Lou Groza
| Lou Groza | |
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Positions: offensive tackle , kicker |
Jersey numbers: 46, 76 |
| born January 25, 1924 in Martins Ferry , Ohio | |
| died on November 29, 2000 in Middleburgh Heights , Ohio | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1946 - 1967 | |
| College : Ohio State University | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Years of play | 21st |
| Games | 268 |
| points scored | 1,608 |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
Louis Roy "Lou" Groza (* 25. January 1924 in Martins Ferry , Ohio ; † 29. November 2000 in Middleburgh Heights , Ohio) Nickname : "The Toe" was a US American football players and coaches . He played as an offensive tackle and kicker with the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and in the National Football League (NFL).
youth
Lou Groza was born in Ohio to the Romanian - Hungarian immigrants Mary and John (Ioan) Groza. He had three brothers. His parents ran a restaurant. Groza was an avid athlete and played basketball , baseball, and American football in high school . He became team captain in all three sports . In 1941 he won the Ohio State Championship with his basketball team and his football team.
Player career
College career / military service
After graduating from high school, he studied at Ohio State University for a year before being drafted into the US Army . He served in a medical battalion in Okinawa and the Philippines during World War II . Paul Brown was the football coach during his student days at Ohio State University . While still in the military, Groza turned to Brown, who was about to assemble a new football team. Paul Brown was general manager and designated coach of the Cleveland Browns , which were settled in the 1944 newly formed All-America Football Conference . Brown sent Groza a couple of balls to practice and he signed a player's contract immediately after his military service with the Browns. The league started playing in 1946 and Groza became one of the best kickers in professional football history.
Professional career
The Browns were the top team of the AAFC and had numerous later all-pro players such as Mac Speedie , Dante Lavelli and Bill Willis in their ranks. Groza was used as a player on the offensive line to protect quarterback Otto Graham and served as a pre-blocker for running back Marion Motley . Groza was also used by his team as a kicker and thus contributed decisively to the success of his team.
Until the league was dissolved in 1949, Groza won all four league titles with the Browns. After the 1946 Regular Season , the New York Yankees were defeated 14: 9 in the AAFC final . Lou Groza scored two points after touchdown (extra point) in the game . In 1947, the Yankees trained by Ray Flaherty were again defeated in the final. In the 14: 3 victory of the Browns, Groza was again able to score an extra point. In the following year Lou "The Toe" Groza and his team remained undefeated in the regular season, which brought them back to the championship game, where the Buffalo Bills were defeated 49: 7. Groza converted eight extra points.
In 1949, the Cleveland team won the final AAFC championship. The game against the San Francisco 49ers was won 21: 7. Once again, Groza was directly involved in the victory with three extra points.
After the 1949 season, the AAFC had to stop playing and Groza moved to the NFL with his team.
As early as the first game of the season in 1950, the Browns made it clear that they can also exist in the NFL. They clearly beat the reigning NFL champions Philadelphia Eagles 35:10. At the end of the season, Groza won his fifth title in a row. Opponents in the NFL final were the Los Angeles Rams . Up to the beginning of the fourth leg of the game, the Rams, who had been very well prepared for the game by their trainer Joe Stydahar , were an equal opponent. Only in the last part of the game could the Browns decide the game for themselves. Groza scored the decisive field goal in his team's 30:28 victory in the last quarter of the game. In the next three years Lou Groza failed with his Browns in the final, 1951 at the Rams and 1952 and 1953 at the Detroit Lions . In 1954 and 1955, Groza won his second and third NFL titles. In 1954 the Detroit Lions suffered a significant 54:10 defeat, with Groza scoring eight extra points. In 1955 the Browns beat the Rams 38:14. Groza opened the game with a field goal to lead his team 3-0 and was also able to convert four extra points. In 1957 and 1958 Groza was able to move into the NFL final. But his team lost both games, in 1957 against the Detroit Lions 59:14 and a year later against the New York Giants 10-0.
Before the 1960 season, Lou Groza was seriously injured in a preparation game and had to sit out the entire season. After his injury he only played as a kicker. He was the first to play exclusively in this position. In 1962 Paul Brown resigned as coach and Blanton Collier became the team's new head coach . The team had changed its appearance over the years. Graham, Speedie, Willis and Motley had ended their careers. New top players such as Jim Brown , Gene Hickerson , Gary Collins and Len Dawson appeared for the team from Ohio. Then, in 1964, Groza won his fourth and final NFL title. Opponents in the NFL championship game were the Baltimore Colts , who were trained by Don Shula . The Colts ran up with their quarterback Johnny Unitas , who did not succeed in setting the offense of his team decisively. Rather, it was Lou Groza who made a decisive contribution to his team's 27-0 victory with two field goals and three extra points. Groza could not defend the title with his Browns. The following year she drew a 23:12 defeat against the Green Bay Packers coached by Vince Lombardi . After the 1967 season, Groza ended his playing career.
Outside the field of play
Lou Groza had been married since 1950 and had three sons and a daughter. His brother Alex Groza was a basketball player and was voted All-American for his athletic performance . He also won the national college championship and in 1948 the gold medal at the Olympic Games in London . Alex Groza died before his older brother in 1995. Louis Groza graduated from college while playing and worked as an insurance broker after his career. He died of heart failure and is buried in Sunset Memorial Park in North Olmsted .
Honors
Lou Groza played nine times in the Pro Bowl and was voted All-Pro ten times . His jersey number is banned from the Browns. He is a member of the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team and the Pro Football Hall of Fame . In 1954 he was named NFL Player of the Year .
The city of Berea , where he lived until his death, named a street after him in 1999. The Browns office and training center is also on the road. The property is at number 76 (which corresponds to Lou Groza's jersey number). In his honor, the Lou Groza Award is given to the best college football player every year. Every year there is a benefit golf tournament that bears his name. One of his athletic shoes is on display at the National Museum of American History .
Web links
- Lou Groza in the nndb (English)
- Lou Groza with the Browns
- Lou Groza Charity Golf Event, homepage
- Homepage Lou Groza Award
- Short biography ( memento from September 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- Obituary in the New York Times
- Origin of Lou Groza ( Memento from January 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ^ Annual statistics of the Browns 1946
- ^ AAFC final statistics 1946
- ^ Annual statistics of the Browns, 1947
- ^ AAFC final statistics 1947
- ^ Annual statistics of the Browns 1948
- ↑ AAFC endgame statistics 1948
- ^ Annual statistics of the Browns 1949
- ↑ AAFC endgame statistics 1949
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Browns 1950
- ↑ NFL endgame statistics 1950
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Browns 1954
- ^ Annual statistics of the Browns 1955
- ↑ 1954 NFL endgame statistics
- ↑ 1955 NFL endgame statistics
- ↑ Lou Groza's tomb in the Find a Grave database
- ↑ Lou Groza Boulevard ( Memento of February 15, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Groza, Lou |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Groza, Louis Roy; The Toe (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 25, 1924 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Martins Ferry , Ohio |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 29, 2000 |
| Place of death | Middleburgh Heights , Ohio |