Streaky" Audet (1921-2002)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-5-52-00-am.png?1612615965)
Tackle—(Georgetown/USC) Washington Redskins 1945, Los Angeles Dons (AAFC) 1946-49, Calgary Stampeders (CFL) 1950 [All-American AAU track 1943-44]
Jim Barber (1912-1998)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2020-12-29-at-8-28-44-am.png?1609255799)
Tackle—(San Francisco) Boston Redskins 1935-36, Washington Redskins 1937-41; Great Lakes Naval Training Station Bluejackets 1942, Fleet City Bluejackets 1945 (Asst. Coach) [All-Pro 1939]
He was a really good lineman.
Sammy Baugh
Sammy Baugh
Solon “Bubo” Barnett (1921-1998)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/solon439.jpeg?1616506124)
Tackle/Guard—(Baylor) Green Bay Packers 1945-46
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/barnet84.jpeg?1616506112)
He printed all his responses on the questionnaire that I mailed to him on May 9, 1998. He did not return a signed 3x5 card so the only signature I have of his is that he signed on the 8x10 photocopied photo (above). On the questionnaire he wrote that Bulldog Turner was the hardest-hitting player who he played against.
Ed Beinor (1917-1991)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/eb22.jpg?1609262370)
Tackle/Defensive End—(Notre Dame) St. Louis Gunners (AFL) 1939, Chicago Cardinals 1940-41, Washington Redskins 1941-42 [All-American 1938]
Throughout a long, wearing schedule [1938], he has been an irreplaceable cog in a line that has absorbed terrific pounding and made his particular sector a barrier almost impassable to opposing ball carriers.
Christy Walsh
Christy Walsh
Beinor apologized for not answering some of my questions on this
2-sided note, writing that "it would take me months to recall"
2-sided note, writing that "it would take me months to recall"
Pete Berezney (1923-2008)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-05-at-4-07-59-pm.png?1612566577)
Tackle—(Notre Dame) Los Angeles Dons (AAFC) 1947, Baltimore Colts (AAFC) 1948
Jon "Ode" Bilbo (1914-2000)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-5-49-26-am.png?1612615818)
Tackle/Guard—(Mississippi) Chicago Cardinals 1938-39
Les Bingaman (1926-1970)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-17-at-5-31-22-pm.png?1613608351)
Defensive Guard/Offensive Guard—(Illinois) Detroit Lions 1948-54
Verdi "Blister" Boyer (1911-2003)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-03-at-5-27-29-am.png?1612355307)
Tackle/Guard—(UCLA) Westwood Cubs (American Legion Football League) 1935, Brooklyn Dodgers 1936, Los Angeles Bulldogs (AFL) 1937,1939, Los Angeles Bulldogs (California Football League) 1938, Los Angeles Bulldogs (PCFL) 1940-41,1944-45, Hollywood Bears (PCFL) 1942, Hollywood Rangers (PCFL) 1945
Paul Briggs (1920-2011)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-14-at-8-31-23-pm.png?1613359936)
Tackle—(Colorado) Detroit Lions 1948
Raymond "Tay" Brown (1912-1994)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-05-at-5-35-29-pm.png?1612571765)
Tackle—(USC) 1930-32 [All-American 1932, College Football Hall of Fame 1980]
Chet “Big Yank” Bulger (1917-2009)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-14-at-8-40-39-pm.png?1613360476)
Offensive Tackle/Defensive Tackle—(Auburn) Chicago Cardinals 1942-43,1945-49, Card-Pitt 1944, Detroit Lions 1950
I had a great time [at Auburn]. I did OK as a player, but never thought about playing in the pros. The great Jock Sutherland saw me on a scouting trip, however, and said, “Chet, you must play.” I was going to sign with the Providence Steamrollers for $160, but the Cardinals offered $250. I took it. [Playing with the Cardinals was] the greatest experience of my life. I loved those guys. I couldn't believe what we had done when we won. I just sat there in a chair and went blank like I was in shock. We were so tired, but the [1947 national] championship was ours. My only touchdown in the NFL. It's in the book as a 14-yard fumble return, but it wasn't a fumble. I took the ball right out of [Rams quarterback] Bob Waterfield's hands and ran it in. It was in old Comiskey Park, and I almost went over the first-base railing. We didn't like the Bears. To them, we were just the other team in town. . . . Our checks for winning the world championship were $1,132 (to $754 for each Eagle). With it, I bought the first new car in my life. It was a four-door Super Deluxe Ford with white-wall tires and a seven-tube radio. I'd gone to college in a Model-T Ford. . . . I wasn't drafted. When I came out of the Marine Corps in 1942, I tried out for the Cardinals and barely made the team, even with the wartime player shortages. [My greatest day was] when the Cardinals beat the Eagles 28-21 over the frozen turf at Comiskey Park in the 1947 NFL title game. I blocked Al Wistert and Plato Andros blocked Bucko Kilroy, twice opening holes for Elmer Angsman to score 70-yard touchdowns. [One day] I was chasing Frank Seno of the Giants near the sidelines and one of the guys got off the bench to clip me from behind. All the officials were watching Seno and ignored my pleas. In our day we played more man-for-man. Today's players are better and stronger, because of the weight programs. All we lifted was a bottle of beer. . . . Toward the end of my career, the Cardinals said they were going to play younger tackles, but Halas wanted me for the Bears. I said, “No way will I play for that man,” so I went to Detroit, played another year and retired. A few years later, I went to Wrigley to watch a game and there, on top of the ramp where the Bears had their locker room, was Papa George. He yelled, “Security, stop that man,” ran down the steps and started chasing me. I got away by hiding behind a pillar. Years later, at my 1983 De La Salle retirement, I got an envelope with Chicago Bears on it and inside was a substantial check and a nice letter from George saying he always admired me as a player. It was one of the nicest things to happen to me.
Chet Bulger
Chet Bulger
Art Buss (1911-1998)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2020-12-29-at-1-20-50-pm.png?1609273362)
Tackle—(Michigan State) Chicago Bears 1934-35, Philadelphia Eagles 1936-37
Rocco “The Walking Billboard” Canale (1921-1995)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-05-at-5-47-24-pm.png?1612572494)
Tackle/Guard—(Boston College) First Air Force Aces 1945; Phil-Pitt Steagles 1943, Philadelphia Eagles 1944-45, Boston Yanks 1945-47
Roland Caranci (1921-1998)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-05-at-5-58-00-pm.png?1612573268)
Tackle—(Colorado) New York Giants 1944
We were 1944 Eastern Div. Champions. Lost to Green Bay 14-7 in World Championship playoff.
