Al Blozis
| Al Blozis | |
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Position (s): Offensive tackle |
Jersey number (s): 32 |
| born January 5, 1919 in Garfield , New Jersey | |
| died on January 31, 1945 in the Vosges | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1942 - 1944 | |
| NFL Draft : 1942 / Round: 5 / Pick: 38 | |
| College : Georgetown | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Games | 23 |
| as a starter | 23 |
| Touchdown | 1 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| College Football Hall of Fame | |
Alfred (Albert) Charles Blozis (* 5. January 1919 in Garfield , New Jersey , † 31 January 1945 in the Vosges in Colmar , France ; nickname : The Human Howitzer , Big Al or Hoya Hercules ) was an American Football Player . He played, among other things, as a tackle in the National Football League (NFL).
youth
Al Blozis' family came from Lithuania . His father was a day laborer . He attended in Jersey City , the High School where he was an outstanding athlete noticed and numerous sports, including American football, for operation. In 1937 he was selected as a football player in the state selection of New Jersey.
career
Blozis studied at Georgetown University from 1939 to 1941 . He came to championship honors in numerous sports and played as a tackle with the Georgetown Hoyas . In 1939, his football team remained undefeated. In 1941 he played with his team in the Orange Bowl , but the game was lost 14: 7 against Mississippi State University . Blozis was drawn to 38th place in the 1942 NFL Draft by the New York Giants in the fifth round. He was drafted into the United States Army in 1943 after being deferred in 1941 due to his height. At first Blozis was simply too big and strong for military service . Blozis therefore only played 23 games in the NFL during the regular season . In 1944 he ran three more times for the New York Giants trained by Steve Owen . The Giants were able to move into the NFL championship game this year. Blozis was released for the game, but couldn't prevent his team from losing 14-7 in the final against the Green Bay Packers .
Two days after the 1944 NFL final, Al Blozis was relocated to France by the US Army and died as a lieutenant while rescuing two wounded American soldiers in World War II . Al Blozis is buried in the Cimetière militaire américain de Saint-Avold in Saint-Avold .
Honors
Blozis is a member of the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team , the Georgetown University Athletic Hall of Fame, and the College Football Hall of Fame . His shirt number 32 is no longer awarded by the Giants, they have been honoring him on the Ring of Honor since 2010. The US Army named a training hall in Frankfurt am Main after Blozis. Albert Blozis played in a Pro Bowl , the final game of the best players of the season. He was once voted All-Pro .
Web links
- Al Blozis at the New York Giants ( Memento from August 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- Al Blozis at college, spelling Alfred Blozis
- Al Blozis at College II
- CV (PDF; 33 kB)
- Obituary in the New York Times
Individual evidence
- ↑ Day of death according to other sources January 21, 1945 ( Memento from October 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Giants 1944
- ^ NFL final 1944, statistics
- ^ Death of Al Blozis ( Memento from October 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Al Blozis' tomb in the Find a Grave database
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Blozis, Al |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Blozis, Albert Charles; Blozis, Alfred Charles; Big Al; Hoya Hercules; The Human Howitzer |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 5, 1919 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Garfield , New Jersey |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 31, 1945 |
| Place of death | Vosges , France |