Frank Gatski

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Frank Gatski
Position (s):
Center 		Jersey numbers:
22, 52
born March 18, 1922 in Farmington , West Virginia
died on November 22, 2005 in Morgantown , West Virginia
Career information
Active : 1946 - 1957
College : Marshall College , Auburn University
Teams

Career statistics
Games     144
Interceptions     3
Touchdowns     1
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Career highlights and awards

  • 1 × Pro Bowl election (1955)
  • 5 × All-Pro choice (1951–1955) 1 + 2 team
  • 4 × AAFC champions (1946-1949)
  • Cleveland Browns Legends (1985)
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame (1985)
  • National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame (1989)
  • Marshall University Athletic Hall of Fame (1985)
  • West Virginia Sportswriters Hall of Fame
  • Jersey number 72 locked at Marshall College
  • 4 × NFL champions (1950, 1954, 1955, 1957)
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Frank Gatski (* 18th March 1922 in Farmington , West Virginia ; † 22. November 2005 in Morgantown , West Virginia), nicknamed "Gunner" was a US American football player in the National Football League (NFL) . He played as a center with the Cleveland Browns and the Detroit Lions .

youth

Frank Gatski was born the son of a miner in a miners' settlement. His father later died in a mine accident. He played American football in high school for four years . After graduating from school, he first worked as a miner. Back home, Gatski became a local legend as a high school football player. Sam Huff , who attended his school ten years after him, later referred to him as his great role model.

Player career

College career

A year after graduating from school, Gatski received an invitation from Marshall College to do a trial training session. Gatski was only able to convince during the training in the fitness tests and was accepted into the football team. With no financial means to study, college offered him paid employment on campus . Due to his military service in the United States Army , Gatski had to interrupt his studies, but continued this at Auburn University after the end of World War II . Gatski also played football with the "Auburn Tigers" and received an award from his college in 1945 for his athletic achievements.

Professional career

In 1944, the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was founded as a competitive league to the NFL. A team from the AAFC were the Cleveland Browns . The league began playing two years later. The team was coached by Paul Brown . One of Brown's assistant coaches was brought to the attention of a former Gatski classmate. Frank Gatski was invited to a trial training session, but was only able to convince in the fitness test and was signed by the Browns. Gatski was used in his rookie year as a linebacker and in the offense behind Mike Scarry as a center. In 1947 he managed to oust Scarry from the position of the starter on the center position. The Browns' offensive line with players like Ed Ulinski , Lou Groza or Mike McCormack developed into the best in the league over the next few years.

Otto Graham

Gatski had the task of enabling his quarterback Otto Graham to throw passes at wide receivers Mac Speedie and Dante Lavelli , as well as to block the way into the opposing end zone for running back Marion Motley .

The Browns were the dominant team in the league. Paul Brown managed to lead the team into the AAFC final in 1946 . The Browns won the game against the New York Yankees 14: 9. In 1947 Gatski won his second league title with the Browns. Again the Yankees were the final opponents. This time they had to admit defeat 3:14.

The following year Gatski remained undefeated with his team in the regular season , which brought the return to the championship game with it. In the 49: 7 victory of the Cleveland team over the Buffalo Bills , they were largely without a chance. In 1949, the Cleveland team also won the final AAFC championship. The game against the San Francisco 49ers was won 21: 7.

After the 1949 season, the AAFC had to stop playing. The Cleveland Browns were inducted into the NFL. The team's triumphant advance also continued in the NFL. 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, Gatski won his fifth title. Opponents in the NFL final were the Los Angeles Rams . By the beginning of the fourth leg of the game, the Rams, who had been very well prepared for the game by their coach Joe Stydahar , were an absolutely equal opponent. It was only in the last part of the game that the Browns were able to decide the game for themselves. Graham threw four touchdown passes with the help of his offensive line in the 30:28 win . In the next three years Gatski failed with his Browns in the final, 1951 at the Rams and 1952 and 1953 at the Detroit Lions , 1954 and 1955 Gatski won his second and third NFL titles. In 1954 the Detroit Lions suffered a significant 10:54 defeat. In 1955 the Browns beat the Rams 38:14.

Before the 1957 season, Gatski joined the Detroit Lions. With his new team he won his eighth championship. The Lions played in the NFL final against the Cleveland Browns and won with 59:14. After the 1957 season, Gatski ended his playing career. While playing in high school, college, and professional leagues, he never missed any of his teams' games.

After the career

After his playing career, Gatski became sports director and coach at a state boys' school. He also worked temporarily as a scout for the Boston Patriots . Frank Gatski died of heart failure and is buried in West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton .

Honors

Frank Gatski played in 1955 in the Pro Bowl , the final game of the best players of the season. He was voted All-Pro five times . He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame , the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame , the Marshall University Athletic Hall of Fame, and the West Virginia Sportswriters Hall of Fame . His jersey number is no longer given at Marshall College. In 2006 the East End Bridge was renamed "Frank Gatski Memorial Bridge".

Web links

literature

  • Roger Gordon: Cleveland Browns: A-Z. Sports Pub. LLC, Champaign 2000, ISBN 1-58261-240-4 .
  • Tony Grossi: Tales from the Browns Sideline. Sports pub. LLC, Champaign 2004, ISBN 1-58261-713-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Award from Frank Gatski at the College ( Memento from February 4, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ^ Annual statistics of the Browns 1946
  3. ↑ Statistics AAFC final 1946
  4. ^ Annual statistics of the Browns, 1947
  5. ↑ Statistics AAFC final 1947
  6. ^ Annual statistics of the Browns 1948
  7. ↑ AAFC endgame statistics 1948
  8. ^ Annual statistics of the Browns 1949
  9. ↑ AAFC endgame statistics 1949
  10. ↑ Annual statistics of the Browns 1950
  11. ↑ NFL endgame statistics 1950
  12. ↑ Annual statistics of the Browns 1954
  13. ^ Annual statistics of the Browns 1955
  14. ↑ 1954 NFL endgame statistics
  15. ↑ 1955 NFL endgame statistics
  16. ↑ 1957 Lions Annual Statistics
  17. ^ 1957 NFL endgame statistics
  18. ↑ Frank Gatski's grave in the Find a Grave database
personal data
SURNAME Gatski, Frank
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American football player
DATE OF BIRTH March 18, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Farmington , West Virginia
DATE OF DEATH November 22, 2005
Place of death Morgantown , West Virginia