 | |
| No. 32 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive tackle |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | (1919-01-05)January 5, 1919 Garfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died: | January 31, 1945(1945-01-31) (aged 26) Vosges Mountains, France † |
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | William L. Dickinson (Jersey City, New Jersey) |
| College: | Georgetown |
| NFL draft: | 1942: 5th round, 38th pick |
| Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1945 |
| Rank |  Second lieutenant |
| Unit | .svg) 28th Infantry Division |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
Albert Charles Blozis (January 5, 1919 – January 31, 1945) was an American professionalfootball player andtrack and field athlete who died fighting inWorld War II. He playedoffensive tackle for theNew York Giants in theNational Football League (NFL)
Albert Charles Blozis, known as "Al", was born on January 5, 1919, inGarfield, New Jersey toLithuanian immigrants.[1] He attendedWilliam L. Dickinson High School inJersey City, New Jersey, where he became well known for his skill in thediscus throw andshot put.[2] AtGeorgetown University, he wonAAU andNCAA indoor and outdoor shot titles three years in a row from 1940 to 1942. He had a best put of 57 feet3⁄4 inch (17.39 meters). In 2015, Blozis was inducted into theNational Track and Field Hall of Fame.[3]
Blozis wasdrafted in the fifth round of the1942 NFL draft and playedoffensive tackle for theNew York Giants of theNational Football League in 1942 and 1943 before entering themilitary. He was also able to play three games in 1944 while onfurlough.
In a 1991 news story,The New York Times wrote, "Curiously, the very size that made him so intimidating on the football field kept him out of the military until late 1943, when, after repeated attempts, Blozis finally persuaded the Army to waive its size limit and accept him. It took further persuading to get from a desk job to the front lines."[1]
Blozis was inducted into the United States Army on December 9, 1943. He was first assigned to duty as a physical instructor atWalter Reed General Hospital and then went through officer training atFort Benning, where he set the army'shand-grenade-throwing record with a toss of 94 yards, 2 feet, 6.5 inches.[1] He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the28th Infantry Division. On January 31, 1945, hisplatoon was in theVosges Mountains of France scouting enemy lines. When two of his men, asergeant and aprivate, failed to return from a patrol, he went in search of them alone.[4] He never returned.
Blozis was first listed as missing, but in April 1945, his death was confirmed.
TheNew York Giants retired the number 32 that Blozis had worn. A second Giants player,Jack Lummus, also died in World War II.[5]
In April 1946,True Comics[6] featured a story about Blozis entitledThe Human Howitzer.[7]
The United States Army honored Blozis by naming an athletic center inFrankfurt, Germany after him. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1986.
An apartment building in Jersey City, Al Blozis Hall, is named in his honor.[8]
