Charles Joseph Jaskwhich (March 4, 1911 – January 12, 1988) was anAmerican football player and coach.
Jaskwhich was born inKenosha, Wisconsin toPolish immigrant parents. He attendedKenosha High School where he graduated in 1929. He was a prolific athlete and he lettered nine times intrack, football andbasketball. He served as a three-sport captain his senior year.[1] Jaskwhich attendedNotre Dame University, where he played on the lastFighting Irish football squad coached byKnute Rockne in 1930.[2] AfterquarterbackFrank Carideo graduated Jaskwhich was the top candidate to replace him.[3] In the wake of Rockne's death in 1931,Heartley Anderson took over thehead coaching position and named Jaskwhich as a two-yearstarter at quarterback. He would post a record of 13–4–1. Jaskwhich also played for the Fighting Irishbasketball team.
After graduation Jaskwhich accepted the position of head football coach for theHoly Cross Tigers inNew Orleans, and then in 1938 he was hired as both head basketball coach and football backfield coach forOle Miss, where he spent five years.[1] DuringWorld War II, he served in a temporary capacity as the assistant football coach for theNaval pre-flight school on theUniversity of Georgia campus. In 1945 Jaskwhich became the backfield coach underClem Crowe on theIowa Hawkeyes football team at theUniversity of Iowa. After Crowe left Iowa to go to theBuffalo Bills of theAll-America Football Conference, Jaskwhich became the head coach at Iowa. In 1946 Jaskwhich joined Crowe as a scout for the bills 1946 and from 1947–49 he was the Bill's backfield coach.[1][4]
In 1949, he returned to Kenosha to coach football and direct the athletic programs atMary D. Bradford High School. He also coached the basketball and track teams and his teams won the Big 8 title three times and State title once. He retired from the Kenosha school system in 1980.[1]
On August 3, 1953 Jaskwhich saved the life of a twelve-year-old drowning victim, Mary Jo Parisea, who was swimming onLake Michigan atAlford Park in Kenosha. The girl's friend was also rescued by bystanders, but her mother, Claire Parisea, died of drowning.[5]
The Charles "Chuck" Jaskwhich Stadium atIndian Trail High School and Academy in Kenosha is named in Jaskwhich's honor.