Photo Credit:
https://sportsteamhistory.com/timeline/alex-
wojciechowicz-graduates-from-fordham/
This article researched and compiled
by Carrie Birdsong
Jersey Numbers: 30, 50, 53
Personal Information:
Born: August 12th, 1915 in South River, New Jersey
Died: July 13th, 1992, in Forked River, New Jersey
Height: 6 feet 0 inches
Weight: 217 lbs.
Career Information:
High School: South River
College: Fordham (1935 – 1937)
NFL draft: 1938, 1st round pick, 6th overall
Career History:
1. Detroit Lions (1938 – 1946)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (1946 – 1950)
Career highlights and awards:
- · 2x NFL Champion (1948, 1949)
- · 2x First – team All Pro (1939, 1944)
- · NFL 1940’s All – Decade Team
- · Pride of the Lions
- · Detroit Lions 75th Anniversary Team
- · Detroit Lions All – Time Team
- · Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame
- · Philadelphia Eagles 75th Anniversary Team
- · Order of the Helmet (1982)
- · 2x Consensus All – American (1936, 1937)
- · First – Team All – Eastern (1937)
Career NFL Statistics:
Games played: 134
Games started: 76
Interceptions: 19
Interception yards: 162
Fumble recoveries: 7
Defensive touchdowns: 1
Alexander Francis “Wojie” Wojciechowicz(a) was an American professional football player in the NFL from 1935 to 1950. He was a two – way player who played at center on offense and linebacker on defense. He has been inducted into both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame, was a founder and the first president of the NFL Alumni Association, and was the third player to receive the Order of the Leather Helmet.
Wojciechowicz played college football for the 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.(1)
According to Wojciechowicz, he began playing organized football in 1929 as a freshman at South River High School – beginning as a center and never moving away from the position over the subsequent two decades.(2)
Wojciechowicz recalled that his real love as a boy was baseball, playing catcher and batting cleanup for his successful high school squad(3). 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(4). He was torn Villanova, Dartmouth, and Fordham, ultimately choosing the latter due to its location in New York City and Catholic orientation.(4)
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”(5)(6). The undefeated 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.(7)
Fordham coach Jim Crowley called Wojciechowicz “one of the great defensive centers” and noted that he “seldom made a bad pass from center”(8). He made a name for himself in the annual rivalry games with the Pittsburgh Panthers,
resulting in three consecutive scoreless ties. The final tie was the only blemish on the record of the 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,(9) 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.”(6)
Professional Career:
Detroit Lions:
Games started: 76
Interceptions: 19
Interception yards: 162
Fumble recoveries: 7
Defensive touchdowns: 1
Alexander Francis “Wojie” Wojciechowicz(a) was an American professional football player in the NFL from 1935 to 1950. He was a two – way player who played at center on offense and linebacker on defense. He has been inducted into both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame, was a founder and the first president of the NFL Alumni Association, and was the third player to receive the Order of the Leather Helmet.
Wojciechowicz played college football for the 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.(1)
According to Wojciechowicz, he began playing organized football in 1929 as a freshman at South River High School – beginning as a center and never moving away from the position over the subsequent two decades.(2)
Wojciechowicz recalled that his real love as a boy was baseball, playing catcher and batting cleanup for his successful high school squad(3). 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(4). He was torn Villanova, Dartmouth, and Fordham, ultimately choosing the latter due to its location in New York City and Catholic orientation.(4)
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”(5)(6). The undefeated 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.(7)
Fordham coach Jim Crowley called Wojciechowicz “one of the great defensive centers” and noted that he “seldom made a bad pass from center”(8). He made a name for himself in the annual rivalry games with the Pittsburgh Panthers,
resulting in three consecutive scoreless ties. The final tie was the only blemish on the record of the 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,(9) 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.”(6)
Professional Career:
Detroit Lions:
Photo Credit:
Philadelphia Eagles:
Photo Credit:
In 1947, he became the Eagles’ starting center, appearing in all 12 games for the club, 11 as a starter(12). 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.(15)
In 1948, Wojciechowicz lost the starting center job to Vic Lindskog, but appeared in 10 games, mostly on defense, for the 1948 Eagles team that shut out the Cardinals in the 1948 NFL Championship Game(16). In 1949, he appeared in all 12 games, but only one as a starter, as Chuck Bednarik was the starting center for the 1949 Eagles team. That year,
