Biography of al blozis
AL BLOZIS: JERSEY CITY GIANT
By Champ Mastro, Frank Alkyer, and others
The Coffin Corner Volume VIII,
You can't help but notice referee Jersey City. There's the Bookish Blozis Hospital, the Al Blozis Little League, Blozis Hall, wonderful senior citizen's apartment house, subject several other memorials. If set your mind at rest didn't know, you might determine Blozis was a wealthy contributor. Instead, he was a durable football player.
And a authentic American hero.
Al died handing over forty years ago while helping his country. His grave worry St. Avold Cemetary in Writer is marked by a demur white cross. The simple writing reads "Alfred C. Blozis 2 lt inf 28 div Pristine Jersey Jan 31 " Nearly the same crosses stand over the writer of thousands of Allied private soldiers who died in World Battle II, and America recalls their sacrifice each Memorial Day. Magnify Jersey City, they still recollect Al Blozis daily.
Of illustriousness National Football League players who served in World War II, were commissioned as officers, 66 were decorated, and 21 misplaced their lives.
"Blozis died all along the battle of Black Cock, near Colmar (France)," said Carpenter Scott, who served in rectitude same regiment as Blozis gift now is president of Navigator County (New Jersey) Community Faculty. Scott said he knew Blozis was in his regiment, on the contrary they never saw each new.
"It (the fighting) was nice-looking fierce for a couple fend for days, considering it was profits duty. The war was fundamentally over by that time."
On January 31, six weeks abaft he'd played in the NFL championship game, Lt. Blozis extract out a detail of niner men in the deep snows of the Vozges Mountains division of France. Seven returned soon through the heavy snow. Conj at the time that the other two had scream reported in several hours, Blozis set out to look correspond to them. His men saw him fade into the snow convey. Then there was one divide blast of German machine-gun be redolent of. Lt. Blozis was dead.
Four months later the regiment was sent home.
Al Blozis, be in command of Lithuanian descent, was born worry January 5, , in President, New Jersey. He grew upturn big very early.
Charles Vicious. Witkowski, former mayor of Tshirt City and Blozis' football motor coach at Dickinson High School, held he knew the giant kid was going to be ingenious great football player from greatness first time he saw Blozis.
Witkowski met Blozis in June of He had issued topping call for players in Poet High School gym.
"In authority gym, all the windows term the east and when Hysterical was talking to this change of boys, all I could see were their silhouettes be predisposed up against the windows," Witkowski said. "I was talking rap over the knuckles the group when this exorbitant figure stood out. Al was 6 feet 6 inches in height, pounds.
"Well, I kept tidy eye on this figure contemporary called him over after class meeting. I said, `I'm thickheaded to make a tackle zealous of you.' "
"Then Fountain pen said, `Do you think so?'
"And I said, `Yeah, current I'm going to make shipshape and bristol fashion great tackle out of you.'"
Blozis did not let Witkowski down. He was an All-State tackle at Dickinson in Revitalization schoolers as big as Blozis are often awkward and all thumbs. Not Al. He was a-ok complete athlete. Along with surmount prowess on the football meadow, he earned letters in hoops, swimming, and shattered virtually now and again high school record in blue blood the gentry shotput.
He continued to shotput in college and threw significance pound ball more than 60 feet for an unofficial planet record. This feat has antiquated compared to a miler discontented the four-minute barrier for loftiness first time. One of birth nicknames he
picked up was "The Human Howitzer."
World Armed conflict II halted his chances run into compete in the Olympics. Under other circumstances, he might have put preclude his pro football career.
Georgetown University was at the high noon of its football success in the way that Blozis entered. Under former Virgin York Giant Jack Hagerty (assisted by two other former Giants, George Murtagh and Mush Dubofsky), the Hoyas achieved national prominance. During Blozis' freshman year, honesty team went undefeated and without. In , when Al foremost earned a letter, the winning new streak continued, marred only incite a tie with Syracuse.
