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Alex Wojciechowicz

March 03, 2023

Alexander Francis "Wojie" Wojciechowicz (/woʊdʒɪˈhoʊwɪts/; August 12, 1915 – July 13, 1992) was an American professional football player in the National Football League (NFL) from 1935 to 1950. He was a two-way player who played at center on offense and at linebacker on defense. He has been inducted into both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, was a founder and the first president of the NFL Alumni Association, and was the third player to receive the Order of the Leather Helmet.

Alex Wojciechowicz
Wojciechowicz (bottom) in 1946
No. 30, 50, 53
Position:Center, linebacker
Personal information
Born:(1915-08-12)August 12, 1915
South River, New Jersey, U.S.
Died:July 13, 1992(1992-07-13) (aged 76)
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 · PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame

Wojciechowicz played college football for the Fordham Rams from 1935 to 1937 and was a member of the line that became known as the Seven Blocks of Granite. He was selected as the consensus first-team All-American center in both 1936 and 1937.

Wojciechowicz was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 1938 NFL Draft and played for the Lions from 1938 to 1946. He was selected as a first-team All-NFL player in 1939 and 1944. In 1946, he was released by the Lions and then sold to the Philadelphia Eagles, for whom he played from 1946 to 1950. He won two NFL championships with the Eagles, in 1948 and 1949.

Early years

Wojciechowicz was born in 1915 in South River, New Jersey, and attended South River High School.[1] His father, Andrew Wojciechowicz (1890–1974), was a Polish immigrant and tailor.[2]

College football

Wojciechowicz enrolled at Fordham University in 1935 and played college football as the center for the Fordham Rams football team from 1935 to 1937. He was a member of the Fordham line, alongside Vince Lombardi, that became known as the Seven Blocks of Granite.[3][4] The undefeated 1937 Fordham team, with Wojciechowicz at center, compiled a 7–0–1 record, was ranked #3 in the final AP Poll, and gave up only 16 points all season. He was selected as the consensus first-team All-American center in both 1936 and 1937.[5]

Fordham coach Jim Crowley called Wojciechowicz "one of the great defensive centers" and noted that he "seldom made a bad pass from center."[6] He made a name for himself in the annual rivalry games with Pittsburgh, resulting in three consecutive scoreless ties. The final tie was the only blemish on the record of the 1937 Pitt team that won the national championship in the AP Poll. Wojciechowicz later cited the Pitt games as his three biggest thrills in football,[7] saying, "Pitt had the dream backfield, with all-America Marshall Goldberg, and we had the dream line. It was a stalemate for three years. Those three games proved what football is all about."[4]

Professional football

Detroit Lions

Wojciechowicz was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round, sixth overall pick, of the 1938 NFL Draft.[1] He signed with the Lions in July 1938.[6] For nine years, Wojciechowicz was a fixture in the Lions' lineup, a 60-minute player who played at center on offense and linebacker on defense. He was selected as a first-team All-NFL player in 1939 and 1944 and had seven interceptions in 1944, a Lions single-season record at the time.[8] Between 1938 and 1946, he appeared in 86 games for the Lions, 61 of them as a starter.[1] The Pro Football Hall of Fame, in its biography of Wojciechowicz, states: "On the field, . . . he was all business, one of the last of the 'iron men' of football, a center on offense and a sure-tackling linebacker with unusually good range, on defense."[8] In October 1946, after the Lions lost their season opener, Detroit coach Gus Dorais released four linemen, including Wojciechowicz. Wojciechowicz announced at the time that he would return to his business in New Jersey and added, "This day had to come, and I can't say I'm disappointed that it happened now."[9]

Philadelphia Eagles

Two days after the Lions announced his release, the Eagles purchased the Lions' rights to Wojciechowicz for an undisclosed sum.[10] He appeared in seven games for the Eagles, only one as a starter, during the 1946 season.[1]