the Eagles won their second consecutive NFL championship, shutting out the Rams in the 1949 NFL Championship Game.(17)
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(18). 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.”(18)
In his final NFL season, Wojciechowicz appeared in nine games, none as a starter, and saw only limited action(12)(19). In December 1950, he announced that he was retiring as a player.(19)
Family and later years:
Wojciechowicz was married to Katherine Mallen, and they had three sons and a daughter.(5)(20)(21)
For many years after retiring from the NFL, Wojciechowicz lived in Wanamassa, New Jersey, and worked as a real estate appraiser and broker.(9)(22)
Wojciechowicz was also one of the founders of the 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(23). His son recalled: “He worked hard to establish the indigent players’ fund and establish pensions.”(22)
Wojciechowicz died in 1992 at his home in Forked River, New Jersey at age 76.(12)(18)
Honors:
After retiring from football, Wojciechowicz received numerous honors including the following:
1. In 1955, he was inducted into the College
Football Hall of Fame.(24)(25)
2. In 1968, he was inducted into the Pro
2. In 1968, he was inducted into the Pro
Football Hall of Fame(26). At the time,
Bill Daley wrote in
2. Richard Whittingham, What a Game They
28. "Fordham Slates Five Inductees". The
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.”(27)
3. In 1969, he was selected to the National
“Fewer than a dozen men had the durability and continuing excellence to survive the rigors of smashing play for a longer period of time.”(27)
3. In 1969, he was selected to the National
Football League 1940’s All – Decade Team(28)
4. In 1970, he was one of the five inaugural
4. In 1970, he was one of the five inaugural
inductees into the Fordham University Sports
Hall of Fame(29)
5. In 1971, he was inducted into the New Jersey
5. In 1971, he was inducted into the New Jersey
All Sports Hall of Fame(30)
6. In 1975, he was inducted into the National
6. In 1975, he was inducted into the National
Polish American Sports Hall of Fame(31)
7. In 1982, he became the third player, after
7. In 1982, he became the third player, after
Bronko Nagurski and Red Grange, to
receive the prestigious NFL Alumni Order of
the Leather Helmet.(32)
8. In 1987, he was inducted into the Eagles Hall
1. "Ex-Lion Wojie Still Solid at 265". Detroit Free
Press. United Press International. February 5,
1977. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
2. 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.
3. Whittingham, What a Game They Played, pp.
3. Whittingham, What a Game They Played, pp.
155–156.
4. Whittingham, What a Game They Played,
4. Whittingham, What a Game They Played,
The New York Times. Associated Press.
The Independent (Long Beach, CA).
All-America Selections" (PDF). National
Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
2014. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF)
on November 26, 2018. Retrieved August 16,
Press. July 17, 1938. p. 37.
9. Larry Favinger (September 22, 1976).
9. Larry Favinger (September 22, 1976).
Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC.
Debacle in Home Opener". Detroit Free
Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC.
Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC.
Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC.
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
Daily Courier. December 21, 1950.
p. 6. 1. "Star Guard on Fordham Eleven
Becomes Father". The Evening News.
of Famer". Asbury Park Press. July 14,
to Football Hall of Fame". Asbury Park
Press. July 25, 1955. p. 16.
Football Hall of Fame. Football
Foundation. Retrieved February 19,
Asbury Park Press. February 20, 1968.
p. 22.
26. Arthur Daley (February 21, 1968).
26. Arthur Daley (February 21, 1968).
August 29, 1969. p. 13.
28. "Fordham Slates Five Inductees". The
Coach". Asbury Park Press. November
Polish American Sports Hall of Fame.
Archived from the original on
December 8, 2015. Retrieved February
19, 2016.
31. Charlie Vincent (January 20, 1982).
31. Charlie Vincent (January 20, 1982).
Leather Helmet group". Detroit Free
Philadelphia Eagles. Archived from the
original (PDF) on February 25, 2016.
Becomes Father". The Evening News.
of Famer". Asbury Park Press. July 14,
to Football Hall of Fame". Asbury Park
Football Hall of Fame. Football
Asbury Park Press. February 20, 1968.
p. 22.
40. Arthur Daley (February 21, 1968).
40. Arthur Daley (February 21, 1968).
1940s Squad". Asbury Park Press. August
Coach". Asbury Park Press. November 18,
American Sports Hall of Fame. Archived
from the original on December 8, 2015.
Retrieved February 19, 2016.
45. Charlie Vincent (January 20, 1982).
45. Charlie Vincent (January 20, 1982).
Leather Helmet group". Detroit Free
Philadelphia Eagles. Archived from the
original (PDF) on February 25, 2016.
Retrieved February 19, 2016.
