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{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1945)}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name         = Danny Abramowicz
| image        = New Orleans Saints at Denver Broncos 1985-09-15 (ticket) (crop).jpg
| caption      = Abramowicz playing for the Saints {{circa}} 1970
| number       = 46
| position     = [[Wide receiver]]
| birth_date   = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1945|07|13}}
| birth_place  = [[Steubenville, Ohio]], U.S.
| height_ft    = 6
| height_in    = 1
| weight_lbs   = 195
| high_school  = [[Steubenville Catholic Central High School|Catholic Central]] (Steubenville)
| college      = [[Xavier Musketeers football|Xavier]] (1963–1966)
| draftyear    = 1967
| draftround   = 17
| draftpick    = 420
| pastteams    =
* [[New Orleans Saints]] ({{NFL Year|1967}}–{{NFL Year|1973}})
* [[San Francisco 49ers]] ({{NFL Year|1973}}–{{NFL Year|1974}})
| pastcoaching =
*[[Chicago Bears]] ({{NFL Year|1992}}–{{NFL Year|1996}}) <br /> Special teams coach
*[[New Orleans Saints]] ({{NFL Year|1997}}–{{NFL Year|1999}}) <br /> Offensive coordinator
| highlights   =
* First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1969 All-Pro Team|1969]])
* [[List of NFL annual receptions leaders|NFL receptions leader]] (1969)
* [[New Orleans Saints|New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame]]
* [[Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame]] (1992)
* [[Xavier University]] Athletic Hall of Fame (1981)
* [[National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame]] (1992)
| statlabel1   = Games played
| statvalue1   = 111
| statlabel2   = Games started
| statvalue2   = 106
| statlabel3   = [[Reception (American football)|Reception]]s
| statvalue3   = 369
| statlabel4   = Receiving yards
| statvalue4   = 5,686
| statlabel5   = [[Touchdowns|Receiving touchdowns]]
| statvalue5   = 39
| pfr          = A/AbraDa00
| pfrcoach     = AbraDa0
}}
'''Daniel Stanley "Danny" Abramowicz''' (born July 13, 1945) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[wide receiver]] in the [[National Football League]] (NFL). He played [[college football]] for the [[Xavier Musketeers football|Xavier Musketeers]]. He played in the NFL for the [[New Orleans Saints]] and [[San Francisco 49ers]]. He was named a first-team [[All-Pro]] with the Saints in 1969, when he led the league in [[reception (gridiron football)|receptions]]. He became a coach after his playing career.

==Biography==
=== Early life ===
Born in [[Steubenville, Ohio]], Abramowicz is of Polish/Irish descent.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.cleveland.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/01/who_dat_danny_abramowicz_was_t.html |title= Who dat? Danny Abramowicz was the New Orleans Saints' first star, and will root for his old team from his Steubenville home |first= Bill |last= Lubinger |work= The Plain Dealer |date= January 31, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180328103055/http://www.cleveland.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/01/who_dat_danny_abramowicz_was_t.html |archive-date= March 28, 2018 |url-status= live }}</ref> He attended [[Steubenville Catholic Central High School]]. When he was a 5–10, 155-pound senior at Catholic Central, Abramowicz didn't attract much attention from college coaches. The only school that offered him a football scholarship was [[Xavier University (Cincinnati)|Xavier University]] in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]].

He went to Xavier and, as a sophomore, caught 18 passes for 257 yards in his first varsity season.

His junior year, he finished with 50 catches for 738 yards and eight touchdowns, helping Xavier to an 8–2 season. That year Xavier knocked off [[Miami RedHawks football|Miami University]], 29–28, [[Cincinnati Bearcats football|Cincinnati]], 14–3, and [[Dayton Flyers football|Dayton]], 10–0. The Musketeers were all but bowl-bound until they dropped a 57–33 decision to [[UTEP Miners football|Texas Western]] on the final day of the season despite a 53-yard touchdown reception by Abramowicz. At the conclusion of his junior year, he was named to the All-Catholic All-America team (The Brooklyn Tablet).

During his senior season, he continued as the favorite receiver of quarterback [[Carroll Williams (Canadian football)|Carroll Williams]], catching 34 passes for 585 yards and three touchdowns despite facing constant double coverage.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://goxavier.com/sports/general/archives |title=General – Story Archives |website=Xavier University Athletics}}</ref>

Abramowicz holds the XU records for passes caught in a season (50 in 1965) and in a career (102), receiving yards in a career (1,470), as well as touchdown passes caught in a season (eight in 1965) and in a career (13)<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=https://lasportshall.com/?inductees=danny-abramowicz&back=inductee |title=Danny Abramowicz |website=[[Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame]] |access-date=September 9, 2023}}</ref>

He graduated with a bachelor of science degree in Economics and Education in 1967.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=http://www.crossingthegoal.com/meet-the-team |title=Crossing the Goal |access-date=January 27, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202105356/http://www.crossingthegoal.com/meet-the-team |archive-date=February 2, 2014}}</ref>

=== NFL career ===
By his senior year, he had grown to 6–0, 190 pounds, but he still didn't attract much attention from pro scouts due to his lack of speed. Abramowicz was drafted by the Saints in the 17th round of the [[1967 NFL/AFL draft]].

His career lasted from 1967 through 1974. Abramowicz broke into the starting lineup in the seventh game of the Saints’ first season with 12 catches for 156 yards in a 14–10 loss to the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]].