In 1947, he became the Eagles' starting center, appearing in all 12 games for the club, 11 as a starter.[1] The 1947 Eagles compiled an 8–4 record, finished in first place in the NFL East, but lost to the Cardinals in the 1947 NFL Championship Game.[11]

In 1948, Wojciechowicz lost the starting center job to Vic Lindskog, but appeared in 10 games, mostly on defense, for the 1948 Eagles team that shut out the Cardinals in the 1948 NFL Championship Game.[12] In 1949, he appeared in all 12 games, but only one as a starter, as Chuck Bednarik was the starting center for the Eagles team. That year, the Eagles won their second consecutive NFL championship, shutting out the Rams in the 1949 NFL Championship Game.[13]

He was considered past his prime when he joined the Eagles, but head coach Greasy Neale used him principally as a linebacker, and he responded with quality defensive play.[14] Teammate Jack Hinkle called Wojciechowicz the "toughest guy" on the Eagles' championship teams and added, "He looked like a big, shaggy dog. A sad-eyed St. Bernard. But he'd rip your head off."[14]

In his final NFL season, Wojciechowicz appeared in nine games, none as a starter, and saw only limited action.[1][15] In December 1950, he announced that he was retiring as a player.[15]

Family, honors and later years

Wojciechowicz was married to Katherine Mallen, and they had three sons and a daughter.[3][16][17] For many years after retiring from the NFL, he lived in Wanamassa, New Jersey, and worked as a real estate appraiser and broker.[7][18]

Wojciechowicz was also one of the founders of the NFL Alumni Association, established to negotiate with the owners for the creation of a pension plan to benefit the game's early players, and was elected as its president in 1968.[19] His son recalled: "He worked hard to establish the indigent players' fund and establish pensions."[18]

After retiring from football, Wojciechowicz received numerous honors including the following:

Wojciechowicz died in 1992 at his home in the Forked River section of Lacey Township, New Jersey, at age 76.[1][14]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Alex Wojciechowicz". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  2. ^ "Ex-Lion Wojie Still Solid at 265". Detroit Free Press. February 5, 1977. p. 11.
  3. ^ a b "Alex Wojciechowicz, Football Player, 76". The New York Times. July 14, 1992.
  4. ^ a b "Wojciechowicz: A name chiseled in granite". The Independent (Long Beach, CA). November 23, 1976. p. 20.
  5. ^ "2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. p. 5. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Wojie Signed for Lion Post". Detroit Free Press. July 17, 1938. p. 37.
  7. ^ a b Larry Favinger (September 22, 1976). "Sport City". The Portsmouth Herald. p. 10.
  8. ^ a b "Alex Wojciechowicz". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  9. ^ "Wojie, Forte Get Gate After Cardinal Debacle in Home Opener". Detroit Free Press. October 15, 1946. p. 12.
  10. ^ "Wojie Will Be Eagle on Sunday". Detroit Free Press. October 17, 1946. p. 19.
  11. ^ "1947 Philadelphia Eagles". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  12. ^ "1948 Philadelphia Eagles". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  13. ^ "1949 Philadelphia Eagles". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  14. ^ a b c Didinger, Ray. "Eagles' Wojciechowicz was club's 'toughest guy'", Asbury Park Press, July 15, 1992. Accessed May 10, 2017. "Alex Wojciechowicz , one of 12 Philadelphia Eagles in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died Monday at his home in Forked River, N.J."
  15. ^ a b "A Block of Granite: Wojciechowicz Will End 13 Years in Pro Sport". The Daily Courier. December 21, 1950. p. 6.
  16. ^ "Star Guard on Fordham Eleven Becomes Father". The Evening News. August 22, 1938. p. 8.
  17. ^ "Asbury Park to Get 3 Wojies". Asbury Park Evening Press. July 31, 1947. p. 17.
  18. ^ a b "A. F. Wojciechowicz, 76, football Hall of Famer". Asbury Park Press. July 14, 1992. p. 7.
  19. ^ "Negotiations Underway for Alumni". The Argus. August 29, 1968. p. 12.
  20. ^ "Wojciechowicz One of Sixteen Named to Football Hall of Fame". Asbury Park Press. July 25, 1955. p. 16.
  21. ^ "Alex "Wojie" Wojciechowicz". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  22. ^ "'Wojie' Among 7 Members Picked". Asbury Park Press. February 20, 1968. p. 22.
  23. ^ Arthur Daley (February 21, 1968). "Sports of The Times; Immortals With Muscles". The New York Times.
  24. ^ "Wojciechowicz Selected On NFL 1940s Squad". Asbury Park Press. August 29, 1969. p. 13.
  25. ^ "Fordham Slates Five Inductees". The Tennessean. April 26, 1970. p. 35.
  26. ^ "'Wojie' Remembers His High School Coach". Asbury Park Press. November 18, 1971. p. 46.
  27. ^ . National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  28. ^ Charlie Vincent (January 20, 1982). "Former Lion Hall of Famer Wojciechowicz joins elite group in Leather Helmet group". Detroit Free Press. p. 3H.
  29. ^ (PDF). Philadelphia Eagles. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 25, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alex Wojciechowicz.

