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| No. 76 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Tackle Center | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1934-03-05)March 5, 1934 Ansonia, Connecticut, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | October 30, 2018(2018-10-30) (aged 84) Middleton, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 249 lb (113 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Derby (Derby, Connecticut) Fairfield Prep (Fairfield, Connecticut) | ||||||||
| College | Indiana | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1956:5th round, 56th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Robert Francis Skoronski[1] (March 5, 1934 – October 30, 2018) was an American professionalfootball player who was atackle in theNational Football League (NFL) for theGreen Bay Packers for 11 seasons.[2] He playedcollege football for theIndiana Hoosiers.
Born inAnsonia, Connecticut, Skoronski grew up inDerby[1] with three brothers and a sister.[3] He went to high school atFairfield College Preparatory School, graduating in 1951.[4] He then attended Admiral Billard Academy inNew London for a year.[3] He playedcollege football atIndiana University inBloomington.[5] As a senior in1955, he was theHoosiers' most valuable player and averaged 50 minutes per game.[6]
Skoronski was selected in thefifth round of the1956 NFL draft, 56th overall, by theGreen Bay Packers.[7] He started at left tackle in his rookie season in1956 under third-year head coachLisle Blackbourn, and then served two years in theU.S. Air Force.[5][7] Skoronski returned to the team in1959, the first season under head coachVince Lombardi.[7]
Skoronski was the offensive left tackle and offensive captain on Lombardi's fiveNFL championship teams.[7] He played in thePro Bowl following the1966 season (and thefirst Super Bowl).[8]
Following his 11th season in the NFL, Skoronski retired in June 1969,[9][10] and was elected to thePackers Hall of Fame in 1976.[11]In 2017, theProfessional Football Researchers Association named Skoronski to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2017.[12]
Skoronski met his wife Ruth in college and they married in 1956. They had four children, three boys and a girl (Bob, Steve, Ron and Patti), and four grandchildren.[3][4]
He died ofAlzheimer's disease on October 30, 2018, inMiddleton, Wisconsin.[13][14][15]
His grandson,Peter Skoronski, played offensive tackle atNorthwestern University and was picked by theTennessee Titans 11th overall in the first round of the2023 NFL draft.[16][17][18]