Roland Caranci, note to Mel Bashore, 1992
Roland Caranci, note to Mel Bashore, 1992
George Christensen (1909-1968)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-17-at-11-47-38-am.png?1613587704)
Tackle/Guard—(Oregon) Portsmouth Spartans 1931-33, Detroit Lions 1934-38
Joe Cibulas (1921-1998)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-05-at-6-03-56-pm.png?1612573606)
Tackle—(Duquesne) Pittsburgh Steelers 1945
George “Moose” Connor (1925-2003)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/gc746.jpeg?1609934381)
Offensive Tackle/Linebacker/Defensive Tackle/Offensive Guard—(Holy Cross/Notre Dame) Chicago Bears 1948-55 [All-American 1942,1946-47, Outland Award 1946, College Football Hall of Fame 1963; Pro Football Hall of Fame 1975]
The Cardinals always loved playing the Bears. I played center once against George, their great linebacker. We had a grand time going at each other, then walked off the field laughing and joking.
Jerry Groom
Jerry Groom
Leon Cook (1920-1998)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-05-at-8-36-16-pm.png?1612582685)
Tackle—(Northwestern) Philadelphia Eagles 1942
Tex Coulter (1924-2007)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-05-at-8-43-05-pm.png?1612583013)
Offensive Tackle/Defensive Tackle/Center/Offensive End—(Army) New York Giants 1946-52, Montreal Alouettes (CFL) 1953-56 [All-American 1945, All Pro 1951]
[One] year one of our linemen, Tex Coulter, held out for more money and missed most of training camp. Steve Owen was so mad about it that just a few days after Tex reported, Steve started him in an exhibition game in Dallas and left him on the field for the entire game, on offense and defense, in 98-degree heat. Tex lost 25 pounds that day and the rest of the team gained a new understanding of the price you pay to fight management.
Tom Landry
Tom Landry
Denver Crawford (1921-2005)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-05-at-8-54-33-pm.png?1612583731)
Tackle—(Tennessee) Maxwell Field Marauders 1944, AAFTC Skymasters 1945; New York Yankees (AAFC) 1949
I made rookie of the year [1949].
Denny Crawford
Denny Crawford
Slade Cutter (1911-2005)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-5-32-09-am.png?1612614757)
Tackle—(Navy) [All-American 1934, College Football Hall of Fame 1967]
Zygmont "Ziggy" Czarobski (1922-1984)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-27-at-7-40-21-pm.png?1611801664)
Tackle—(Notre Dame) Bainbridge Naval Training Station Commodores 1944, Chicago Rockets (AAFC) 1948, Chicago Hornets (AAFC) 1949 [All-American 1947, College Football Hall of Fame 1977]
Frank Damiani (1922-1998)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-14-at-8-47-40-pm.png?1613361074)
Tackle—(Manhattan) New York Giants 1944, First Air Force Aces 1945 [All Service Team 1945]
Dick Danehe (1920-2018)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-20-at-5-35-17-am.png?1613824616)
Tackle/Center—(USC) Santa Ana Army Air Base Fliers 1942, Personnel Distribution Command Comets 1945, Los Angeles Bulldogs (PCFL) 1946, Los Angeles Dons (AAFC) 1947-48
Averell "Ave" Daniell (1914-1999)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2020-12-29-at-7-44-52-pm.png?1609296391)
Tackle—(Pittsburgh) Green Bay Packers 1937, Brooklyn Dodgers 1937 [All-American 1936, College Football Hall of Fame 1975]
He was Pitt’s best defense against passing plays because of his height and ranginess.
Alan Gould
Alan Gould
Nick Daukas (1922-2003)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-5-41-55-am.png?1612615549)
Tackle—(Dartmouth) Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC) 1946-47
Bob Davis (1927-2010)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-5-03-09-am_orig.png)
Tackle—(Georgia Tech) Boston Yanks 1948 [All-American 1947, College Football Hall of Fame 1978]
Leo "Moose" Disend (1915-1985)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-6-44-25-am.png?1612619103)
Tackle—(Albright) Brooklyn Dodgers 1938-39, Green Bay Packers 1940
Ted Doyle (1914-2006)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-6-53-52-am.png?1612619681)
Tackle/Guard—(Nebraska) Pittsburgh Pirates 1938, Pittsburgh Steelers 1939-42,1945, Phil-Pitt Steagles 1943, Card-Pitt 1944
Nick Drahos (1918-2018)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/screen-shot-2021-01-30-at-5-58-23-am_orig.png)
Tackle/End—(Cornell) New York Americans (AFL) 1941 [All-American 1939, College Football Hall of Fame 1981]
Elwyn "Moose" Dunstan (1915- 1999)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-13-at-8-33-51-am.png?1610552100)
Tackle—(Portland) Chicago Cardinals 1938-39, Cleveland Rams 1939-41, Oakland Giants (PCFL) 1943
Bob Emerick (1913-2003)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-7-01-38-am.png?1612620170)
Tackle—(Miami, Ohio) Detroit Lions 1934, New York Yanks (AFL) 1936, Cleveland Rams 1937
We played both ways . . . and it was tough football.
Bob Emerick, excerpt of letter to Mel Bashore, Jan. 2, 1990
Bob Emerick, excerpt of letter to Mel Bashore, Jan. 2, 1990
John “Ace” Federovitch (1917-2003)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/screen-shot-2020-12-30-at-7-46-18-am_orig.png)
Tackle—(Davis & Elkins) Chicago Bears 1941,1946
John "Big John" Ferraro (1924-2001)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-7-06-50-am.png?1612620434)
Tackle—(USC) [All-American 1944,1947, College Football Hall of Fame 1974, Canadian Football Hall of Fame 1966, Rose Bowl Hall of Fame 1996]
If any tackle played better than John Ferraro, he must be Superman and Hercules rolled into one.
Braven Dyer, Los Angeles Times
Braven Dyer, Los Angeles Times
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/ferraro84_orig.jpeg)
John Ferraro was one of five 1944 Central Press All-Americans who signed this news article. The others included John Tavener, Les Horvath, Doc Blanchard, and Glenn Davis. The CPA All-Americans were picked by football captains of teams throughout the nation. The article stated that Ferraro "was the best lineman on the coast, picked by all captains participating in the poll."
Leon Fichman (1921-2009)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-5-25-40-am.png?1613391967)
Tackle—(Alabama) Detroit Lions 1946-47
Before the game, they would announce the starters for both teams. When you'd run out onto the field, there'd be 55,000 people cheering and you'd think "Gee, I'm living in ecstasy. I've made it, and here I am." That's all I could say. You can't beat it.
Leon Fichman, on playing pro football with the Lions
Leon Fichman, on playing pro football with the Lions
Leon sent me a large packet of photos, a 4-page 2-sided handwritten letter, newspaper clippings, and other paper documents in February 2007. I telephoned him to thank him and had a delightful Sunday afternoon visit. If only I had followed up on my prompting to interview him before he passed away. Drats! He was a wonderful guy. He received a lot of attention in the press in his later years for his association with Babe Ruth in motion pictures. He was a child actor in Hollywood from 1923 to 1935, playing in films with such well-known actors as Will Rogers and Mickey Rooney. He told me about pitching to the Babe, sitting on his lap, and having Babe sign an autographed ball for him which his brother used to play baseball with.