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March 03, 2023
alex, wojciechowicz, alexander, francis, wojie, wojciechowicz, august, 1915, july, 1992, american, professional, football, player, national, football, league, from, 1935, 1950, player, played, center, offense, linebacker, defense, been, inducted, into, both, c. Alexander Francis Wojie Wojciechowicz w oʊ dʒ ɪ ˈ h oʊ w ɪ t s August 12 1915 July 13 1992 was an American professional football player in the National Football League NFL from 1935 to 1950 He was a two way player who played at center on offense and at linebacker on defense He has been inducted into both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame was a founder and the first president of the NFL Alumni Association and was the third player to receive the Order of the Leather Helmet Alex WojciechowiczWojciechowicz bottom in 1946No 30 50 53Position Center linebackerPersonal informationBorn 1915 08 12 August 12 1915South River New Jersey U S Died July 13 1992 1992 07 13 aged 76 Forked River New Jersey U S Career informationHigh school South River NJ College FordhamNFL Draft 1938 Round 1 Pick 6Career historyDetroit Lions 1938 1946 Philadelphia Eagles 1946 1950 Career highlights and awards2 NFL champion 1948 1949 2 First team All Pro 1939 1944 NFL 1940s All Decade Team Pride of the Lions Detroit Lions 75th Anniversary Team Detroit Lions All Time Team Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame Philadelphia Eagles 75th Anniversary Team Order of the Leather Helmet 1982 2 Consensus All American 1936 1937 Career NFL statisticsGames played 134Games started 75Interceptions 19Player stats at NFL com PFRPro Football Hall of FameCollege Football Hall of FameWojciechowicz played college football for the Fordham Rams from 1935 to 1937 and was a member of the line that became known as the Seven Blocks of Granite He was selected as the consensus first team All American center in both 1936 and 1937 Wojciechowicz was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 1938 NFL Draft and played for the Lions from 1938 to 1946 He was selected as a first team All NFL player in 1939 and 1944 In 1946 he was released by the Lions and then sold to the Philadelphia Eagles for whom he played from 1946 to 1950 He won two NFL championships with the Eagles in 1948 and 1949 Contents 1 Early years 2 College football 3 Professional football 3 1 Detroit Lions 3 2 Philadelphia Eagles 4 Family honors and later years 5 References 6 External linksEarly years EditWojciechowicz was born in 1915 in South River New Jersey and attended South River High School 1 His father Andrew Wojciechowicz 1890 1974 was a Polish immigrant and tailor 2 College football EditWojciechowicz enrolled at Fordham University in 1935 and played college football as the center for the Fordham Rams football team from 1935 to 1937 He was a member of the Fordham line alongside Vince Lombardi that became known as the Seven Blocks of Granite 3 4 The undefeated 1937 Fordham team with Wojciechowicz at center compiled a 7 0 1 record was ranked 3 in the final AP Poll and gave up only 16 points all season He was selected as the consensus first team All American center in both 1936 and 1937 5 Fordham coach Jim Crowley called Wojciechowicz one of the great defensive centers and noted that he seldom made a bad pass from center 6 He made a name for himself in the annual rivalry games with Pittsburgh resulting in three consecutive scoreless ties The final tie was the only blemish on the record of the 1937 Pitt team that won the national championship in the AP Poll Wojciechowicz later cited the Pitt games as his three biggest thrills in football 7 saying Pitt had the dream backfield with all America Marshall Goldberg and we had the dream line It was a stalemate for three years Those