Alex Wojciechowicz
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| Position: | Linebacker; Center | ||||||||
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| Date of birth: | August 12, 1915 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | South River, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||
| Date of death: | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. | ||||||||
| Place of death: | Forked River, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||
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| High school: | South River (NJ) | ||||||||
| College: | Fordham | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1938 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6 | ||||||||
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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.[citation needed]
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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
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- Pro Football Hall of Fame Biography
- Alex "Wojie" Wojciechowicz at the College Football Hall of Fame
- Sports Hall of Fame in New Jersey
- New York Times Obituary
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- ↑ http://polishsportshof.com/inductees/football/alex-wojciechowicz/
- ↑ 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."
- Pages with reference errors
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- Articles with unsourced statements from January 2013
- 1915 births
- 1992 deaths
- All-American college football players
- American football centers
- American football linebackers
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Detroit Lions players
- Fordham Rams football players
- Fordham University alumni
- People from South River, New Jersey
- Philadelphia Eagles players
- Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
- American people of Polish descent
- Players of American football from New Jersey
