| Mike Mikulak | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | December 2, 1912 |
| Place of birth | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Date of death | June 4, 1999 (aged 86) |
| Place of death | Woodland, California |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 210 pounds (95 kg) |
| Position(s) | fullback |
| College | Oregon |
| Stats | |
| Statistics | |
| Teams | |
| 1934–1936 | Chicago Cardinals |
Michael Nicholas "Iron Mike" Mikulak (December 2, 1912 – June 4, 1999) was an American football fullback who played three seasons in the National Football League.
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Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mikulak graduated from Edison High School in 1930. He attended the University of Oregon. Though originally a defensive player, Mikulak became Oregon's starting fullback and helped lead the Ducks to a 4–1 Pacific Coast Conference conference record in 1933, tying them with Stanford for the conference championship.[1] (Stanford, however, received the bid to the 1934 Rose Bowl due to its victory over USC, the only team to beat the Ducks that year.)[2] Mikulak was a two-time all-Pacific Coast Conference selection, and was a consensus All-American in 1933.[1]
Mikulak earned the nickname "Iron Mike" because he wore an aluminum chest protector to protect a protruding sternum.[3]
Mikulak signed with the Chicago Cardinals in 1934. He played three seasons in the NFL, quickly earning a reputation as a bruising fullback,[4] and was named to the All-Pro team in his second season.[5] Following the 1936 season, Mikulak retired from professional football and returned to the University of Oregon to become the backfield coach on his old team, and to complete his degree.[6]
He remained with Oregon until 1941, when he was called to active duty by the United States Army.[7] Mikulak served in the Army for 27 years, including working as the chief of military police in Naples, Italy during World War II.[8] Following his Army career, Mikulak received a masters in educational administration and was director of the University of Iowa's off-campus graduate education department until his retirement in 1978.[3]
Mikulak was married with two children.[9] He is a member of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame[10] and the University of Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame.[1] He died in Woodland, California in 1999.[11]