Paul Szakash
No. 8, 84, 22
Position:End, fullback
Personal information
Born:(1913-05-05)May 5, 1913
Chicago, Illinois
Died:October 24, 1984(1984-10-24) (aged 71)
Missoula, Montana
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:213 lb (97 kg)
Career information
High school:Fenger
(Chicago, Illinois)
College:Montana
NFL Draft:1938 / Round: 7 / Pick: 56
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career NFL statistics
Games:38
Rushing yards:66
Receiving yards:130
Player stats at PFR

Paul Michael "Socko" Szakash (May 5, 1913 – October 24, 1984) was an American football player.

Szakash was born in Chicago in 1913. He attended Fenger High School in Chicago. He played football at Fenger in 1929 and 1930 and then for the Gano Athletic Club from 1934 to 1937.[1]

He next attended the University of Montana and played college football as a fullback and place-kicker for the Montana Grizzlies football team.[2][3] After playing every minute of every game in 1935, he missed the 1936 season after sustaining a ruptured appendix.[4][5] During his recovery, he helped coach the freshmen.[6] He returned to the team as a player in 1937.

He was selected by the Detroit Lions with the 56th pick in the 1938 NFL Draft.[7] During his first training camp with the Lions, the Detroit Free Press reported that he "showed more drive in plunging than any other young man who ever came to the Detroit camp."[8][9] He played four seasons with the Lions, appearing in 38 games, 13 as a starter, from 1938 to 1939 and 1941 to 1942. He played at the end and fullback positions.[2] He carried the ball 23 times for 66 yards and caught nine passes for 130 yards.[3]

Szakash also played baseball as a catcher for the Missoula club for several years.[10] He missed the 1940 NFL season with a fractured ankle sustained while playing baseball in Montana.[11]

In March 1945, Szakash enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.[12] He fought at the Battle of Iwo Jima.[13] He also saw action at the Battle of Okinawa.[14]

Szakash served as the line coach at the University of Montana from 1946 to 1950.[15][1]

Szakash later operated a frozen food business.[16] He died in 1984 at Missoula, Montana.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 "Sports hall elects Szakash, Le Rose". Suburbanite Economist. May 29, 1975. p. IV-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 "Paul Szakash". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Paul Szakash". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Szakash, Grizzly Star, Under Knife at Helena". The Missoulian. August 25, 1936. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Montana Loses Two Star Men: Babich and Szakash Out of Lineup, but Fessenden Has Big Squad". The Spokesman-Review. August 30, 1936. p. II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Szakash to Assist in Coaching Frosh". Great Falls Tribune. September 23, 1936. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "1938 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  8. ↑ Tod Rockwell (August 23, 1938). "Four Rookies Are Impressive in Lions' Opening Scrimmage: Moscrip, Patt, Ryan and Szakash Are Given Excellent Chances of Winning Berths". Detroit Free Press. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Szakash Is "Dark Hose" of Detroit Football, Report". The Missoulian. September 2, 1938. p. 8 – via Newspaper.com.
  10. ↑ "Dahlberg to Top Drive; P. Szakash In Coaching Job". The Missoulian. August 15, 1940. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Lions Call Szakash". The Montana Standard. July 14, 1941. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Paul Szakash, Former University Star Athlete, Inducted". The Independent-Record. March 4, 1943. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Gridders in Thick of It at Iwo Jima". The Belleville News-Democrat. April 3, 1945. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Duck Hunting Was Relief From War for Szakash". The Missoulian. December 11, 1945. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Montana Grizzlies coaching staff". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). (photo). September 19, 1947. p. 12.
  16. ↑ "The 2 new Sports Hall of Famers". Suburbanite Economist. May 15, 1975. p. 2R – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Paul M. Szakash". The Missoulian. October 27, 1984. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
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