Ralph "Burley" Foster (1917-1999)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-9-44-00-am.png?1612629915)
Tackle—(Idaho/Oklahoma A&M) Chicago Cardinals 1945-46
I was drafted by the Cards in 1940 but ended up in the Navy—discharged early—went back to school—war time rules allowed me to resume football. Had a good year, ended up with Cards.
Ralph Foster, excerpt of letter to Mel Bashore, June 9, 1993
Ralph Foster, excerpt of letter to Mel Bashore, June 9, 1993
Ed Franco (1915-1992)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-01-at-2-21-58-pm.png?1609537241)
Tackle—(Fordham) Boston Yanks 1944 [All-American 1937-38, College Football Hall of Fame 1980]
The Fordham Rams of the 1930's were one of college football's powerhouse teams. Fordham's success was built on the strength of its line, which became known as the "Seven Blocks of Granite." Ed Franco and Alex Wojciechowicz were two "granite blocks" that later became members of the College Football Hall of Fame. Vince Lombardi was another member of that famous line. Known as "Devil Doll," Franco came from Dickinson High School in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Fordham. He was elected president of the freshman class. The 5-8, 196-pound Franco started as a guard for the Rams and was moved to tackle. In 1935 the Rams posted a 6-1-2 record with five shutouts. The 1936 squad lost only one game, the season final to New York University. Franco was captain of the East team in the East-West Shrine game. Following graduation, he returned to Fordham as a line coach and later worked for Vince Lombardi as a scout for the Green Bay Packers.
Len Frketich (1917-1999)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-29-at-5-30-22-pm.png?1611966683)
Tackle—(Penn State) Pittsburgh Steelers 1945, Chicago Bears 1945-47, Bloomfield Cardinals (AFL) 1947
Tony Furst (1918-2009)
Tackle—(Dayton) Detroit Lions 1940-41,1944,1946 [Little All-American 1939]
Bob Gonya (1910-1999)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2020-12-31-at-7-13-36-am.png?1609424131)
Tackle/Offensive End/Defensive End—(Northwestern) Philadelphia Eagles 1933-34
My original position was tackle and end—played offense and defense, no face protection—Great fun. I had to play any position if someone got hurt. I even kicked off once and did fairly well.
Bob Gonya, excerpt of letter to Mel Bashore, 1991
Bob Gonya, excerpt of letter to Mel Bashore, 1991
In Bob's 2-page letter to me, he noted that they generally began the season with 25 players on the roster, but "we would finish the season with only about 17 fit players." In 1933, he was paid $75 per game played. In 1934, he was paid $100 if he started the game, but only $90 if he didn't start. He played against Red Grange in "his farewell to Pro Football in 1934." He said that the best running back on the Eagles was Swede Hansen.
Hank Goodman (1917-2007)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-5-37-41-am.png?1613392782)
Tackle—(St. Bonaventure/George Washington/West Virginia) Detroit Lions 1942; Fort Benning Fourth Infantry Raiders 1944, Fort Benning Infantry Doughboys 1945 (player-asst. coach)
Lou "The Toe" Groza (1924-2000)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2020-12-31-at-11-40-27-am.png?1609440057)
Offensive Tackle/Defensive Tackle/Kicker—(Ohio State) Cleveland Browns (AAFC/NFL) 1946-59,1961-67 [Pro Football Hall of Fame 1974]
One of the principal entertainments for the newcomers that year [1957] was watching Lou Groza dress. Lou had been the league's premier place-kicker for a number of years, but was getting a bit long in the tooth and large in the waistband. Lou's football beginnings as an offensive tackle had whetted his appetite—he loved spaghetti—and his 6-4, 260-pound frame saw a lot of the pounds gravitating toward his equator. Long before Joe Namath donned panty hose for a television commercial, Groza was wiggling into a Playtex girdle prior to donning his football pants, in an effort to camouflage his impressive girth. It took a lot of talcum powder and a routine which rivaled that of Gypsy Rose Lee. The rookies loved it. Except that nobody laughed right out loud. Lou was a sensitive guy . . .
Don Paul
Don Paul
Ed Healey (1894-1978)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-20-at-9-08-52-am.png?1613837399)
Tackle/Guard/End—(Dartmouth) Rock Island Independents (American Professional Football Association) 1920-22, Chicago Bears 1923-27 [All Pro 1922-26, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1964, College Football Hall of Fame 1974]
Frank Hrabetin (1915-2004)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-7-24-18-am.png?1612621515)
Tackle—(Loyola, L.A.) Sampson Naval Training Station Bluejackets 1943, Bainbridge Naval Training Station Commodores 1944, Pearl Harbor Pacific All-Stars 1945; Philadelphia Eagles 1942, Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC) 1946, Miami Seahawks (AAFC) 1946
Burt Ingwersen (1898-1969)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-03-20-at-6-57-51-am.png?1616245156)
Tackle—(Illinois) Decatur Staleys 1920; Coach—Iowa 1924-31
Mike "Big Mike" Jarmoluk (1922-2004)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-7-35-11-am.png?1612622206)
Defensive Tackle/Offensive Tackle/Defensive End/Defensive Guard/Offensive End—(Temple) Chicago Bears 1946-47, Boston Yanks 1948, New York Bulldogs 1949, Philadelphia Eagles 1949-55
I never wore a face mask, and my last game I was tackling somebody, and my chin came down right on his heel, and my teeth were knocked right through my skin. At halftime, I was stitched up, had a face guard sewn onto my helmet, and I went out and got Otto Graham three more times. It didn't get any better than that.
Mike Jarmoluk
Mike Jarmoluk
Clyde "Big Train" Johnson (1917-1997)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-7-39-39-am.png?1612622410)
Tackle—(Kentucky) Fort Benning Fourth Infantry Raiders 1944, Fort Benning Infantry Doughboys 1945; Los Angeles Rams 1946-47, Los Angeles Dons (AAFC) 1948 [All-American 1942]
Nate Johnson (1920-2004)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/johnsonate335.jpeg?1613598708)
Defensive Tackle/Offensive Tackle—(Illinois) Great Lakes Naval Training Station Bluejackets 1942, Fleet City Bluejackets 1945, New York Yankees (AAFC) 1946-47, Chicago Rockets (AAFC) 1948, Chicago Hornets (AAFC) 1949, New York Yanks 1950
Mike Jurich (1919-1996)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-7-47-28-am.png?1612622984)
Tackle—(Denver) Brooklyn Dodgers 1941-42
Royal "King Kong" Kahler (1918-2005)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-7-52-56-am.png?1612623217)
Tackle—(Nebraska) Pittsburgh Steelers 1941, Green Bay Packers 1942
Russell "Rusty" Kane (1920-1995)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/rk296.jpeg?1609595593)
Tackle—(East Central Oklahoma) New York Giants 1944-45
Although this autographed game program given to me by Rusty Kane lists his name as Herbert Kane, he went by and signed his name as Rusty. His signature is between the signatures of Tuffy Leemans (above) and Bill Paschal and ONeale Adams (below), in the lower left quadrant. I wrote an article about the rewarding relationship fostered with Russell and his widow, Maxine, simply by asking for his autograph. He died only weeks after speaking with me and sending me autographs and New York Giants game programs from 1944 (including one signed by 20 of his teammates including Arnie Herber and Tuffy Leemans). The article appeared in the June/July 2007 issue of Autograph Collector. It was entitled "A Race against Time: One Person's Quest for Yesterday's Sports Heroes Yields Unexpected Rewards."
