View source for Joe Krol

{{Short description|Player of American and Canadian football (1919–2008)}}
{{For|the Canadian ice hockey player|Joe Krol (ice hockey)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Joe Krol
| image = Joe Krol.jpg
| image_size =
| alt = 
| caption= 
| position= Quarterback
| number = 55
| birth_date={{Birth date|mf=yes|1919|2|20}}
| birth_place=[[Hamilton, Ontario]], Canada
| death_date={{Death date and age|2008|12|16|1919|2|20}}
| death_place=[[Toronto|Toronto, Ontario]], Canada
| height_ft=6
| height_in=0
| weight_lbs=200
| high_school=[[Kennedy Collegiate Institute]]
| pastteams =
* [[Hamilton Flying Wildcats]] (1942–1944)
* [[Detroit Lions]] ({{NFL Year|1945}})
* [[Toronto Argonauts]] ({{CFL Year|1945}}–{{CFL Year|1952}}, {{CFL Year|1955}})
| highlights=
* 6× [[Grey Cup]] champion (1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1952)
* [[Ontario Rugby Football Union#Imperial Oil Trophy - Most Valuable Player|Imperial Oil Trophy]] ([[Ontario Rugby Football Union|ORFU]]) (1944)
* [[Lou Marsh Trophy]] (1946) 
* [[Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy|Jeff Russel Trophy]] (1946)
* 2× [[Lionel Conacher Award]] (1946, 1947)
* 4× All-[[Canadian Football League East Division|Eastern]] [[Running back|RB]] (1945–1948)
* [[Canada's Sports Hall of Fame]] (1975)
* [[Toronto_Argonauts#All-Time_and_Hall_of_Fame|Toronto Argonauts No. 55]] retired
| CFHOF=joe-king-krol
}}


'''Joseph "King" Krol''' (February 20, 1919 – December 16, 2008) was a [[Canadians|Canadian]] [[Canadian football|football]] [[quarterback]], [[running back]], [[defensive back]], and [[placekicker]]/[[Punter (football position)|punter]] from 1942 to 1953 and 1955. Considered as possibly the most versatile player in Canadian football history as a triple-threat to pass, run, and kick, he was one of Canada's greatest athletes and also famously known as a "[[Gold Dust Twins|Gold Dust Twin]]" for his teamwork with [[Royal Copeland (Canadian football)|Royal Copeland]]. Joe Krol was inducted into the [[Ontario Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1996.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oshof.ca/index.php/honoured-members/item/88-joe-krol |title=Joe Krol |website=oshof.ca |publisher=[[Ontario Sports Hall of Fame]] |access-date=September 23, 2014 |archive-date=August 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830053920/http://oshof.ca/index.php/honoured-members/item/88-joe-krol |url-status=dead }}</ref> After suffering from a fall in his apartment, Krol died in a Toronto hospital on December 16, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/12/17/sports/FBO-Obit-Krol.php |title=Joe Krol, winner of six Grey Cups, dies at 89 |access-date=December 17, 2008 |date=December 17, 2008 |publisher=Associated Press}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Krol was born on February 20, 1919, in [[Hamilton, Ontario]]. He was commonly nicknamed "King".<ref name=greatest>{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/article/555249 |title='Greatest Argo ever,' Joe Krol dies at 89 |last=Zelkovich |first=Chris |date=December 17, 2008 |work=[[Toronto Star]] |publisher=thestar.com |access-date=February 19, 2011}}</ref> He said in 1999, "My parents are [[Polish people|Polish]] and the name was actually Krul. I guess in Polish, [[:wiktionary:król|Krol]] means king. It also means rabbit, but I think I prefer king."<ref name=firsthero>{{cite news |url=http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=5a5f829c-af77-4aa6-8884-0e37df3d3b71&sponsor= |title=Krol Windsor's first football hero |last=Waddell |first=D. |date=December 19, 2008 |work=The Windsor Star |publisher=canada.com |access-date=February 19, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628215214/http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=5a5f829c-af77-4aa6-8884-0e37df3d3b71&sponsor= |archive-date=June 28, 2011}}</ref>

