Walter Steven Jurkiewicz (February 16, 1919 – December 3, 2002) was an American football player, teacher, and coach. He played college football for Indiana from 1939 to 1941 and professional football for the Detroit Lions in 1946.
| Personal information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | February 16, 1919 Scott Haven, Pennsylvania | ||||
| Died: | December 3, 2002 (aged 83) Plymouth, Indiana | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Hamtramck (MI) | ||||
| College: | Indiana | ||||
| Position: | Center | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Early years
editBorn in Scott Haven, Pennsylvania, Jurkiewicz attended Hamtramck High School in Michigan and played college football for Indiana.[1][2]
After leaving the university, Jurkiewicz worked as a display designer for Montgomery Ward. During World War II, he served in the Navy.[3]
Professional football
editAfter the war, Jurkiewicz played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) as a center for the Detroit Lions. He appeared in 11 NFL games, one as a starter, during the 1946 season.[4][1]
Later years
editFrom 1947 to 1957, Jurkiewicz was the head football coach at Broad Ripple High School in Indianapolis. He later taught physical education at Plymouth High School and Greenfield High School in Cincinnati.[3] In 1963, he received Dupont's "Play of the Year" contest for a formation he designed known as "screen left."[5] From 1964 to 1984, he taught at Penn High School.[3] He also taught the Polish paper-cutting method, wycinanki,[6] and invented the "Robo-T-Snap machine used for training quarterbacks. He died in 2002 at age 86.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b "Walt Jurkiewicz". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
- ^ "Big Hamtramck Center Among 3 Newest Lions". Detroit Free Press. June 23, 1946. p. 37 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Ida Chapman (December 5, 2002). "Area teacher Walter Jurkiewicz, 83, dies: Plymouth man known for sharing Polish culture, paper art". The South Bend Tribune. p. 36 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Walt Jurkiewicz". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
- ^ "Jurkiewicz Outwits 900 Rivals". The Indianapolis Star. August 18, 1963. p. 56 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Marilyn Hughes (February 13, 1992). "Jurkiewicz cuts out niche at schools with folk art". The South Bend Tribune. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.