Ed Karpowich (1912-2005)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-30-at-1-23-05-pm.png?1612038224)
Tackle—(Catholic University) Washington Presidents (Dixie League) 1937, Pittsburgh Pirates 1936-38, Pittsburgh Steelers 1939, Buffalo Indians (AFL) 1940, Hollywood Bears 1941 (PCFL), Hartford Blues (AFL) 1942 [his playing name was Ed Karp; AFL All-League 1940]
We had a player by the name of Ed Karpowich, and he even took care of us [Art Rooney's children] in the off-season. One winter we went to Florida for a vacation, and he went with us.
Dan Rooney
Dan Rooney
Mike "Battleship" Kasap (1922-1994)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-7-58-13-am.png?1612623589)
Tackle—(Illinois/Purdue) Camp Pendleton Marines 1945; Baltimore Colts (AAFC) 1947
Tom “Kutch” Kearns (1919-2007)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-9-49-00-am.png?1612630198)
Tackle—(Miami, FL) New York Giants 1945, Chicago Cardinals 1946
Ray "King Kong" Keeling (1915-1996)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-9-57-03-am.png?1612630711)
Tackle—(Texas) Philadelphia Eagles 1938-39
At 273 pounds, Keeling was the heaviest man in the NFL in 1938.
Ray Kemp (1907-2002)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-20-at-7-56-35-am.png?1613833047)
Tackle—(Duquesne) Erie Pros 1932, West View (Senior Independent Conference) 1932, Pittsburgh Pirates 1933; Coach—Bluefield State College 1934, Lincoln University 1935-44 [Honorable Mention All-American 1931]
[I was] one of [the] first 2 blacks to play in [the] N.F.L . . . . .[I] confronted a great deal of racism. I played for $40 a game. I always admired Art Rooney. He gave me a chance to be a pioneer. Considering the racial situation, it was a fun thing for me. You have to pay a price for being a pioneer. It was a gentlemen's agreement. They weren't recruiting blacks anymore [after 1933]. He [Redskins owner George Preston Marshall] said there would never be a black man on his team. He was an out-and-out racist.
Ray Kemp
Ray Kemp
Frank "Bruiser" Kinard (1914-1985)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-07-at-11-10-05-am.png?1610043047)
Tackle—(Mississippi) Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers 1938-44, Fleet City Bluejackets 1945, New York Yankees (AAFC) 1946-47 [All-American 1936-37, College Football Hall of Fame 1951, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1971]
John Kissell (1923-1992)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-10-02-12-am.png?1612630986)
Defensive Tackle/Offensive Tackle—(Boston College) Buffalo Bills (AAFC) 1948-49, Cleveland Browns 1950-52,1954-56
John Kissell was the toughest son of a gun we ever had. He didn't talk. He just growled. He'd go crazy.
Tony Adamle
Tony Adamle
Earl “Elk” Klapstein (1922-1997)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-10-05-51-am.png?1612631195)
Tackle—(Pacific) San Diego NTC Bluejackets 1944-45, Pittsburgh Steelers 1946
John "Big John" Koniszewski (1921-2003)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-29-at-12-55-00-pm.png?1611950141)
Tackle—(George Washington) Washington Redskins 1945-46,1948, Wilkes-Barre Barons (AFL) 1947
Drafted by Philadelphia Eagles [in] 1943. Served in Marines with 2nd Marine Division which spearheaded the invasion on Saipan and Tinian Islands in the Mariannas Islands. Received [the] Purple Heart, wounded in Saipan campaign.
John Koniszewski, note to Mel Bashore, 1994
John Koniszewski, note to Mel Bashore, 1994
Mike Kostiuk (1919-2015)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-29-at-3-18-29-pm.png?1611958819)
Tackle—(Detroit Tech) Jersey City Giants (American Association) 1941, Cleveland Rams 1941, Detroit Lions 1945, Paterson Panthers (AFL) 1947 [Little All-American 1939]
Ed "Moose" Krause (1913-1992)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-11-06-58-am.png?1612634842)
Tackle—(Notre Dame) 1931-33 [Football All-American, 1934, Basketball Hall of Fame 1976]
They talk about Gipper, Rockne, the Four Horsemen, but I think he was the true legend.
Gerry Faust
Gerry Faust
Frank Kristufek (1915-1998)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/screen-shot-2021-03-24-at-5-43-08-am_orig.png)
I found his signature on his WWII draft registration card that he filled out when he was 24 years old. He filled the card out on October 16, 1940, when he was on the roster of the Dodgers. Interestingly, he typed on the questionnaire that his middle name was Charles. Some public records give Charles as his middle name while other records indicate it was Paul, as here recorded. It's a puzzle.
Joe Kurth (1914-1987)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-30-at-11-59-29-am.png?1612034332)
Tackle—(Wisconsin/Notre Dame) Green Bay Packers 1933-34, La Crosse Lagers (Tri-State League) 1934-35, Rock Island Independents/Tigers (Northwest Pro Football League) 1936, Kenosha Cardinals (AFL) 1940 [All-American 1931-32]
I have played football since I was 12 years old. I started real competition when I entered Madison East high school, playing three years there. I enrolled at Wisconsin and played freshman ball at that institution. I left there and lived in Los Angeles for four years after which I enrolled at Notre Dame. I made the late Knute Rockne's 1930 national championship team as a regular right tackle. One of my happiest remembrances of that year was that I made that team as a sophomore, being the only sophomore ever to play on a Rockne-coached national championship team. I remained at right tackle under Anderson in 1931 and 1932, attaining All-American ranking in both years. Following graduation in June of 1933 I signed a contract with the Green Bay Packers and played the season of 1933 and half of 1934. I had dependents and because of the fact that no coaching jobs came my way I entered professional ranks.
