John "Bull" Karcis (December 3, 1908 – September 4, 1973)[1] was an American football player and coach. He played professionally as a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and New York Giants. Karcis was also the head coach for the Detroit Lions in 1942. He played college football at Carnegie Tech.

John Karcis
No. 35, 30, 64, 11, 50
Position:Fullback
Personal information
Born:(1908-12-03)December 3, 1908
Monaca, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died:September 4, 1973(1973-09-04) (aged 64)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Career information
College:Carnegie Tech
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career professional statistics
Rushing yards:1,799
Yards per carry:3.2
Touchdowns:11
Receptions:17
Receiving yards:152
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Head coaching record
Career:0–8
Record at Pro Football Reference

Karcis served as coach of the Lions in 1942 after Bill Edwards was fired three games into the season. It was a season of disaster for the team, which had player shortages due to World War II that took out talent. In his eight games as coach, Karcis lost each one, with the Lions being shutout three times. The most points scored by the team during his tenure was 7, which was done four times.[2]

Karcis was inducted into the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame.

References

edit
  1. ^ "John Karcis".
  2. ^ "The 1942 Lions were a winless, toothless mess". Archived from the original on January 1, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018.