Krol began playing [[Canadian football]] in high school at [[Kennedy Collegiate Institute]] in [[Windsor, Ontario]] in 1932, with which he won several secondary school championships. He went to the [[University of Western Ontario]] in [[London, Ontario]] and played [[CIS football|Intercollegiate Football]] for the [[Western Ontario Mustangs]] from 1938 to 1942 including the Intercollegiate championship in 1939.<ref name=memproj2>{{cite press release |title=Tigertown Triumphs |publisher=The Hamilton Spectator-Memory Project (Souvenir Edition) page MP56 |date=June 10, 2006}}</ref><ref name="argos bio">{{cite web |url=http://www.argonauts.ca/Argos/History/HallOfFame/Joe_Krol.html |title=Joe Krol |work=Argonauts Hall of Famers |publisher=Toronto Argonauts Football Club |access-date=December 17, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071208071150/http://www.argonauts.ca/Argos/History/HallOfFame/Joe_Krol.html |archive-date=December 8, 2007}}</ref><ref name="cshof">{{cite web |url=http://www.cshof.ca/accessible/hm_profile.php?i=452 |title=Joe Krol |work=Honoured Members |publisher=Canada's Sports Hall of Fame |access-date=December 17, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510073144/http://www.cshof.ca/accessible/hm_profile.php?i=452 |archive-date=May 10, 2008}}</ref>

== Professional career ==
Krol joined the [[Hamilton Flying Wildcats]], an [[Ontario Rugby Football Union]] precursor to the [[Hamilton Tiger-Cats]], following university in 1942.<ref name="torstar">{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/article/555249 |title='Greatest Argo ever,' Joe Krol dies at 89 |last=Zelkovich |first=Chris |date=December 17, 2008 |publisher=Toronto Star |access-date=December 17, 2008}}</ref><ref name="cfhof">{{cite web |url=http://cfhof.ca/index.php?module=page&id=24&player=Krol,%20Joe%20(King) |title=Joe (King) Krol |work=Hall of Famers |publisher=Canadian Football Hall of Fame |access-date=December 17, 2008}}</ref> In the [[1943 in Canadian football|1943 season]], he led the Flying Wildcats to a surprise victory to win his first of six [[Grey Cup]]s.<ref name="gc1943">{{cite web |url=http://greycup.cfl.ca/1943gc |title=Grey Cup 1943 |work=Grey Cup Recaps |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=December 17, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207082426/http://greycup.cfl.ca/1943gc |archive-date=December 7, 2008}}</ref> His performance, with a 30-yard pass for a [[touchdown]], a [[field goal (football)|field goal]], and a [[rouge (football)|rouge]], made him the star of the game.<ref name="gc1944">{{cite web |url=http://greycup.cfl.ca/1944gc |title=Grey Cup 1944 |work=Grey Cup Recaps |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=December 17, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207082431/http://greycup.cfl.ca/1944gc |archive-date=December 7, 2008}}</ref> The Wildcats returned to the Grey Cup final in the [[1944 in Canadian football|1944 season]] but lost. In that game, Krol fumbled the ball to the St. Hyacinthe-Donnacona Navy team after a hard hit on a run in the second quarter.<ref name="gc1944" /> Krol went on to play two games with the [[Detroit Lions]] in 1945 before joining the [[Toronto Argonauts]] for the remainder of the [[1945 in Canadian football|1945 Canadian football season]].<ref name="torstar" /> The Canadian Press voted him Canada's male athlete of the year in 1946 and 1947.<ref name=cflgreat>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl-great-joe-king-krol-dies-1.703348 |title=CFL great Joe (King) Krol dies |date=December 17, 2008 |work=[[The Canadian Press]] |publisher=cbc.ca |access-date=February 19, 2011}}</ref>

