View source for Alex Wojciechowicz

{{Short description|American football player (1915–1992)}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name        = Alex Wojciechowicz
| image       = Alex Wojciechowicz, Emil Uremovich, Frank Szymanski 1946.jpg 
| caption     = Wojciechowicz (bottom) in 1946
| number      = 30, 50, 53
| position    = [[Center (gridiron football)|Center]] <br> [[Linebacker]] <br> [[End (gridiron football)|End]]
| birth_date  = {{Birth date|1915|8|12|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[South River, New Jersey]], U.S.
| death_date  = {{death date and age|1992|7|13|1915|8|12|mf=y}}
| death_place = [[Forked River, New Jersey]], U.S.
| height_ft   = 6
| height_in   = 0
| weight_lb   = 217
| high_school = [[South River High School (New Jersey)|South River]]
| college     = [[Fordham Rams football|Fordham]] (1935–1937)
| draftyear   = 1938
| draftround  = 1
| draftpick   = 6
| pastteams   =
* [[Detroit Lions]] ({{NFL Year|1938|1946}})
* [[Philadelphia Eagles]] ({{NFL Year|1946|1950}})
| highlights  =
* 2× [[List of NFL champions (1920–1969)|NFL champion]] ([[1948 NFL Championship Game|1948]], [[1949 NFL Championship Game|1949]])
* 2× First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1939 All-Pro Team|1939]], [[1944 All-Pro Team|1944]])
* [[NFL 1940s All-Decade Team]]
* [[Pride of the Lions]]
* [[Detroit Lions 75th Anniversary Team]]
* [[Detroit Lions#Lions All-Time Team|Detroit Lions All-Time Team]]
* [[Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame]]
* [[Philadelphia Eagles 75th Anniversary Team]]
* [[National Football League Alumni#NFL Alumni Order of the Leather Helmet|Order of the Leather Helmet]] (1982)
* 2× Consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1936 College Football All-America Team|1936]], [[1937 College Football All-America Team|1937]])
* First-team All-Eastern ([[1937 All-Eastern football team|1937]])
| statlabel1  = Games played
| statvalue1  = 134
| statlabel2  = Games started
| statvalue2  = 76
| statlabel3  = [[Interception]]s
| statvalue3  = 19
| statlabel4  = Interception yards
| statvalue4  = 162
| statlabel5  = [[Fumble]] recoveries
| statvalue5  = 7
| statlabel6  = Defensive [[touchdown]]s
| statvalue6  = 1
| pfr         = WojcAl20
| HOF         = alex-wojciechowicz
| CollegeHOF  = 1483 
}}

'''Alexander Francis''' "'''Wojie'''" '''Wojciechowicz'''{{efn|In [[English language|English]] {{IPAc-en|w|oʊ|dʒ|ᵻ|ˈ|h|oʊ|w|ᵻ|t|s}} {{respell|woh|jih|HOH|wits}}, in [[Polish language|Polish]] {{IPAc-pl|v|ɔ|j|t͡ɕ|ɛ|'|x|ɔ|v|i|t͡ʂ}}.}} (August 12, 1915 – July 13, 1992) was an American professional [[American football|football]] player in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) from 1935 to 1950. He was a [[two-way player]] who played at [[Center (gridiron football)|center]] on offense and at [[linebacker]] on defense. He has been inducted into both the [[College Football Hall of Fame|College]] and [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]], was a founder and the first president of the [[National Football League Alumni|NFL Alumni Association]], and was the third player to receive the [[National Football League Alumni#NFL Alumni Order of the Leather Helmet|Order of the Leather Helmet]].

Wojciechowicz played [[college football]] for the [[Fordham Rams football|Fordham Rams]] from 1935 to 1937 and was a member of the line that became known as the "[[Seven Blocks of Granite]]". He was selected as the consensus first-team All-American center in both 1936 and 1937.

Wojciechowicz was selected by the [[Detroit Lions]] in the first round of the [[1938 NFL draft]] and played for the Lions from 1938 to 1946. He was selected as a first-team All-NFL player in 1939 and 1944. In 1946, he was released by the Lions and then sold to the [[Philadelphia Eagles]], for whom he played from 1946 to 1950. He won two NFL championships with the Eagles, in 1948 and 1949.

