Archie Kodros

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1918–1990)}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Archie Kodros

| image = Archie Kodros.jpg

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1918|1|20}}

| birth_place =

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1990|6|4|1918|1|20}}

| death_place = Iowa City, Iowa, U.S.

| alma_mater =

| player_years1 = 1937–1939

| player_team1 = Michigan

| player_years2 = 1942

| player_team2 = Army All-Stars

| player_years3 = 1945

| player_team3 = Second Air Force

| player_positions = Center

| coach_years1 = 1940–1941

| coach_team1 = Michigan (assistant)

| coach_years2 = 1948

| coach_team2 = Whitman (line)

| coach_years3 = 1949–1950

| coach_team3 = Whitman

| coach_years4 = 1951

| coach_team4 = Hawaii

| coach_years5 = 1952–1965

| coach_team5 = Iowa (assistant)

| overall_record = 10–19

| bowl_record = 0–1

| tournament_record =

| championships =

| awards = Third-team All-American (1939)

| coaching_records =

}}

Archie John Kodros (January 20, 1918 – June 4, 1990) was an American college football player and coach. He played for the University of Michigan football team from 1937 to 1939 and was selected as a first-team All-American and team captain in his senior year. He served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. After the war, Kodros worked as a football coach at Whitman College (1948–1950), University of Hawaii (1951), and University of Iowa (1952–1965).

Athlete

Kodros grew up in Alton, Illinois and graduated from Alton High School in 1936. Kodros played football in high school and had an offer to play for the University of Illinois He chose instead to play for the University of Michigan because they had a tradition of having great centers.

Kodros worked his way into the starting line-up at Michigan as a sophomore walk-on in 1937. He played at the center position for Michigan from 1937 to 1939 and was the captain of the 1939 Michigan Wolverines football team. He played on the line with Forest Evashevski and Tom Harmon in the backfield. In 1939, one Ohio sports reporter credited Kodros with a share of Harmon's success: "One reason why Tom Harmon plays so sensationally each Saturday is shown here. The Michigan line, led by Captain Archie Kodros, No. 53, blocks beautifully and opens the way for Tom to get into the secondary, where the star Wolverine back can peddle his own papers."{{cite news|title=It's Up to You From Now On, Mr. Harmon!|newspaper=Mansfield News Journal|date=1939-11-25}} In his final game for Michigan, Kodros intercepted a pass deep in Michigan's territory off Ohio State's All-American quarterback, Don Scott, to help lead the Wolverines to a 21–14 win over the Buckeyes.{{cite news|title=Michigan Rallies To Win: Trosko's Run Gives Team 21-14 Victory|newspaper=Ironwood Daily Globe|date=1939-11-25}}

Kodros received honorable mentions on several All-American teams and was selected as a first-team All-American by Bill Stern for Life magazine.{{cite news|author=Steve Porter|title=Archie Kodros: Self-made star|newspaper=The Telegraph, Alton, Illinois|date=1986-07-25}} He ranked third in the United Press All-American voting with 146 points in a close finish behind John Haman on Northwestern (213 points) and John Schiechl of Santa Clara (148 points).{{cite news|title=United Press 1939 Team|newspaper=Olean Times Herald|date=1939-11-29}}

Coaching career and military service

Kodros was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 1940 NFL draft (159th overall pick), but he declined the invitation and opted instead to work toward at master's degree in business at Michigan.{{Cite web |title=1940 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1940/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} He later recalled: "I figured I was better off starting in business Pro football didn't pay that much back then because there were only eight teams and television hadn't started by 1940. Maybe you could play a few years in the NFL back then, but then where were you? I said the heck with the pros. I didn't even go for my interview." While studying toward his master's degree, Kodros also worked as an assistant football coach at Michigan under Fritz Crisler in 1940 and 1941.{{cite web|title=1940 Football Team|publisher=University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library|url=https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1940fbt.htm}}{{cite web|title=1941 Football Team|publisher=University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library|url=https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1941fbt.htm}}

During World War II, Kodros served in the U.S. Army Air Forces and participated in the invasion of Italy. He played for an Army All-Star football team in 1942 that defeated the Detroit Lions 12 to 10.{{cite news|title=Army All-Stars Thump Detroit Lions, 12-0|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=1942-09-10}}{{cite news|title=Wade Has Great All-Star Eleven|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=1943-08-16}} At the end of the war, he played for an Air Force team called the Second Air Force Superbombers.{{cite news|author=Al Wolf|title=These Flyers Will Be Seen In Action Here In 'Times' Game; Flyers Open in Spokane, Then Play Bombers Here Flyers Open Slate With Spokane Game|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=1945-09-02}}

In 1948, Kodros was hired as the line coach and assistant professor of physical education at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington.{{cite news|title=Whitman Line Coach Arrives: Archie Kodros New Missionary Grid Mentor|newspaper=The Spokesman-Review|date=1948-08-23|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0lMVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=meUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6817,2912627&dq=archie+kodros&hl=en}} He became Whitman's head football coach in 1949 and added the title of athletic director in 1950.{{cite news|title=Gets Another Title|newspaper=The Bulletin|date=1950-06-12|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mfEsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EPgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3711,3909502&dq=archie+kodros&hl=en}}

In May 1951, Kodros was hired as the athletic director and head football coach of the University of Hawaii.{{cite news|title=Hawaii Grid Job News to Kodros|newspaper=The Spokesman Review|date=1951-05-18|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=U-oiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2eUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6668,285620&dq=archie+kodros&hl=en}}{{cite news|title=Kodros to Coach Hawaii U.|newspaper=The New York Times|date=1951-06-14|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/06/14/archives/kodros-to-coach-hawaii-u.html}} He compiled a record of 4 wins and 7 losses at Hawaii.{{cite news | title =Archie Kodros Records by Year | url =http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach_year_by_year.php?coachid=1303 | work =College Football Data Warehouse | accessdate =2007-12-01 | archive-date =2010-02-15 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100215123231/http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach_year_by_year.php?coachid=1303 | url-status =dead }}

In February 1952, he announced his resignation from Hawaii,{{cite news|title=Archie Kodros Quits Hawaii Athletic Post|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=1952-02-18}} and in April 1952, he was hired by his former teammate, Forest Evashevski, who had been named head football coach at the University of Iowa.{{cite news|title=Archie Kodros Gets Iowa Coaching Job|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|date=1952-04-10|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0RoaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HiQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3685,5557859&dq=archie+kodros&hl=en}} Kodros served as an assistant football coach at Iowa from 1952 through 1965.

Later years and family

Kodros was married to the former Effie Virginia Jowett on July 10, 1943. The couple had four children, sons Paul, Rodney and Robert, and daughter, Marijo Mihalopoulos. After Kodros retired from coaching, he and his wife owned and operated the Hilltop Mobile Home Park in Iowa City, Iowa. He retired in 1985 and continued to live in Iowa City. In 1990, Kodros died at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City after a long illness with cancer.{{cite news|title=Former Iowa grid assistant Kodros dies of cancer|newspaper=The Cedar Rapids Gazette|date=1990-06-05}} He was survived by his wife, two sons (Rodney and Robert), a daughter (Marijo), two grandchildren and three sisters.{{cite news|title=Archie Kodros|newspaper=Alton Telegraph|date=1990-06-05}}