Joe Kurth
Joe Kurth
John "Chief" Kuzman (1915-2008)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-29-at-7-23-04-am.png?1611930231)
Tackle—(Fordham) Chicago Cardinals 1941, North Carolina Pre-flight Cloudbusters 1942-43, St. Mary's Pre-flight Air Devils 1945, San Francisco 49ers (AAFC) 1946, Chicago Rockets (AAFC) 1947, Jersey City Giants (AFL) 1948-49
Clayt Lane (1922-2000)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-11-13-05-am.png?1612635234)
Tackle—(New Hampshire) New York Yankees (AAFC) 1948
Steve "Big Steve" Levanitis (1920-1997)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-11-21-13-am.png?1612635899)
Tackle—(Boston College) Philadelphia Eagles 1942, Pittsburgh Steelers 1946
Ted Livingston (1913-1984)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-30-at-7-47-24-am.png?1612018146)
Tackle/Guard—(Indiana) Cleveland Rams 1937-40, Columbus Bullies (AFL) 1941
Dick Loepfe (1922-2010)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-5-50-50-am.png?1613393549)
Tackle—(Wisconsin) U.S. Submarine Base Undersea Raiders 1945; Chicago Cardinals 1948-49
Larry Lutz (1913-1998)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-04-at-5-09-19-am.png?1609762197)
Tackle—(California) Salinas Packers 1936-37, St. Mary's Pre-Flight Air Devils 1942 [All-American 1935]
I was drafted by the Boston Red Skins . . . .The pay at that time was $135 to $145 per game . . . .Since I needed a few more units to graduate, I decided to go back to school. I was hired as a Line Coach for the U. C. freshman team while going to school. During this period the Salinas Ice Berg Packers was being organized and I agreed to play with them for $100 a game, which along with my freshman football salary was better than the pro offer . . . .The Salinas team was financed by the Lettuce and Vegetable Growers of the area . . . .I played for two years with the Salinas Packers before they folded.
Larry Lutz, excerpt from letter to Mel Bashore . . .
Larry Lutz, excerpt from letter to Mel Bashore . . .
This 3-page letter written to Mel Bashore in the 1990s appears to have
been drafted by someone other than Larry, but signed by him
been drafted by someone other than Larry, but signed by him
John Matisi (1920-1997)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-11-42-57-am.png?1612637040)
Tackle—(Duquesne) Brooklyn Dodgers 1943, Buffalo Bisons (AAFC) 1946
Frank Merritt (1920-1995)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-11-46-49-am.png?1612637260)
Tackle—(Army) Third Air Force Gremlins 1945 [All-American 1942-43, College Football Hall of Fame 1996]
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/merritt52.jpeg?1612822126)
Frank Merritt was a 6-foot, 3-inch, 215-pound tackle who made All-America in 1942 and 1943. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy June 6, 1944. Merritt served as a pilot and for the period 1967-1976 was director of athletics for the U.S. Air Force Academy. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf clusters, the Distinguished Unit Citation, and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. In 1980 he was named to the Hall of Fame of NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics).
Dick Mesak (1919-2009)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-5-58-32-am.png?1613394329)
Tackle—(St. Mary’s, Calif.) Oakland Giants (PCFL) 1940, San Francisco Packers (PCFL) 1941, San Francisco Clippers (PCFL) 1945, Detroit Lions 1945
Rollie Moynagh (1904-1995)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-03-20-at-3-48-48-pm.png?1616277280)
Tackle—(St. Thomas, 1924-26)
Evert "Packy" Nelson (1907-1992)
Tackle—(Illinois) Chicago Bears 1929
Ralph "Biff" Niehaus (1917-2010)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-30-at-8-24-05-am.png?1612020330)
Tackle—(Dayton) Cleveland Rams 1939, Columbus Bullies (AFL) 1940-41 [Little All-American 1936, A.P. All-Ohio 1937]
Derrell Palmer (1922-2009)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-6-08-36-am.png?1613394561)
Defensive Tackle/Offensive Tackle—(TCU) Fleet Marine Force Pacific 1945, New York Yankees (AAFC) 1946-48, Cleveland Browns (AAFC/NFL) 1949-53 [All-American (INS) 1942]
I played a few 60 minute games, [but] couldn’t play a lick of defense. . . . I never could beat Arnie [Weinmeister], but he never beat me by much more than half a step.
Derrell Palmer
Derrell Palmer
John Prchlik (1925-2003)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-1-22-09-pm.png?1612643234)
Defensive Tackle/Offensive Tackle—(Yale) Detroit Lions 1948-53
Ben Pucci (1925-2013)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-03-20-at-7-37-07-am.png?1616247493)
Tackle—Hollywood Rangers (PCFL) 1944, Los Angeles Wildcats (PCFL) 1944, Buffalo Bisons (AAFC) 1946, Chicago Rockets (AAFC) 1947, Cleveland Browns (AAFC) 1948
Phil Ragazzo (1915-1994)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-1-30-43-pm.png?1612643545)
Tackle—(Western Reserve) Cleveland Rams 1938-40, Philadelphia Eagles 1940-41, Bainbridge Naval Training Station 1943 (player-assistant coach), Fort Pierce Naval Amphibious Training Base Commandos 1944, Little Creek (VA) Naval Amphibious Base Amphibs 1945, New York Giants 1945-47
Buford “Baby” Ray (1914-1986)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-1-36-14-pm.png?1612643831)
Tackle—(Vanderbilt) Green Bay Packers 1938-48 [All Pro 1943]
Charlie “Flash” Ream (1913-2010)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-6-16-23-am.png?1613395213)
Tackle—(Ohio State) Iowa Pre-flight Seahawks 1942; Cleveland Rams 1938
Bob Reinhard (1920-1996)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-1-40-26-pm.png?1612644069)
Defensive Tackle/Fullback/Offensive Tackle—(California) Los Angeles Dons (AAFC) 1946-49, Los Angeles Rams 1950 [All-American 1940-41, All Pro 1948-49]
Bob Reinhard . . . was the best lineman I played against.
Lou Rymkus
Lou Rymkus
Joe Repko (1920-1997)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/repk3892.jpeg?1610025776)
Tackle—(Boston College) Pittsburgh Steelers 1946-47, Los Angeles Rams 1948-49
The reason I had to quit playing was . . . I tore the muscle in my thigh.
Joe Repko, note to Mel Bashore
Joe Repko, note to Mel Bashore
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/repk382_orig.jpeg)
This article reported the results of the opening regular season game between the Steelers and Lions on 21 September 1947. The article reports that Repko, a 235 pound tackle, "scooped up a fumble and raced 60 yards for a touchdown." That proved to be the margin of victory in the 17-10 win for the Steelers. The game was played in Pittsburgh before more than 36,000 fans. "The reason the game was so crowded," wrote Repko, "was that [Bullet Bill] Dudley refused to play for [Steeler's coach] Jock Sutherland and quit the Steelers the year before and this was the first game of the season and Jock wanted this game bad because he hated Dudley's guts for some statement he made in the papers. Jock died the next year."
Bob "Horse" Reynolds (1914-1994)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-1-48-05-pm_orig.png)
Tackle—(Stanford) Detroit Lions 1937-38 [All-American 1934-35, College Football Hall of Fame 1961]
My biggest thrill at Stanford? That's easy. It was the night I took a horse up to Bob Reynolds' room. He played tackle for us. Came from Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Didn't care much about company. Always wanted to be alone. I figured he missed the wide open spaces. So one night I went down and stole a horse and walked it five miles and brought it up to his room, two flights. I think it was the biggest belt he got out of Stanford. He threw his arms around the horse and cried, "Betsy, you're here at last." After that he was the best man we had in the line. . . .Horse was an excellent blocker, and was quick in pulling out of his tackle slot and lending interference. When he was paving the way, he banged the defenders down as though they were wooden Indians. He really cleared a path for you.