==Early life==
Wojciechowicz was born in 1915 in [[South River, New Jersey]]. His father, Andrew Wojciechowicz (1890–1974), was a Polish immigrant and tailor.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 5, 1977 |title=Ex-Lion Wojie Still Solid at 265 |page=11 |work=Detroit Free Press|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4367364/ex_lion_wojie_still_solid_at_265/}}</ref>

According to Wojciechowicz, he began playing organized football in 1929 as a freshman at [[South River High School (New Jersey)|South River High School]] — beginning as a [[center (gridiron football)|center]] and never moving away from the position over the subsequent two decades.<ref>Richard Whittingham, ''What a Game They Played: An Inside Look at the Golden Era of Pro Football.'' (1984) Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2001; p. 155.</ref>

Wojciechowicz recalled that his real love as a boy was [[baseball]], playing [[catcher]] and batting cleanup for his successful high school squad.<ref>Whittingham, ''What a Game They Played,'' pp. 155–156.</ref> However Wojciechowicz sought a college education and saw football as his natural path to academic possibilities and he consequently shifted his focus to the fall sport.<ref name=Game156>Whittingham, ''What a Game They Played,'' p. 156.</ref> He was torn between [[Villanova University|Villanova]], [[Dartmouth College|Dartmouth]], and [[Fordham University|Fordham]], ultimately choosing the latter due to its location in New York City and Catholic orientation.<ref name=Game156 />

==College career==
Wojciechowicz enrolled at Fordham in 1935 and played [[college football]] as the center for the [[Fordham Rams football]] team from 1935 to 1937. He was a member of the Fordham line, alongside guard [[Vince Lombardi]], that became known as the "[[Seven Blocks of Granite]]".<ref name="NYT">{{Cite news |date=July 14, 1992 |title=Alex Wojciechowicz, Football Player, 76 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/14/obituaries/alex-wojciechowicz-football-player-76.html |access-date=2024-11-04 |work=The New York Times|agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref name=Granite/> The undefeated [[1937 Fordham Rams football team|1937 Fordham team]], with Wojciechowicz at center, compiled a 7–0–1 record, was ranked #3 in the final [[AP Poll]], and gave up only 16 points all season. He was selected as the consensus first-team All-American center in both 1936 and 1937.<ref>{{cite web|title=2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections|publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)|year=2014|access-date=August 16, 2014|page=5|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2014/Awards.pdf|archive-date=November 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181126094941/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2014/awards.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Fordham coach [[Jim Crowley]] called Wojciechowicz "one of the great defensive centers" and noted that he "seldom made a bad pass from center."<ref name=Sign/> He made a name for himself in the annual rivalry games with the [[Pittsburgh Panthers football|Pittsburgh Panthers]], resulting in three consecutive scoreless ties. The final tie was the only blemish on the record of the [[1937 Pittsburgh Panthers football team|1937 Pittsburgh team]] that won the national championship in the [[AP Poll]]. Wojciechowicz later cited the Pittsburgh games as his three biggest thrills in football,<ref name=sc/> saying, "Pitt had the dream backfield, with all-America [[Marshall Goldberg]], and we had the dream line. It was a stalemate for three years. Those three games proved what football is all about."<ref name=Granite>{{cite news|title=Wojciechowicz: A name chiseled in granite|newspaper=The Independent (Long Beach, CA)|date=November 23, 1976|page=20|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4367289/wojciechowicz_a_name_chiseled_in_granite/}}</ref>

==Professional career==
=== Detroit Lions ===
Wojciechowicz was selected by the [[Detroit Lions]] in the first round, sixth overall pick, of the [[1938 NFL draft]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1938 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1938/draft.htm |access-date=March 25, 2023 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He signed with the Lions in July 1938.<ref name=Sign>{{cite news|title=Wojie Signed for Lion Post|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=July 17, 1938|page=37|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4366064/wojie_signed_for_lion_post/}}</ref> For nine years, Wojciechowicz was a fixture in the Lions' lineup, a 60-minute player who played at center on offense and linebacker on defense. He was selected as a first-team All-NFL player in 1939 and 1944 and had seven interceptions in 1944, a Lions single-season record at the time.<ref name=PFHOF/> Between 1938 and 1946, he appeared in 86 games for the Lions, 61 of them as a starter.<ref name=PFR>{{cite news|title=Alex Wojciechowicz|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=February 19, 2016|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WojcAl20.htm}}</ref> The [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]], in its biography of Wojciechowicz, states: "On the field, ... he was all business, one of the last of the 'iron men' of football, a center on offense and a sure-tackling linebacker with unusually good range, on defense."<ref name=PFHOF>{{cite web|title=Alex Wojciechowicz|publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame|access-date=February 19, 2016|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/players/alex-wojciechowicz/biography/}}</ref> In October 1946, after the Lions lost their season opener, Detroit coach [[Gus Dorais]] released four linemen, including Wojciechowicz. Wojciechowicz announced at the time that he would return to his business in New Jersey and added, "This day had to come, and I can't say I'm disappointed that it happened now."<ref>{{cite news|title=Wojie, Forte Get Gate After Cardinal Debacle in Home Opener|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=October 15, 1946|page=12|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4366187/wojie_forte_get_gate/}}</ref>

