Al Blozis

Al Blozis

No. 32
Offensive tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: January 5, 1919(1919-01-05) Garfield, New Jersey
Date of death: January 21, 1945(1945-01-21) (aged 26) Vosges Mountains, France
Career information
College: Georgetown
NFL Draft: 1942 / Round: 5 / Pick: 38
Debuted in 1942 for the New York Giants
Last played in 1944 for the New York Giants
Career history
New York Giants (1942-1944)
Career highlights and awards
1× All-Star selection (1942) 1× All-Pro selection (1943) NFL 1940s All-Decade Team New York Giants #32 retired
Stats at NFL.com
College Football Hall of Fame

Albert Charles Blozis (January 5, 1919 – January 21, 1945) was an American football player who died in World War II.

Early life

Blozis was born in Garfield, New Jersey. He attended William L. Dickinson High School in Jersey City, New Jersey where he became well known for throwing the discus and shot put. At Georgetown University, he was the national indoor and outdoor shotput champion in both 1942 and 1943. He set the world indoor record for the shotput, throwing it 56 feet 4.5 inches in 1941 at a meet in Cleveland.^{[citation needed]}

Professional football career

Blozis was drafted in the fifth round of the 1942 NFL Draft and played offensive tackle for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He played for the Giants in 1942 and 1943 before entering the military. He was also able to play three games in 1944 while on furlough.

World War II and death

Blozis was inducted into the Army on December 9, 1943. He was first assigned to duty as a physical instructor at Walter Reed General Hospital and then went through Officers' training at Fort Benning. At Fort Benning, he set the Army's hand grenade throwing record with a toss of 94 yards, 2 feet 6.5 inches.^{[citation needed]} He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 28th Infantry Division. In January 1945, his platoon was in the Vosges Mountains of France scouting enemy lines. When two of his men, a Sergeant and a private, failed to return from a patrol, he went in search of them alone. He never returned. He was first listed as missing, but in April his death was confirmed.

Honors

The New York Giants retired the number he wore, 32. A second Giants player, Jack Lummus also died in World War II.

In April 1946 True Comics featured a story about Al Blozis entitled The Human Howitzer.

See also

• Deaths in Sports

References

• Blozis was killed Jan 21 in France, New York Times, April 9, 1945.
• Two Giants Were Heroes Far From Playing Field; Al Blozis, a Star Tackle, and Jack Lummus, a Promising Receiver, Died in Combat in World War II, New York Times, January 26, 1991.

External links

• "Al Blozis". Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=18922321. Retrieved 2009-12-16.