Bobby Grayson
Bobby Grayson
Bob "Horse" Reynolds played the full 60 minutes in three Rose Bowl games, thus setting a record for the annual New Year's Day football classic. Standing 6-4 and weighing 220- pounds, it's easy to see why Reynolds was called "Horse." He was the plow which dug deep furrows into enemy defenses, clearing the way for Hall of Fame backs Bobby Grayson and "Bones" Hamilton. It was the era of Stanford "Vow Boys," those dedicated men who vowed never to lose to Southern Cal and never did. Grayson called him "a great blocker. He knocked people down like they were wooden statues." Reynolds was born March 30, 1914, in Morris, Oklahoma, and played high school football at Okmulgee, Oklahoma. He went to Stanford and made All-America tackle in 1934. Reynolds went into the broadcasting business in 1938 and became general manager of Gene Autry's broadcasting company, an officer of the California Angels baseball team and Los Angeles Rams football team.
Thron Riggs (1921-2015)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-03-03-at-3-16-39-pm.png?1614810023)
Tackle—(Washington) Boston Yanks 1944
George Roman (1925-2002)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-2-37-30-pm.png?1612647538)
Defensive Tackle/Offensive Tackle—(Western Reserve) Boston Yanks 1948, New York Bulldogs 1949, New York Giants 1950, Montreal Alouettes (CFL) 1951
He was just so big that he'd just roll over you in games. There wasn't just two guys on him. Sometimes it took three guys on him to knock him down. Back in those days if you were 180, 190 pounds you were a brute. He was 6-4, 220 in high school easy. But he was also a calm individual. Just because he was big, he wasn't one of those bullies.
Bill Patellos
Bill Patellos
Torance "Bo" Russell, Jr. (1916-1997)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-2-49-34-pm.png?1612648235)
Tackle—(Auburn) Washington Redskins 1939-40
We beat the Redskins out of the Eastern Division championship [in 1939] when Bo Russell kicked a last-minute field goal that could have won the game for them, but it was ruled no good. We were winning 9-7 at the time. I was backing up the line and the Redskins had worked the ball down to about our 25-yard line. There were only about forty-five seconds to go. Russell lined up and kicked the ball. It looked like it was good to a lot of people. But the referee, Bill Halloran, gave the signal that it was no good. Ray Flaherty, who was coaching the Redskins, and practically their entire bench came running out onto the field and raised the dickens about it. But Halloran paid no attention to them, and we won the game. I had a pretty good angle to see it, and it looked to me like he missed it. The Redskins sure didn’t think so, however.
Mel Hein
Mel Hein
George Savitsky (1924-2012)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-08-at-8-00-33-am.png?1612796490)
Tackle—(Pennsylvania) Philadelphia Eagles 1948-49 [All-American 1944-47, College Football Hall of Fame 1991]
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/savit666.jpeg?1612797277)
George Savitsky was only a freshman tackle at Pennsylvania when he made the All-America team of Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) in 1944. He was a consensus choice, making six All-America teams in 1945. The next two years he was on the team named by the Football Writers Association. This made him a four-time All-America, the first since 1901. He played in the Shrine East-West Game as a freshman, sophomore and senior. He is the only player ever chosen for the game three times, and he was named to the all-time Shrine team. He attended the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and, as Dr. Savitsky, practiced oral surgery in Ocean City, New Jersey, until he retired in 1990. But there is more to the Savitsky story. He spent two years in the Marines before he went to college, and he played one year with the Philadelphia Eagles while attending medical school. His college record shows more highlights. He was captain of the Pennsylvania team for the game with Michigan in 1944 - while only a freshman. In addition to football, he was a shot putter on the track team, a member of the varsity wrestling team, manager of the basketball team. He played the bass violin in the student orchestra and acted in three plays.
Ralph Sazio (1922-2008)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-6-24-20-am.png?1613395511)
Tackle—(William & Mary) Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC) 1948, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL) 1950-53; Coach—Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL) 1963-67 [Canadian Football Hall of Fame 1988]
I remember I had a great 1963 season playing both ways, and when I sat down to negotiate a contract, Ralph handed me the phone and said "See what kind of deal you can get [elsewhere]." I threw the phone at the wall. He picked it up and threw it back at me.
Angelo Mosca
Angelo Mosca
Alex Schibanoff (1919-1995)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-29-at-7-46-28-am.png?1611931663)
Tackle—(Franklin & Marshall) Jersey City Giants (American Assoc./AFL) 1941,1946-49; Detroit Lions 1941-42
I went into the service to fight the war and then got shafted by the pension plan.
Alex Schibanoff, note to Mel Bashore
Alex Schibanoff, note to Mel Bashore
Vic Schleich (1920-2010)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-6-41-59-am.png?1613396588)
Tackle—(Nebraska) Sampson Naval Training Station Bluejackets 1943, Iowa Pre-flight Seahawks 1944, New York Yankees (AAFC) 1947 [A. P. Service All-American 2nd Team 1944]
We played both offense and defense. A player could not leave the game and re-enter during the same quarter. Nebraska used the two-team system. I played on the second team and we played in the second and fourth quarters. A player could not use his hands to block a defender. We were instructed to hold the front of our shirts with our hands. There were no substitutions made to protect a punter or place kicker. We blocked a number of punts and place kicks because a lot of the running backs were much smaller than linemen.
Vic Schleich
Vic Schleich
Bill Schuler (1922-2007)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-6-53-35-am.png?1613397263)
Tackle—(Auburn/Yale) New York Giants 1947-48
Vic Sears (1918-2006)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-6-58-43-am_orig.png)
Defensive Tackle/Offensive Tackle—(Oregon State) Philadelphia Eagles 1941-42,1945-53, Phil-Pitt Steagles 1943 [All-American 1940; All Pro 1943,1949]
Although relatively small, Sears was the smartest, and one of the best defensive tackles of his time.
Norm Van Brocklin
Norm Van Brocklin
Abe Shires (1917-1993)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-7-03-14-am.png?1613397857)
Tackle—(Tennessee) Eastern Army All-Stars 1942; Philadelphia Eagles 1945
Fred Sington (1910-1998)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-7-34-21-am.png?1613399739)
Tackle—(Alabama) [All-American 1929-30, College Football Hall of Fame 1955]
He was a great All-American tackle.
Mel Hein
Mel Hein
Bill "Earthquake" Smith (1926-2001)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-03-20-at-8-25-50-am.png?1616250839)
Tackle—(North Carolina) Chicago Rockets (AAFC) 1948, Los Angeles Dons (AAFC) 1948
In a training camp with the Browns, a guy from North Carolina named Earthquake Smith, a big tackle, never made it in the 40 [yard dash]. He fell down a couple of times. [Paul] Brown sent him home.