=== Philadelphia Eagles ===
Two days after the Lions announced his release, the Eagles purchased the Lions' rights to Wojciechowicz for an undisclosed sum.<ref>{{cite news|title=Wojie Will Be Eagle on Sunday|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=October 17, 1946|page=19|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4366216/wojie_will_be_eagle_sunday/}}</ref> He appeared in seven games for the Eagles, only one as a starter, during the 1946 season.<ref name=PFR/>

In 1947, he became the Eagles' starting center, appearing in all 12 games for the club, 11 as a starter.<ref name=PFR/> The 1947 Eagles compiled an 8–4 record, finished in first place in the NFL East, but lost to the Cardinals in the [[1947 NFL Championship Game]].<ref>{{cite web|title=1947 Philadelphia Eagles|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=February 19, 2016|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/phi/1947.htm}}</ref>

In 1948, Wojciechowicz lost the starting center job to [[Vic Lindskog]], but appeared in 10 games, mostly on defense, for the [[1948 Philadelphia Eagles season|1948 Eagles team]] that shut out the [[1948 Chicago Cardinals season|Cardinals]] in the [[1948 NFL Championship Game]].<ref>{{cite web|title=1948 Philadelphia Eagles|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=February 19, 2016|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/phi/1948.htm}}</ref> In 1949, he appeared in all 12 games, but only one as a starter, as [[Chuck Bednarik]] was the starting center for the [[1949 Philadelphia Eagles season|1949 Eagles team]]. That year, the Eagles won their second consecutive NFL championship, shutting out the [[1949 Los Angeles Rams season|Rams]] in the [[1949 NFL Championship Game]].<ref>{{cite web|title=1949 Philadelphia Eagles|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=February 19, 2016|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/phi/1949.htm}}</ref>

He was considered past his prime when he joined the Eagles, but head coach [[Greasy Neale]] used him principally as a linebacker, and he responded with quality defensive play.<ref name=RD>Didinger, Ray. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4367496/eagles_wojciechowicz_was_clubs/ "Eagles' Wojciechowicz was club's 'toughest guy'"], ''[[Asbury Park Press]]'', July 15, 1992. Accessed May 10, 2017. "Alex Wojciechowicz , one of 12 Philadelphia Eagles in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died Monday at his home in Forked River, N.J."</ref> Teammate [[Jack Hinkle]] called Wojciechowicz the "toughest guy" on the Eagles' championship teams and added, "He looked like a big, shaggy dog. A sad-eyed St. Bernard. But he'd rip your head off."<ref name=RD/>

In his final NFL season, Wojciechowicz appeared in nine games, none as a starter, and saw only limited action.<ref name=PFR/><ref name=Retire/> In December 1950, he announced that he was retiring as a player.<ref name=Retire>{{cite news|title=A Block of Granite: Wojciechowicz Will End 13 Years in Pro Sport|newspaper=The Daily Courier|date=December 21, 1950|page=6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4366424/wojciechowicz_will_end_13_years_in_pro/}}</ref>

==Family and later years==
Wojciechowicz was married to Katherine Mallen, and they had three sons and a daughter.<ref name=NYT/><ref>{{cite news|title=Star Guard on Fordham Eleven Becomes Father|newspaper=The Evening News|date=August 22, 1938|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4365993/star_guard_on_fordham_eleven_becomes/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Asbury Park to Get 3 Wojies|newspaper=Asbury Park Evening Press|date=July 31, 1947|page=17|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4366273/asbury_park_to_get_3_wojies/}}</ref>

For many years after retiring from the NFL, Wojciechowicz lived in [[Wanamassa, New Jersey]], and worked as a real estate appraiser and broker.<ref name=sc>{{cite news|title=Sport City|author=Larry Favinger|newspaper=The Portsmouth Herald|date=September 22, 1976|page=10|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4367311/sport_city/}}</ref><ref name=APP>{{cite news|title=A. F. Wojciechowicz, 76, football Hall of Famer|newspaper=Asbury Park Press|date=July 14, 1992|page=7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4367408/a_f_wojciechowicz_76_football_hall/}}</ref>