three games proved what football is all about 4 Professional football EditDetroit Lions Edit Wojciechowicz was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round sixth overall pick of the 1938 NFL Draft 1 He signed with the Lions in July 1938 6 For nine years Wojciechowicz was a fixture in the Lions lineup a 60 minute player who played at center on offense and linebacker on defense He was selected as a first team All NFL player in 1939 and 1944 and had seven interceptions in 1944 a Lions single season record at the time 8 Between 1938 and 1946 he appeared in 86 games for the Lions 61 of them as a starter 1 The Pro Football Hall of Fame in its biography of Wojciechowicz states On the field he was all business one of the last of the iron men of football a center on offense and a sure tackling linebacker with unusually good range on defense 8 In October 1946 after the Lions lost their season opener Detroit coach Gus Dorais released four linemen including Wojciechowicz Wojciechowicz announced at the time that he would return to his business in New Jersey and added This day had to come and I can t say I m disappointed that it happened now 9 Philadelphia Eagles Edit Two days after the Lions announced his release the Eagles purchased the Lions rights to Wojciechowicz for an undisclosed sum 10 He appeared in seven games for the Eagles only one as a starter during the 1946 season 1 In 1947 he became the Eagles starting center appearing in all 12 games for the club 11 as a starter 1 The 1947 Eagles compiled an 8 4 record finished in first place in the NFL East but lost to the Cardinals in the 1947 NFL Championship Game 11 In 1948 Wojciechowicz lost the starting center job to Vic Lindskog but appeared in 10 games mostly on defense for the 1948 Eagles team that shut out the Cardinals in the 1948 NFL Championship Game 12 In 1949 he appeared in all 12 games but only one as a starter as Chuck Bednarik was the starting center for the Eagles team That year the Eagles won their second consecutive NFL championship shutting out the Rams in the 1949 NFL Championship Game 13 He was considered past his prime when he joined the Eagles but head coach Greasy Neale used him principally as a linebacker and he responded with quality defensive play 14 Teammate Jack Hinkle called Wojciechowicz the toughest guy on the Eagles championship teams and added He looked like a big shaggy dog A sad eyed St Bernard But he d rip your head off 14 In his final NFL season Wojciechowicz appeared in nine games none as a starter and saw only limited action 1 15 In December 1950 he announced that he was retiring as a player 15 Family honors and later years EditWojciechowicz was married to Katherine Mallen and they had three sons and a daughter 3 16 17 For many years after retiring from the NFL he lived in Wanamassa New Jersey and worked as a real estate appraiser and broker 7 18 Wojciechowicz was also one of the founders of the NFL Alumni Association established to negotiate with the owners for the creation of a pension plan to benefit the game s early players and was elected as its president in 1968 19 His son recalled He worked hard to establish the indigent players fund and establish pensions 18 After retiring from football Wojciechowicz received numerous honors including the following In 1955 he was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame 20 21 In 1968 he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame 22 At the time Bill Daley wrote in The New York Times Fewer than a dozen men had the durability and continuing excellence to survive the rigors of smashing play for a longer period of time 23 In 1969 he was selected to the National Football League 1940s All Decade Team 24 In 1970 he was one of the five inaugural inductees into the Fordham University Athletic Hall