Dante Lavelli
Dante Lavelli
Harry "Blackjack" Smith (1918-2013)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-03-20-at-8-36-05-am.png?1616251384)
Tackle—(USC) Detroit Lions 1940; Coach—Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL) 1951 [All-American 1938-39, College Football Hall of Fame 1955]
George Speth (1918-2011)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-28-at-8-30-45-pm.png?1611891103)
Tackle—(Murray State) Detroit Lions 1942, Camp Lejeune Marines 1943, Charlotte Clippers (Independent) 1948-49
Ed "Blue Boy" Stacco (1925-2007)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-7-44-29-am.png?1613400460)
Tackle—(Colgate) El Toro Marine Corps Air Station Flying Marines 1945; Detroit Lions 1947, Washington Redskins 1948
Sam Stawisky (1914-2018)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-03-20-at-9-14-13-am.png?1616253428)
Tackle—(UCLA) Yuma Army Air Base Gremlins 1943
Paul Stenn (1918-2003)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-7-52-04-am.png?1613400799)
Offensive Tackle/Defensive Tackle—(Villanova) New York Giants 1942, El Toro Marines Flying Marines 1943, Salt Lake Army Air Base Wings 1943, Hollywood Bears (PCFL) 1945, Washington Redskins 1946, Pittsburgh Steelers 1947, Chicago Bears 1948-51
Jim Stuart (1919-1985)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/stuartjim59-1.jpeg?1613602585)
Tackle—(Oregon) Washington Redskins 1941, Fleet City Bluejackets 1945
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/editor/stuartjim594.jpeg?1613602789)
In 2015, I traded a Vic Marino 3x5 autograph to an Ohio State collector for a 1945 service football game program filled with autographs. Jim Stuart is among the autographs in the program, despite the program misspelling his name repeatedly. The collector had purchased the Dec. 16, 1945 Fleet City Bluejackets vs. Fort Warren Broncos football game program in an auction. The program came from the estate of Perry Schwartz, his name embossed in gold on a blue slip cover over the original program.
Joe "Jumbo Joe" Stydahar (1912-1977)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-06-at-8-16-53-pm.png?1612667853)
Tackle—(Pittsburgh, West Virginia) Chicago Bears 1936-42, 1945-46; Fleet City Naval Training Station 1944 [Pro Football Hall of Fame 1967]
Joe Stydahar played at 255, but he could have played at three hundred. He went to three hundred as soon as he quit playing and he wasn't fat at three hundred. Of course, in our time there wouldn't be but two or three in the whole nation that would weigh three hundred pounds.
Bulldog Turner
Bulldog Turner
John "Long John" Treadaway (1917-2003)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-01-29-at-5-14-54-pm.png?1611965838)
Tackle—(Lon Morris JC/Hardin-Simmons) Paterson Panthers (AFL) 1946, Long Island Indians (AFL) 1946-47, Jersey City Giants (AFL) 1947, New York Giants 1948, Detroit Lions 1949
John Tripson (1919-1997)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/tripson.png?1611759027)
Tackle—(Mississippi State) Detroit Lions 1941, Fort Pierce Naval Amphibious Training Base Commandos 1944
Awarded Navy Cross for courage under fire while in command of a scout boat assigned to clear the way and signal landing sites during North African invasion operations.
1943 Official NFL Roster and Record Manual
1943 Official NFL Roster and Record Manual
Emil Uremovich (1916-1994)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-7-59-05-am.png?1613401208)
Tackle—(Indiana) Camp Lee Travelers 1945, Detroit Lions 1941-42,1945-46, Chicago Rockets (AAFC) 1948 [All Pro 1945]
Vern Waldo (1912-2001)
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/5/2/135250581/published/screen-shot-2021-02-15-at-8-08-55-am.png?1613401802)
Tackle—(BYU) 1933-36
Dale "Muddy" Waters (1909-2001)
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Tackle/Offensive End/Defensive End/Guard—(Florida) Portsmouth Spartans 1931, Cleveland Indians 1931, Boston Braves 1932, Boston Redskins 1933
Arnie Weinmeister (1923-2000)
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Defensive Tackle/Offensive Tackle—(Washington) New York Yankees (AAFC) 1948, Brooklyn-New York Yankees (AAFC) 1949, New York Giants 1950-53, British Columbia Lions (CFL) 1954-55 [Pro Football Hall of Fame 1984]
When the Giants selected me, they sent me a letter that said something to the effect that they were happy to have me and that they were proud to offer me a contract. Only thing was, the contract offered $6,400 for the year. The year before, with the Yankees, I’d made $10,000. So I wrote back and I told them that I wasn’t interested because I wouldn’t play for any less than I had the year before. The banter went back and forth over phone calls for some time. I had gone back to Seattle, and the Giants were in training camp. By this time I’d gone to work for the Aetna Life Insurance Company. They called again and said they really wanted me to come back and talk contract. I said I would if they provided me a first-class, round-trip airline ticket. They did. The Giants were in training up at Saranac Lake, New York. So I went up there. It was around lunchtime when I arrived, and they suggested I go have lunch with the players and that we would get together afterwards. So I set my bag in the hall of the lodge there . . . and had lunch. A couple of former teammates with the Yankees, Tom Landry and Otto Schnellbacher, were sitting with me, and they were telling me that they were badly in need of tackles. That reinforced my resolve for the upcoming meeting. I met with Wellington Mara and the coach, who was Steve Owen at the time—the only coach they’d had over the previous twenty years. I told them that under no circumstances would I play for any less than $10,000 the first year, $11,000 the second, and a two-year, no-cut contract. A no-cut contract in those days was unheard of. They said they simply weren’t going to do that. I said, “Well, that’s fine. I haven’t even unpacked my bag, and so I’ll be on my way.” And I got up. They said, reluctantly, “Okay, we’ll write up the contract.”
Arnie Weinmeister
Arnie Weinmeister
Ed Weir (1903-1991)
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Tackle/End—(Nebraska) Frankford Yellowjackets 1926-28 [All-American 1924-25, College Football Hall of Fame 1951]
He was the best tackle I have ever seen.
Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
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Ed Weir was a two-time All-America tackle 1924-1925, a two-time Nebraska football captain 1924-1925, a charter member of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951. The Football Writers Association of America in 1970 voted him on its all-star lineup for the 1920s decade. Knute Rockne called him "the greatest tackle I ever saw." Weir said his greatest football thrills were Nebraska?s 1923 victory over Notre Dame, when the Four Horsemen were juniors, and its 1925 victory over Illinois when Red Grange was a senior. He played professionally with the Frankford Yellow Jackets 1926-1928. Weir stood 6-0, weighed 190-pounds, and was conference champion in the high hurdles. He returned to Nebraska in 1929 as assistant football and track coach, was head track coach 1939-1954 and assistant director of athletics 1955-68. His track teams won 10 conference championships in 16 years. He was a legend on campus, a man who lifted weights until age 70 and rode a bicycle to downtown Lincoln at age 85. He was called "Mr. Nebraska Football."
