John Wysocki (c. 1916 – September 23, 1965) was an American football player who played for Villanova University from 1936 to 1938 and was selected as a first-team All-American at the end position in both 1937 and 1938.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | c. 1916 Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died: | September 23, 1965 (aged 48–49) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Hanover Area School District |
| College: | Villanova |
| Position: | End |
| NFL draft: | 1939 / round: 3 / pick: 21 |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Wysocki first gained national media attention after an October 1937 game in which he scored 19 of Villanova's 20 points (three touchdowns and an extra point) in a 20–0 victory over Manhattan.[1] In November 1937, noted sports writer Alan Gould wrote of Wysocki: "Villanova's sensational John Wysocki, who put on a one man scoring show against Manhattan, had another big afternoon against Detroit."[2] Wysocki was also known as a kick-blocker and had three career touchdowns on blocked kicks. In the 1937 Bacardi Bowl, Villanova was trailing Auburn 7–0 in the fourth quarter, when Wysocki and Valentine Rizzo blocked a kick inside the Auburn 15-yard line, and the kick was recovered by a Villanova lineman for a touchdown that led to the final game score of 7–7.[3] Wysocki repeated as an All-American in 1938 despite suffering injuries that prevented him from playing a full schedule.[4] In November 1938, NEA syndicate sports editor Harry Grayson said the following of the two-time All-American:
"John Wysocki is a raw-boned kid who made more All-America teams last year than did any other end. As a sophomore Wysocki had little polish. He was just a big fellow with a desire to put on bone-crushing blocks, a fervor for knocking people down, and obsessed with the idea that end play should be confined to the opponent's backfield. There was a finesse to his blistering blocking, brisk tackling and uncanny forward pass receiving this year. He gave Maurice (Big Clipper) Smith a chance to turn the foemen's desire to sock Wysocki into a Villanova advantage. Wysocki was all team player. He was the ideal decoy on pass plays and a demon on defense. Wysocki, a Wilkes-Barre boy, played with a pair of ankles that would have benched a less hardy individual."[5]
Wysocki was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round (21st pick overall) of the 1939 NFL draft.[6][7] However, Wysocki instead took a job as a high school teacher and coach. Upon graduating in 1939, Wysocki became a teacher and coach of football, basketball and track at Clifton Heights High School in a suburb of Philadelphia.[8] He later became the football and baseball coach and athletic director at Upper Merion High School in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, from 1944 to 1946.[8] From 1947 to 1965, he was a sales representative for a distilling firm.[4] He lived in his later years in Highland Park, Pennsylvania, and died in Philadelphia's Osteophathic Hospital at age 49 in 1965.[4] Wysocki was survived by his wife, Mary Wysocki, a son and four daughters.[4]
Wysocki was inducted into the Villanova Walk of Fame in 1994.[9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Major Football Roundup". Florence (SC) Morning News. October 17, 1937.
- ^ Alan Gould (November 4, 1937). "Newcomers Vie For All-America Grid Places". Daily Capital News.
- ^ "The Bacardi Bowl of 1937". M.M. Bolding. Archived from the original on January 28, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
- ^ a b c d "John Wysocki, Former Villanova Gridder, Dies". Lebanon Daily News. September 24, 1965.
- ^ Harry Grayson (November 25, 1938). "Great Backfield Is Selected for Football Honors: Wysocki and Young Are Chosen For End Posts". Freeport Journal-Standard (Illinois).
- ^ "1939 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
- ^ "1939 Chicago Bears". database football. Archived from the original on January 4, 2010.
- ^ a b "Former Football Standout Dies". San Antonio Express. September 24, 1965.
- ^ "2007 Villanova Football Media Guide" (PDF). Villanova University.