Alex Wojciechowicz

Alex Wojciechowicz
No. 35, 53
Position: Linebacker; Center
Personal information
Date of birth: (1915-08-12)August 12, 1915
Place of birth: South River, New Jersey, U.S.
Date of death: July 13, 1992(1992-07-13) (aged 76)
Place of death: Forked River, New Jersey, U.S.
Career information
High school: South River (NJ)
College: Fordham
NFL draft: 1938 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 134
Games started: 75
Interceptions: 19
Player stats at NFL.com

Alexander Francis Wojciechowicz (/woʊdʒᵻˈhoʊwᵻts/; August 12, 1915 – July 13, 1992) was a professional American football player in the National Football League. He was an NFL Hall of Famer as an offensive lineman and linebacker for the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles.

Producer Danny Arnold, a New Yorker and fan of Fordham University athletics, named one of the detectives on the sitcom Barney Miller Stan Wojciehowicz, in honor of Wojie.

College career

He played college football at Fordham University, the center on the famed Seven Blocks of Granite offensive line, which included an undersized right guard named Vince Lombardi. He was named All-American in 1936 and 1937 and was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955.

NFL career

Detroit Lions

Wojciechowicz was the Detroit Lions' first pick in the 1938 NFL Draft and won the starting center job in his first game as a Lion. Even though the Lions were in decline as a team, Alex would play with full effort on both offense and defense. In 1944, he demonstrated his defensive talents when he intercepted seven passes, a Lions record for several years. Although Wojciechowicz received his fair share of personal recognition, he yearned to play on a championship team. That never happened in Detroit. But when he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in the middle of the 1946 season, the two-time All-Pro selection joined a team that seemed poised to deliver him his dream.

Philadelphia Eagles

At age 30, Wojciechowicz went to the Eagles as their most well-known defensive player. His veteran leadership made him a major contributor to the Eagles’ championship runs in 1948 and 1949. He was picked as Detroit's number-one draft choice in 1938 and he retired in 1950 after 13 seasons of professional football.

After retirement

He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968. In 1975, Wojciechowicz was inducted into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame.[1] A resident of South River, New Jersey, he died there on July 13, 1992 at the age of 76.[2]

References

  1. ↑ http://polishsportshof.com/inductees/football/alex-wojciechowicz/
  2. ↑ Staff. "OSU'S SPELLMAN INKS 4-YEAR DEAL WITH BEARS", Dayton Daily News, July 14, 1992. Accessed March 20, 2011. "Alex Wojciechowicz, the All-America center on Fordham's famed "Seven Blocks of Granite" line in the 1930s, died at his home in South River, NJ. He was 76."

External links

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