Wojciechowicz was also one of the founders of the [[National Football League Alumni|NFL Alumni Association]], established to negotiate with the owners for the creation of a pension plan to benefit the game's early players, and was elected as its president in 1968.<ref>{{cite news|title=Negotiations Underway for Alumni|newspaper=The Argus|date=August 29, 1968|page=12|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4367023/negotiations_underway_for_alumni/}}</ref> His son recalled: "He worked hard to establish the indigent players' fund and establish pensions."<ref name=APP/>

Wojciechowicz died in 1992 at his home in [[Forked River, New Jersey]] at age 76.<ref name=PFR/><ref name=RD/>

==Honors==
After retiring from football, Wojciechowicz received numerous honors including the following:
* In 1955, he was inducted to the [[College Football Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Wojciechowicz One of Sixteen Named to Football Hall of Fame|newspaper=Asbury Park Press|date=July 25, 1955|page=16|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4366543/wojciechowicz_one_of_sixteen_named_to/}}</ref><ref name=CFHOF>{{College Football HoF|id=1483|name=Alex "Wojie" Wojciechowicz|accessdate=February 19, 2016}}</ref>
* In 1968, he was inducted into the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite news|title='Wojie' Among 7 Members Picked|newspaper=Asbury Park Press|date=February 20, 1968|page=22|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4367040/wojie_among_7_members_picked/}}</ref> At the time, Bill Daley wrote in ''The New York Times'': "Fewer than a dozen men had the durability and continuing excellence to survive the rigors of smashing play for a longer period of time."<ref name=Daley>{{cite news|title=Sports of The Times; Immortals With Muscles|newspaper=The New York Times|author=Arthur Daley|date=February 21, 1968|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/02/21/archives/sports-of-the-times-immortals-with-muscles.html}}</ref>
* In 1969, he was selected to the [[National Football League 1940s All-Decade Team]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Wojciechowicz Selected On NFL 1940s Squad|newspaper=Asbury Park Press|date=August 29, 1969|page=13|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4367075/wojciechowicz_selected_on_nfl_1940s/}}</ref>
* In 1970, he was one of the five inaugural inductees into the Fordham University Athletic Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fordham Slates Five Inductees|newspaper=The Tennessean|date=April 26, 1970|page=35|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4367139/fordham_slates_five_inductees/}}</ref>
* In 1971, he was inducted into the New Jersey All Sports Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite news|title='Wojie' Remembers His High School Coach|newspaper=Asbury Park Press|date=November 18, 1971|page=46|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4367182/wojie_remembers_his_high_school_coach/}}</ref>
* In 1975, Wojciechowicz was inducted into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web|title=Alex Wojciechowicz|publisher=National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame|access-date=February 19, 2016|url=http://www.polishsportshof.com/?page_id=1038|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208154425/http://www.polishsportshof.com/?page_id=1038|archive-date=December 8, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> 
* In 1982, he became the third player, after [[Bronko Nagurski]] and [[Red Grange]], to receive the prestigious [[National Football League Alumni#NFL Alumni Order of the Leather Helmet|NFL Alumni Order of the Leather Helmet]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Former Lion Hall of Famer Wojciechowicz joins elite group in Leather Helmet group|author=Charlie Vincent|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=January 20, 1982|page=3H|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4367712/former_lion_hall_of_famer_wojciechowicz/}}</ref>
* In 1987, he was inducted into the [[Philadelphia Eagles#Eagles Hall of Fame|Eagles Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Eagles Hall of Fame Inductees|publisher=Philadelphia Eagles|access-date=February 19, 2016|url=http://media.philadelphiaeagles.com/media/152700/eagles-hall-of-fame.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160225094609/http://media.philadelphiaeagles.com/media/152700/eagles-hall-of-fame.pdf|archive-date=February 25, 2016}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Profootballhof|234}}
* {{College Football HoF|1483}}
* {{Find a Grave|13937406}}

{{1938 NFL Draft}}
{{Lions1938DraftPicks}}
{{LionsFirstPick}}
{{Pride of the Lions}}
{{Lions75th}}
{{Detroit Lions All-Time Team}}
{{1948 Philadelphia Eagles}}
{{1949 Philadelphia Eagles}}
{{1936 College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{1937 College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{1968 Football HOF}}
{{Pro Football Hall of Fame members}}
{{Eagles75}}
{{Eagles Honor Roll}}
{{NFL1940s}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wojciechowicz, Alex}}
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:1992 deaths]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:American football centers]]
[[Category:American football linebackers]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Detroit Lions players]]
[[Category:Fordham Rams football players]]
[[Category:Fordham University alumni]]
[[Category:People from South River, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Eagles players]]
[[Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:American people of Polish descent]]
[[Category:South River High School (New Jersey) alumni]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Lacey Township, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Ocean County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Middlesex County, New Jersey]]