Krol won six [[Grey Cup]]s, five with the [[Toronto Argonauts]].  His No.&nbsp;55 jersey is one of only four that has been [[Toronto Argonauts#Retired numbers|retired]] by the [[Toronto Argonauts|Boatmen]].<ref name=cflgreat/> He was awarded the [[Lou Marsh Trophy]] as Canada's top athlete in 1946. He was inducted into the [[Canadian Football Hall of Fame]] in 1963 and [[Canada's Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1975.<ref name=cflgreat/>

Krol and [[Royal Copeland (Canadian football)|Royal Copeland]] (Argonauts and [[Calgary Stampeders]] 1944–1956) became known as the ''Gold Dust Twins''.<ref name=cflgreat/> Although official statistics were not kept for the [[Canadian Football League East Division|Eastern teams]] until 1954, according to the 2001 ''Unofficial Canadian Football Encyclopedia'', Krol completed ten passes for 147 yards and threw four [[touchdowns]]<ref name="Ferroni">{{cite book |last=Ferroni |first=Ronald A. |title=The 2001 Unofficial Football Encyclopedia |year=2001 |publisher=Hamilton}}</ref> during the [[1946 in Canadian football|1946 season]].

In November 2006, Krol was voted one of the [[TSN Top 50 CFL Players|CFL's top 50 players]] (No.&nbsp;46) in a poll conducted by Canadian sports network [[Total Sports Network|TSN]].<ref name="TSN Top 50 CFL Players">{{cite web |url=https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/feature/?fid=10860 |access-date=July 5, 2007 |title=TSN Top 50 CFL Players |publisher=TSN.ca |date=November 28, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929164528/http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/feature/?fid=10860 |archive-date=September 29, 2007}}</ref>

Joe Krol was also one of the owners of the [[Mercury Club|Mercury]] Night club with [[Harry Eckler]] of the Softball Canada Hall of Fame and Sam Luftspring of the Boxing Hall of Fame.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930005507/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=KROLJOE01 DatabaseFootball.com NFL stats - Joe Krol]}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20081218093245/http://www.argonauts.ca/index.php/article/argonauts-mourn-the-passing-of-joe-king-krol ARGONAUTS MOURN THE PASSING OF JOE "KING" KROL (Argonauts.ca tribute to Krol)]}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20091125014848/http://www.sportshall.ca/hm_profile.php?i=452 Canada's Sports Hall of Fame profile]}}
* {{cite news |url=http://www.canada.com/topics/sports/football/cfl/story.html?id=1095281 |title=Krol Windsor's first football hero |last=Waddell |first=Dave |date=December 19, 2008 |publisher=Windsor Star |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105191816/http://www2.canada.com/topics/sports/football/cfl/story.html?id=1095281 |archive-date=November 5, 2012}}

{{Lou Marsh Trophy}}
{{Lionel Conacher Award}}
{{Imperial Oil Trophy}}
{{Jeff Russel pre 1973}}
{{31st Grey Cup}}
{{33rd Grey Cup}}
{{34th Grey Cup}}
{{35th Grey Cup}}
{{38th Grey Cup}}
{{40th Grey Cup}}
{{Toronto Argonauts}}
{{ArgosQuarterback}}
{{Canadian Football Hall of Fame members}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krol, Joe}}
[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:2008 deaths]]
[[Category:American football running backs]]
[[Category:Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Canadian football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Polish descent]]
[[Category:Canadian players of American football]]
[[Category:Detroit Lions players]]
[[Category:Hamilton Wildcats football players]]
[[Category:Northern Star Award winners]]
[[Category:Nightclub owners]]
[[Category:Ontario Rugby Football Union players]]
[[Category:Players of Canadian football from Ontario]]
[[Category:Canadian football people from Hamilton, Ontario]]
[[Category:Canadian football people from Windsor, Ontario]]
[[Category:Toronto Argonauts players]]
[[Category:Western Mustangs football players]]