Joe Stydahar

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1912–1977)}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Joe Stydahar

| image = Joe sydahar westvirginia.jpg

| alt = Stydahar during his tenure on the West Virginia University football team, {{circa}} 1936

| caption = Stydahar, {{circa}} 1936

| number = 13, 18

| position = Offensive tackle
Placekicker

| birth_date = {{birth date|1912|3|17}}

| birth_place = Kaylor, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1977|3|23|1912|3|17}}

| death_place = Beckley, West Virginia, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 4

| weight_lb = 233

| high_school = Shinnston
(Shinnston, West Virginia)

| college = West Virginia (1933–1935)

| draftyear = 1936

| draftround = 1

| draftpick = 6

| pastteams = * Chicago Bears ({{NFL Year|1936|1942}}; {{NFL Year|1945|1946}})

| pastcoaching = * Los Angeles Rams ({{NFL Year|1947|1949}})
Line coach

Los Angeles Rams ({{NFL Year|1950|1951}})
Head coach
Chicago Cardinals ({{NFL Year|1953|1954}})
Head coach
Chicago Bears ({{NFL Year|1963|1965}})
Defensive line coach

| highlights = ; As a player

3× NFL champion (1940, 1941, 1946)
4× First-team All-Pro (1937–1940)
Second-team All-Pro (1936)
4× NFL All-Star (1938–1941)
Third-team All-American (1935)
Second-team Little All-American (1934)
NFL 1930s All-Decade Team
100 greatest Bears of All-Time

; As a coach

2× NFL champion (1951, 1963)

| statlabel1 = Games played

| statvalue1 = 84

| statlabel2 = Games started

| statvalue2 = 53

| statlabel3 = Interceptions

| statvalue3 = 1

| statlabel4 = Fumble recoveries

| statvalue4 = 2

| regular_record = {{Winning percentage|20|28|1|record=y}}

| playoff_record = {{Winning percentage|2|1|record=y}}

| overall_record = {{Winning percentage|22|29|1|record=y}}

| pfr = S/StydJo20

| pfrcoach = StydJo0

| HOF = joe-stydahar

| CollegeHOF = 1594

}}

Joseph Lee Stydahar{{efn|Sometimes listed as Joseph Leo Stydahar}} (March 17, 1912 – March 23, 1977), nicknamed "Jumbo Joe",{{cite web|title=Joe Stydahar Bio|publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame|access-date=October 9, 2017|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/players/joe-stydahar/biography/}} was an American professional football player and coach. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972.

Stydahar moved as a boy to Shinnston, West Virginia and played college football and basketball for the West Virginia Mountaineers. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 1936 NFL draft and played nine seasons as a tackle for the Bears from 1936 to 1942 and 1945 to 1946. He was selected as a first-team All-Pro five consecutive years from 1936 to 1940 and helped the Bears win NFL championships in 1940, 1942, and 1946 NFL Championship Games.

After his playing career ended, Stydahar was the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams during the 1950 and 1951 seasons and the Chicago Cardinals during the 1953 and 1954 seasons. His 1950 and 1951 Rams teams both advanced to the NFL Championship Game, and the 1951 team won the championship. He also served as an assistant coach for the Rams (1947–1949) and Bears (1963–1965).

Early life

Stydahar was born in 1912 in Kaylor, Pennsylvania,{{cite web|title=Joe Stydahar|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=October 4, 2017|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/StydJo20.htm}} the son of Peter P. Stydahar (1877–1970) and Lucille M. Stydahar (1884–1941). At age eight, he moved with his family to Shinnston, West Virginia, where his father was a coal miner, and Stydahar also worked in the mines in his youth. At Shinnston High School, he was regarded as "the greatest schoolboy football and basketball player ever turned out in West Virginia". The football/track/soccer complex at Lincoln High School in Shinnston is named Stydahar Field.{{cite news|title=The Mountaineers All Worked Up Over the Stydahar Case|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=September 20, 1931|page=41|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14261274/the_mountaineers_are_all_worked_up_over/|via=Newspapers.com}}

