| No. 31, 85, 41 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | End,Halfback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1917-08-21)August 21, 1917 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | October 15, 1973(1973-10-15) (aged 56) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | The Kiski School | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Anthony J. Bova (August 21, 1917 – October 15, 1973)[1] was a professionalfootball player for thePittsburgh Steelers during the 1940s. He graduated fromThe Kiski School and thenSaint Francis University, located inLoretto, Pennsylvania, in 1943.[2] He was 6'1" and weighed 190 pounds when he played for the Steelers duringWorld War II, when they temporarily merged with thePhiladelphia Eagles (in 1943) andChicago Cardinals (in 1944) to form the "Steagles" and "Card-Pitt". He played end, halfback, and quarterback during his career from 1942 to 1947.[3] In 1942 he also played left end on defense and in 1947 scored a safety.[4] In 1943 Bova led the NFL in average gain per completed pass in 1943, netting 419 yards in 19 completed aerials.[5][6][7]
He was also blind in one eye and partially blind in the other.[8] He joined theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II and reported for duty in February 1943 as aSeabee.[9] He was soon discharged from the navy due to his vision.[10]
Bova is also listed on the NFL honor roll, located at thePro Football Hall of Fame, which lists the over 1,000 NFL personnel who served in the military during World War II.[11]
He died of a heart attack in 1973. He is buried in the Mt. Royal Cemetery inGlenshaw, Pennsylvania.[1]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)