View source for Ed Molinski

{{Short description|American football player (1917–1986)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox college football player
| embed           = 
| name            = Ed Molinski
| image           = 
| image_size      = 
| alt             = 
| caption         = 
| school          = Tennessee Volunteers
| currentnumber   = 36
| currentposition = [[Guard (American football)|Guard]]
| class           = of 1941
| major           = 
| pastschools     = 
* [[Tennessee Volunteers football|Tennessee]] (1937–1940)
| bowlgames       = 
| highschool      = [[Massillon Washington High School|Massillon Washington]]<br/>(Massillon, Ohio)
| birth_date      = {{Birth date|1917|8|20|mf=y}}
| birth_place     = [[Massillon, Ohio]], U.S.
| death_date      = {{death-date and age|June 26, 1986|August 20, 1917}}
| death_place     = [[Memphis, Tennessee]], U.S.
| height_ft       = 
| height_in       = 
| weight_lb       = 
| highlights      = 
* Consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1939 College Football All-America Team|1939]])
* First-team All-American ([[1940 College Football All-America Team|1940]])
* First-team [[List of All-SEC football teams|All-SEC]] ([[1939 All-SEC football team|1939]])
* 2× Second-team All-SEC ([[1938 All-SEC football team|1938]], [[1940 All-SEC football team|1940]])
| CFBHOF_id       = 1582
| CFBHOF_year     = 1990
| module          = 
| espn            = 
| cbs             = 
| si              = 
| yahoo           = 
| rivals          = 
}}

'''Ed Molinski''' (August 20, 1917 – June 26, 1986) was a [[Hall of Fame]] [[college football]] player for the [[University of Tennessee]].  He later became a [[Physician|doctor]] after being involved in [[boxing]], [[World War II]], and college coaching.

==Football career==
Molinski played his high school ball at [[Massillon Washington High School]] in [[Massillon, Ohio]], where he played for legendary coach [[Paul Brown]] from 1934 to 1936 and was on the 1935 National Championship team.  After graduating, he moved on to [[Tennessee Volunteers football|Tennessee]] where he played for another legendary coach, [[Robert Neyland]].  Molinski was a standout at [[Guard (American football)|guard]] in both high school and college.

While at Tennessee, he helped lead the teams there to a 31–2 record and three undefeated regular seasons.<ref name="CFBHOF">{{College Football HoF|id=1582|name=Ed "Big Mo" Molinski }}</ref> He was a member of the [[1938 Tennessee Volunteers football team|1938 Tennessee team]] that won the [[NCAA Division I-A national football championship|National Championship]], and the 1939 team that put together an unscored upon regular season.  That year, Molinski was named to several [[All-America]]n teams.<ref name="CFBHOF" /> He was also named All-American the following season in 1940.<ref name="pr.tennessee.edu">{{cite web |url=http://pr.tennessee.edu/alumni/athletics.asp |title=The University of Tennessee - Distinguished Alumni |accessdate=January 10, 2007 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206005915/http://pr.tennessee.edu/alumni/athletics.asp |archivedate=December 6, 2006 }}</ref> In 1939, he was named to the [[1939 College Football All Polish-American Team]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2293&dat=19391224&id=FNFeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AQMGAAAAIBAJ&pg=1202,3199435&hl=pl | title=In The Polish Colony | work=The Sunday Morning Star | date=December 24, 1939 | accessdate=September 2, 2015 | author=Rosiak, A. J. | pages=14}}</ref>

Molinski was an All-American at the guard position, but was noted as a great player on both sides of the ball.  He played on the [[defensive line]] for his entire career at Tennessee.<ref name="utsports.cstv.com">{{cite web | url = http://utsports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/fballamerica/molinski.htm | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130122002808/http://utsports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/fballamerica/molinski.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = January 22, 2013 | title = Ed Molinski | publisher = utsports.cstv.com }}</ref> Molinski was known as a fiery player during his time at Tennessee, a benefit for the offensive and defensive line positions. His temperament was apparent when he was ejected early in the 1939 [[Orange Bowl (game)|Orange Bowl]], the final game for the 1938 championship team.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.soonerstats.com/football/games/recap.cfm?GameID=350 | title = Oklahoma 0, Tennessee 17: January 2, 1939 | publisher = SoonerStats.com}}</ref>

Molinski was elected to the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] in 1990, Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.<ref name="utsports.cstv.com" />

==Other==
Molinski was also involved in [[Golden Gloves]] boxing.  He was the state heavyweight champion in [[Ohio]], while also captaining the university boxing squad.  He was a National Golden Glove Semi-Finalist during his amateur career.  After college, Molinski served in the [[United States Marine Corps]] during [[World War II]], reaching the rank of [[second lieutenant#United States|second lieutenant]].<ref name="CFBHOF" />

Following the war, Molinski worked as an assistant football coach and a history professor at the [[University of Memphis|Memphis State]] and [[Mississippi State]] in addition to studying for a medical degree. The then Dr. Molinski finally settled in [[Memphis, Tennessee]] and practiced medicine until his death.<ref name="CFBHOF" />  Molinski earned the M.D. degree from the UT Center for the Health Sciences. He also spent 35 years serving as a physician/general practitioner who served underprivileged communities in Memphis, Tennessee.  In addition, he was the Memphis State football team doctor and professional fight doctor for the city.<ref name="pr.tennessee.edu" />

==References==
<references />
* 2006 University of Tennessee Football Media Guide

{{1938 Tennessee Volunteers football navbox}}
{{1939 College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{1940 Tennessee Volunteers football navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molinski, Ed}}
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:1986 deaths]]
[[Category:American people of Polish descent]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:American football guards]]
[[Category:Tennessee Volunteers football players]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps officers]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Massillon, Ohio]]