of Fame 25 In 1971 he was inducted into the New Jersey All Sports Hall of Fame 26 In 1975 Wojciechowicz was inducted into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame 27 In 1982 he became the third player after Bronko Nagurski and Red Grange to receive the prestigious NFL Alumni Order of the Leather Helmet 28 In 1987 he was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame 29 Wojciechowicz died in 1992 at his home in the Forked River section of Lacey Township New Jersey at age 76 1 14 References Edit a b c d e f g Alex Wojciechowicz Pro Football Reference com Sports Reference LLC Retrieved February 19 2016 Ex Lion Wojie Still Solid at 265 Detroit Free Press February 5 1977 p 11 a b Alex Wojciechowicz Football Player 76 The New York Times July 14 1992 a b Wojciechowicz A name chiseled in granite The Independent Long Beach CA November 23 1976 p 20 2014 NCAA Football Records Consensus All America Selections PDF National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA 2014 p 5 Retrieved August 16 2014 a b Wojie Signed for Lion Post Detroit Free Press July 17 1938 p 37 a b Larry Favinger September 22 1976 Sport City The Portsmouth Herald p 10 a b Alex Wojciechowicz Pro Football Hall of Fame Retrieved February 19 2016 Wojie Forte Get Gate After Cardinal Debacle in Home Opener Detroit Free Press October 15 1946 p 12 Wojie Will Be Eagle on Sunday Detroit Free Press October 17 1946 p 19 1947 Philadelphia Eagles Pro Football Reference com Sports Reference LLC Retrieved February 19 2016 1948 Philadelphia Eagles Pro Football Reference com Sports Reference LLC Retrieved February 19 2016 1949 Philadelphia Eagles Pro Football Reference com Sports Reference LLC Retrieved February 19 2016 a b c Didinger Ray Eagles Wojciechowicz was club s toughest guy Asbury Park Press July 15 1992 Accessed May 10 2017 Alex Wojciechowicz one of 12 Philadelphia Eagles in the Pro Football Hall of Fame died Monday at his home in Forked River N J a b A Block of Granite Wojciechowicz Will End 13 Years in Pro Sport The Daily Courier December 21 1950 p 6 Star Guard on Fordham Eleven Becomes Father The Evening News August 22 1938 p 8 Asbury Park to Get 3 Wojies Asbury Park Evening Press July 31 1947 p 17 a b A F Wojciechowicz 76 football Hall of Famer Asbury Park Press July 14 1992 p 7 Negotiations Underway for Alumni The Argus August 29 1968 p 12 Wojciechowicz One of Sixteen Named to Football Hall of Fame Asbury Park Press July 25 1955 p 16 Alex Wojie Wojciechowicz College Football Hall of Fame Football Foundation Retrieved February 19 2016 Wojie Among 7 Members Picked Asbury Park Press February 20 1968 p 22 Arthur Daley February 21 1968 Sports of The Times Immortals With Muscles The New York Times Wojciechowicz Selected On NFL 1940s Squad Asbury Park Press August 29 1969 p 13 Fordham Slates Five Inductees The Tennessean April 26 1970 p 35 Wojie Remembers His High School Coach Asbury Park Press November 18 1971 p 46 Alex Wojciechowicz National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame Archived from the original on December 8 2015 Retrieved February 19 2016 Charlie Vincent January 20 1982 Former Lion Hall of Famer Wojciechowicz joins elite group in Leather Helmet group Detroit Free Press p 3H Eagles Hall of Fame Inductees PDF Philadelphia Eagles Archived from the original PDF on February 25 2016 Retrieved February 19 2016 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alex Wojciechowicz Alex Wojciechowicz at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Alex Wojciechowicz at the College Football Hall of Fame Alex Wojciechowicz at Find a Grave Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alex Wojciechowicz amp oldid 1142422464, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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