David Belf "Hi" West (1896-1973)
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Tackle—(Colgate) Canton Bulldogs 1921 [College Football Hall of Fame 1954]
Jim White (1920-1987)
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Offensive Tackle/Defensive Tackle—(Notre Dame) Pearl Harbor Pacific All-Stars 1945, New York Giants 1946-50 [All-American 1943]
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Bucky O'Connor's widow sent me this 1942 Notre Dame football banquet program signed by nineteen players on that year's Fighting Irish team. Almost half of the players who signed the program played in the pros and about half of those were players I didn't have autographs for prior to receiving this generous gift (including Jim White). White's autograph is just below Angelo Bertelli's in the upper left corner. Players who signed this who played in the pros include Herb Coleman, Luke Higgins, Gerry Cowhig, Frank Szymanski, Ziggy Czarobski, John Yonakor, George Tobin, Jim Mello, Angelo Bertelli, Bob Livingstone, and White. Other players include John Creevey, Bob McBride, Paul Limont, Pete Ashbaugh, Bud Meter, Bill Huber, Frank Cusick, and Emmitt Jennings.
Don Whitmire (1922-1991)
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Tackle—(Alabama/Navy) [All-American 1942 (NEA),1943-44, Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy 1944, College Football Hall of Fame 1956; rear admiral U.S. Navy]
Navy's Don Whitmire alone gives any line a big break. The big, broad-shouldered, fast-moving star who came up from Alabama is one of the best tackles football has known in many years. Only 5 feet 10 inches in height, Whitmire weighs more than 220 pounds and he also knows what it's about when it comes to gridiron savvy.
Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice
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Don Whitmire played tackle at 5-11 and 215-pounds for Alabama, 1941-1942 and Navy, 1943-1944. He made one All America (NEA) in 1942, was consensus All-America 1943, and unanimous All-America 1944. Rip Miller, Navy line coach, recruited him for Navy after spotting his picture in Street and Smith Football Magazine in 1943. The Washington Touchdown Club in 1944 voted Whitmire the Rockne Trophy as the nation's best lineman. Whitmire was brigade commander, the highest rank a midshipman can attain, at the Naval Academy. He was a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy and directed the evacuation of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. It was the biggest evacuation in world history, with 82,000 men, women and children escaping to freedom. When Don was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1956, his home town, Decatur, Alabama; held a parade, with 9,000 spectators lining the streets. In the four years he played college football, his teams had a 31-9 record. When he was elected to the Hall of Fame, he said, "Football taught me the virtue of team play and enhanced my leadership qualities. These traits have been most valuable in my Navy career. Football taught me to take hard knocks and come up fighting."
Lloyd "Red" Wickett (1920-2001)
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Tackle—(Oregon State) Los Angeles Bulldogs (PCFL) 1943, Detroit Lions 1943,1946, Seattle Bombers (PCFL) 1944
Ed Widseth (1912-1998)
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Tackle—(Minnesota) New York Giants 1937-40 [All-American 1936, College Football Hall of Fame 1954]
I don't know of a better lineman in the Big Ten conference.
Elmer Layden, Notre Dame coach
Elmer Layden, Notre Dame coach
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One of Minnesota's greatest tackles, Ed Widseth "lived" in enemy backfields and was unquestionably the pillar of strength in the Gopher line during a truly remarkable era. In each of Widseth's varsity seasons, the Gophers claimed national championships. They lost but once in 24 games, the blemish a 6-0 upset decision to Northwestern in 1936. He was a three- time All-America tackle; in 1936 he was captain and was voted Minnesota's Most Valuable Player. A slashing, driving invader, Widseth used his 6-2 220-pound body to pummel opposing players, relentlessly advancing until the ball-carrier was within his grasp and quickly felled. Widseth also won two baseball letters as a first baseman and pitcher for Minnesota. He played professionally with the New York Giants 1937- 1940; an injury ended his career. Widseth coached St. Thomas College 1945-1946; his team won the Minnesota College Conference title both years.
Joe "Tiny" Wiehl (1910-1996)
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Tackle—(Washington and Jefferson/Duquesne) Pittsburgh Pirates 1935
Dick Wildung (1921-2006)
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Defensive Tackle/Offensive Tackle/Offensive Guard/Defensive Guard—(Minnesota) Green Bay Packers 1946-51,1953 [All-American 1941-42, College Football Hall of Fame 1957]
I'd play the whole first quarter, every play. Then, I'd play the first 5 minutes of the second quarter. But after 5 minutes, I'd be gasping for breath and I'd come off the field. Somebody would come in for me and they'd play 5 minutes. I'd sit on the bench and then when there was 5 minutes to go in the half, I'd go back in. I did the same thing in the second half. So I'd play 50 minutes a game. I used to play 60 minutes at the University of Minnesota. But I didn't smoke. During World War II, I took up smoking and it was the dumbest thing I ever did in my life. I smoked all the time I played at Green Bay and I just didn't have the wind to play 60 minutes. I know it was the damn cigarettes, but I kept smoking anyway.
Dick Wildung
Dick Wildung
Al "Ox" Wistert (1920-2016)
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Offensive Tackle/Defensive Tackle/Offensive Guard—(Michigan) Phil-Pitt Steagles 1943, Philadelphia Eagles 1944-51 [All-American 1942, All Pro 1944-49, College Football Hall of Fame 1968]
Francis "Whitey" Wistert (1912-1985)
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Tackle—(Michigan) [All-American 1933, College Football Hall of Fame 1967]
Al Wolff (1917-2014)
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Tackle—(Santa Clara) [All-American 1937-38]
I played football in college to get an education, not to get my brains scrambled!
Al Wolff, on why he didn't sign a contract to play pro ball with the Chicago Cardinals
Al Wolff, on why he didn't sign a contract to play pro ball with the Chicago Cardinals
John "Dutch" Woudenberg (1918-2005)
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Tackle—(Denver) St. Mary's Pre-flight 1943-45; Pittsburgh Steelers 1940-42, San Francisco Clippers (PCFL) 1946, San Francisco 49ers (AAFC) 1946-49 [Service All-American 1944]
Before I even put on a jock, the coach got us all in a room and talked to us for an hour. The only thing I remember from that one hour is when he told us, "If you hit them harder than they hit you, you won’t get hurt." I played offense, defense and special teams. I was probably the only 49er to play 60 minutes, gun to gun. If it weren't for the Cleveland Browns, we would've been the best thing since sliced bread. Paul Brown had a scout on us every game. They had Lavelli and Speedie, two six-foot-five ends, and we’d have Strzykalski, a 5-10 back, and so they’d just have Otto Graham thread the needle. We’d have to send linebackers out to cover those ends, and then they’d run big Marion Motley up the middle.
John Woudenberg
John Woudenberg
Bill "Bubbles" Young (1914-1994)
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Tackle—(Alabama) Washington Redskins 1937-42,1946
Bob Zimny (1921-2011)
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Tackle—(Indiana) Camp Grant Warriors 1943; Chicago Cardinals 1945-49