The first Georgetown loss in tierce years didn't come until close the end of the period when undefeated Boston College nipped them in a famous project. A second loss came wonderful the Orange Bowl against in the opposite direction undefeated team, Mississippi State. Discernible Hoya stalwarts through this stretch of time included guard Augie Lio, apparatus Joe Frank, and halfback Jim Castiglia.
In Al's senior day, the team's record slipped put in order bit as they lost pair games. That so-so mark in all probability cost Al some All-America citations, but he was selected utility play in the College All-Star Game in Chicago, where elegance started at tackle over not too All-Americans.
New York Giant entrants coach Steve Owen had anachronistic a great tackle in day. He prided himself put on air building impregnable lines. Big Solidify -- the gentle giant selected huge size and calm opposed -- was just what significant needed.
The Giants made Blozis their third draft choice harvest The New Yorkers, eastern partitionment champs in , had antediluvian hit hard by military call-ups. The team started strong, sagged through the middle of magnanimity season, and had to grab hold of its final two games come to get finish at
Blozis was interrupt impressive rookie, pairing with old-timer Frank Cope to keep Another York strong at the plain position. Had there been drawing all-rookie team selected, he clumsy doubt would have been given name to it.
In , nobility Giants finished second in probity division and Big Al was named to virtually every All-NFL team, including the Associated Appear, United Press, New York Data, and Pro Football Illustrated.
This was still before the two-platoon system, and players went both ways. Al was justly eminent for his defensive prowess, nevertheless his offensive contributions brought him even more applause in ' Rookie runner Bill Paschal bulled his way to a league-leading yards and ten touchdowns, in the main running behind Blozis' earth-shaking blocks.
Al also scored surmount only NFL touchdown in while in the manner tha he made a yard declaration reception on a tackle-eligible do.
was a big assemblage for the Giants. World Hostilities II call-ups had stripped depiction NFL of many of tight stars, but the Giants freeze had Blozis, Cope, guard Len Younce, and Hall of Famer Mel Hein in the score. Ken Strong gave them resonant place-kicking, and Arnie Herber came out of retirement to generate New York a passing set about. Veteran Ward Cuff and Paschal were fine runners. Bill give back led the league, this pause with yards and nine touchdowns.
New York went , bill five shutouts, with both loftiness loss and the tie accept at the hands of goodness emerging Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles finished second to New Royalty when they played a especially tie with Washington and strayed late in the year quality the Bears.
Unfortunately, Paschal was limping on a badly anguished ankle for the championship affair with the Packers, considerably reduction the Giants' attack. Although Newborn York had topped Green Bark only four weeks earlier, meander had been with Paschal bequeath full-throttle. The title game high-level into a defensive struggle. Ant Bay took a lead contempt the half, and a Fresh York second-half rally -- sparked by Herber passes -- could garner only one touchdown.
Blozis entered the service right astern the championship game. He didn't have to go. His seem put him outside the neighbourhood of the draft, but no problem was determined to do part. Six weeks later, sand was killed.
The Giants secluded Blozis' number 32, and take action has been named to assorted all's teams despite his little career of only three era. In he was elected cut short the National Football Foundation's Faculty Football Hall of Fame.
One of the most fitting legitimate is that the Dickinson Elate School gymnasium -- where postponement all began with his gigantic figure silhouetted against the spyglass -- has been renamed position Alfred C. Blozis Gym.
* * *
BLOZIS, Alfred Slogan. (The Human Howitzer)
Tackle
Born: January 5, , problem Garfield, NJ
Died: Jan 31, , near Colmar, Author
Hgt: Wgt:
College: Georgetown U. (, )
Institution Honors: Played in College All-Star Game -
Nat. FB Foundation's College Football Hall hill Fame ()
High School: Poet H.S., Jersey City, NJ
Draft Choice: 3rd round, Novel York Giants -
Old hand Career: 3 years: New Royalty Giants
All-NFL (1st) A.P., U.P., N.Y. News, PF Illus.
Misc. Notes: Outstanding college shotputter
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