Abramowicz had his most productive years while with the Saints. In 1968, 1969, and 1970, he ranked in the Top 10 in the [[NFL]] in two categories: [[Reception (American football)|receptions]] and receiving [[yards]].

Additionally, in 1968 and 1972 he was Top 10 in receiving [[touchdown]]s. His best season is generally considered to be 1969 when he caught 73 passes for 1,015 yards to go along with seven touchdowns. For his efforts, he was voted as an [[All-Pro]] by the [[Sporting News]] and [[Associated Press]]. The 1972 season would turn out to be Abramowicz's last full season with the Saints.

Two games into the 1973 season, he was traded to the 49ers, playing two sub-par seasons. Abramowicz attempted to catch on in 1975, reporting to camp with George Allen's "Over the Hill Gang", the Washington Redskins. However, he did not make the final roster.

Over his career, he played 111 games, caught 369 passes for 5,686 yards, and 39 touchdowns.

Upon his retirement, he held the NFL record for catching at least one pass in consecutive games: 105. The previous record was 96 by Hall-of-Famer [[Lance Alworth]].

=== After retirement ===
After his playing career, Abramowicz worked in private business in [[New Orleans]]. He also spent five years as an analyst for Saints games broadcast on [[radio]]. In 1992, he was hired by [[Chicago Bears]] head coach [[Mike Ditka]] to serve as [[special teams]] coach. He served in this capacity from 1992 to 1996. In 1997, when Ditka was hired as head coach for the Saints, Abramowicz came back to the Saints as [[offensive coordinator]]. He has been out of the NFL since Ditka was fired in 1999.

Abramowicz is a devout [[Roman Catholic]], and is active with various organizations and foundations dedicated to [[philanthropy|philanthropic]] causes. He is also a writer, author of ''Spiritual Workout of a Former Saint.''

Since September 2008, Abramowicz has been hosting his own television show "Crossing the Goal" on the [[Catholic]] television network [[EWTN]]. Promotional materials from the network indicate the program uses "a sports show format to encourage men to get into spiritual shape." He also serves on the Board of Directors of EWTN. He serves in an advisory capacity to the board of directors of National Fellowship of Catholic Men. He travels throughout the United States speaking at Catholic men's conferences.

He and his wife, Claudia, married in 1970 and had three children and four grandsons.<ref name="auto1"/> Claudia died August 2, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Claudia Abramowicz Obituary (1947–2022) – Covington, LA – The Times-Picayune |url=https://obits.nola.com/us/obituaries/nola/name/claudia-abramowicz-obituary?id=36152191 |access-date=February 19, 2024 |website=NOLA.com}}</ref>

Xavier University has presented him with the two most prestigious awards bestowed on a student athlete—Legion of Honor and Athletic Hall of Fame (1981).<ref name="auto1"/>

Abramowicz was inducted into the [[National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1992. Also in 1992, he was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.<ref name="auto"/>

==NFL career statistics==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
! colspan="2"| Legend
|-
| style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"|
| Led the league
|-
| '''Bold'''
| Career high
|}

===Regular season===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! colspan="2"| Games
! colspan="5"| Receiving
|-
! GP !! GS !! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD
|-
! [[1967 NFL season|1967]] !! [[1967 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
| '''14''' || 10 || 50 || 721 || 14.4 || '''80''' || 6 
|-
! [[1968 NFL season|1968]] !! [[1968 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
| '''14''' || '''14''' || 54 || 890 || 16.5 || 47 || '''7''' 
|-
! [[1969 NFL season|1969]] !! [[1969 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
| '''14''' || '''14''' || style="background:#cfecec;"|'''73''' || '''1,015''' || 13.9 || 49 || '''7''' 
|-
! [[1970 NFL season|1970]] !! [[1970 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
| '''14''' || '''14''' || 55 || 906 || 16.5 || 48 || 5 
|-
! [[1971 NFL season|1971]] !! [[1971 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
| '''14''' || '''14''' || 37 || 657 || '''17.8''' || 63 || 5 
|-
! [[1972 NFL season|1972]] !! [[1972 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
| 13 || 13 || 38 || 668 || 17.6 || 51 || '''7''' 
|-
! rowspan="2"|[[1973 NFL season|1973]] !! [[1973 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
| 2 || 2 || 2 || 18 || 9.0 || 11 || 0 
|-
! [[1973 San Francisco 49ers season|SF]]
| 12 || 11 || 35 || 442 || 12.6 || 54 || 1
|-
! [[1974 NFL season|1974]] !! [[1974 San Francisco 49ers season|SF]]
| '''14''' || '''14''' || 25 || 369 || 14.8 || 30 || 1 
|-
! colspan="2"| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AbraDa00.htm Career] !! 111 !! 106 !! 369 !! 5,686 !! 15.4 !! 80 !! 39 
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.ewtn.com/series/crossingthegoal/index.htm "Crossing the Goal" website]

{{Saints1967DraftPicks}}
{{1967 New Orleans Saints}}
{{New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame}}
{{NFL receptions leaders}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abramowicz, Danny}}
[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American football wide receivers]]
[[Category:American people of Polish descent]]
[[Category:American philanthropists]]
[[Category:Catholics from Ohio]]
[[Category:Catholics from Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Chicago Bears coaches]]
[[Category:NFL announcers]]
[[Category:New Orleans Saints announcers]]
[[Category:New Orleans Saints players]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Washington (state)]]
[[Category:San Francisco 49ers players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Bellingham, Washington]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Steubenville, Ohio]]
[[Category:Xavier Musketeers football players]]