George Platukis

George Platukis
No. 33     
End / Defensive end
Personal information
Date of birth: March 15, 1915(1915-03-15)
Place of birth: West Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Date of death: May 17, 1973(1973-05-17) (aged 58)
Place of death: Hazleton, Pennsylvania
High School: West Hazleton High School
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Weight: 196 lb (89 kg)
Career information
College: Duquesne University
NFL Draft: 1938 / Round: 6 / Pick: 44
Debuted in 1938 for the Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL)
Last played in 1942 for the Cleveland Rams
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • N/A
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 1942
Games Played     47
Games Started     28
Receptions / Yds     33 / 621
Interceptions     1
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com

George Paul Platukis (March 15, 1915–May 17, 1973) was an American football end who played five seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Rams. He later became a high school teacher and baseball coach.

Contents

Early life

Platukis was born in West Hazleton, Pennsylvania and attended West Hazleton High School.[1]

He matriculated at Duquesne University.[1]

Football career

Platukis was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the sixth round of the 1938 NFL Draft.[1] He played for the Pirates (renamed the Steelers in 1941) for four seasons.[2]

Platukis was traded by the Pittsburgh Steelers in August 1942 to the Cleveland Rams in exchange for John Binotto and Milt Symington.[3] He spent a final season with the Rams.[2]

Post-football career

After completing his football career, Platukis returned to Hazleton, Pennsylvania where he became a high school teacher and head baseball coach at his alma mater, West Hazleton High School.[4]

Personal life

Platukis was married to Irene Pekala. The couple had four children: George Jr., Paulette, Paul and James.[5] He was an ardent fisherman.[4] He died of an apparent heart attack on May 17, 1973, while on a fishing trip near his home with his son and grandson.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c "George Platukis bio". databaseFootball. http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=PLATUGEO01. Retrieved 25 February 2010. 
  2. ^ a b "George Platukis bio". Pro Football Reference. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PlatGe20.htm. Retrieved 25 February 2010. 
  3. ^ "Scouting Football Front: Steelers Get Two Rams". Reading Eagle. August 14, 1942. pp. 21. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kLwhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qpwFAAAAIBAJ&dq=john-binotto%20eagles&pg=6029%2C3053724. Retrieved 25 February 2010. 
  4. ^ a b c "Baseball Coach Dies". Reading Eagle. May 18, 1973. pp. 29. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4worAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_JkFAAAAIBAJ&dq=george%20platukis&pg=5827%2C5257996. Retrieved 25 February 2010. 
  5. ^ "Irene Platukis obituary". Hazleton (Pa.) Standard-Speaker. March 28, 2007. http://boards.ancestry.com/localities.northam.usa.states.pennsylvania.easternpa/53013/mb.ashx?pnt=1. Retrieved 25 February 2010.