Al Blozis
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| Date of birth | January 5, 1919 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Garfield, New Jersey |
| Date of death | January 31, 1945 (aged 26) |
| Place of death | Vosges Mountains, France † |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Tackle |
| College | Georgetown |
| High school | Jersey City (NJ) Dickinson |
| NFL draft | 1942 / Round: 5 / Pick: 38 |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1942–1944 | New York Giants |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career stats | |
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| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 United States |
| Service/branch |
 U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1945 |
| Rank |
 Second lieutenant |
| Unit |
 28th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Albert Charles "Al" Blozis (January 5, 1919 – January 31, 1945) was an American football player and track and field athlete who died as a soldier while in combat during World War II.
Biography
Early life
Albert Charles Blozis, known as "Al", was born January 5, 1919, in Garfield, New Jersey to Lithuanian immigrants.[1] He attended William L. Dickinson High School in Jersey City, New Jersey where he became well known for his skill in the discus throw and shot put.[2] At Georgetown University, he won AAU and NCAA indoor and outdoor shot titles three years in a row, 1940-42. He had a best put of 17.61 meters (57 feet, 3/4 inch). In 2015, Blozis was inducted into the USA National Track and Field Hall of Fame.[3]
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
In a 1991 news story, The New York Times wrote, "Curiously, the very size that made him so intimidating on the football field kept him out of the military until late 1943, when, after repeated attempts, Blozis finally persuaded the Army to waive its size limit and accept him. It took further persuading to get from a desk job to the front lines."[1]
Blozis was inducted into the United States 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.[1] He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 28th Infantry Division. On January 21, 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.[4] He never returned.
Blozis was first listed as missing, but in April of that year his death was confirmed. His remains were buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-Avold, Moselle.[5]
Honors
The New York Giants retired the number 32, which Blozis had worn. A second Giants player, Jack Lummus also died in World War II.[6]
In April 1946 True Comics[7] featured a story about Blozis entitled The Human Howitzer.[8]
The United States Army honored him by naming an athletic center in Frankfurt, Germany, after him. He was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.[5]
See also
- Pat Tillman —professional football player who enlisted in the US Army and was killed in action in Afghanistan
Footnotes
- 1 2 3 Chapter 6: The Greatrest Hoya Of Them All
- ↑ Thomas, Robert McG., Jr. "Two Giants Were Heroes Far From Playing Field", The New York Times, January 26, 1991. Accessed September 25, 2009. "Blozis, who was born in Garfield, New Jersey, and was a star athlete at Dickinson High School in Jersey City before going to Georgetown on a track scholarship, was regarded as the strongest player in professional football and had the physique to prove it."
- ↑ "Al Blozis". USA Track & Field. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ↑ HoyaSaxa.com: Georgetown Football Awards at www.hoyasaxa.com
- 1 2 "2Lt Albert Charles "Al" Blozis". Find-a-Grave.
- ↑ "Answering the call of duty". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. May 28, 2006
- ↑ True Comics, Chicago, No. 48, April 1946
- ↑ The Human Howitzer
Further reading
- Victor Mastro and Frank Alkyer, et al., "Al Blozis: Jersey City Giant," The Coffin Corner, vol. 8, no. 6 (1986).
- "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, Jan. 26, 1991.
External links
"Al Blozis". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
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