College career

Stydahar was recruited by both the University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University. He initially went to Pittsburgh in the fall of 1931 and participated in the football team's preliminary practices, but then showed up at West Virginia seeking to enroll. According to one account, he returned home after tryouts at Pittsburgh and was taken in a car to Morgantown where he was hidden in a fraternity house by West Virginia football coach Greasy Neale "until Pitt gave up looking for him."{{cite news|title=Services set for ex-Bear Stydahar |newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=March 25, 1977|page=4-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14249890/services_set_for_exbear_stydahar/|via=Newspapers.com}}

At West Virginia, Stydahar was six feet, four inches, weighed 220 pounds, possessed "one of the largest pairs of hands in the business", and played both basketball and football. He played at the tackle position for the football team from 1933 to 1935 and developed a reputation as a "vicious tackler" and "bruising blocker".{{cite news|title=By Harry Grayson|author=Harry Grayson|author-link=Harry Grayson|newspaper=Muncie (IN) Evening Press|date=November 12, 1935|page=10|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14263062/by_harry_grayson_joe_stydahar/|via=Newspapers.com}} As a junior in 1934, he blocked five punts and returned one of the blocks 17 yards for a touchdown. As a senior in 1935, he was responsible for stopping Pittsburgh's running game, holding the Panthers to one first down in the second half.

During Stydahar's three years with the West Virginia football team, the Mountaineers compiled records of and 3–5–3, 6–4, and 3–4–2, and lost three consecutive seasons against Pittsburgh by a combined score of 72 to 12. Sports writer Harry Grayson opined that the team's poor record and the small crowds to which it played impaired Stydahar's chances of being selected to All-America teams. In 1934, Stydahar was ignored by the major All-America selectors, though he reportedly received recognition on an All-American team selected by the players on the NFL's New York Giants. In 1935, the best Stydahar could muster was a selection on the Newspaper Enterprise Association's third-team.{{cite news|author=Bernard Bierman|title=Southern Players Get Grid Spotlight|work=The Maryville (MO) Daily Forum|date=December 2, 1935|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14263280/southern_players_get_grid_spotlight/|via=Newspapers.com}}

Those who saw Stydahar play in college rated him among the best and was selected to play in both the East–West Shrine Game and the Chicago College All-Star Game in 1936. Pittsburgh coach Jock Sutherland, despite having been spurned by Stydahar in 1931, rated Stydahar as the best tackle he saw during the 1935 season and added: "I doubt that there is a more formidable tackle in the country." Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger said: "I played in two all-star games with him and thought he was the best tackle by far of that collegiate group. He proved to me in those two games that he was a tremendous player."{{College Football HoF|id=1594|name=Joe "Jumbo Joe" Stydahar|accessdate=October 8, 2017}}

In basketball, Stydahar was a three-year letterman at the center position. He set a single-game scoring record with 24 points against West Virginia Wesleyan in 1933.

Professional playing player

File:Joe Stydahar 1943 Chicago Bears jersey on display at NFL Experience (3818214195).jpg.]]

While overlooked by All-America selectors, Stydahar was not overlooked in the 1936 NFL draft. He was selected by George Halas' Chicago Bears in the first round with the sixth overall pick, becoming the first player drafted by the Bears in the first NFL draft and the first lineman to be selected in the first round.{{Cite web |title=1936 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1936/draft.htm |access-date=March 20, 2023 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}

File:Stydahar-Joe-1935.jpg

As a rookie, Stydahar started all 12 games at left tackle for a 1936 Chicago Bears team that compiled a 9–3 record. He was selected as a first-team All-Pro by Collyer's Eye magazine and a second-team All-Pro by the NFL and UPI.

By 1937, Stydahar helped lead the Bears to the NFL Western Division title with a 9-1-1 record. He was recognized as one of the best players in the NFL, receiving the highest point total of any player at any position in voting for the Associated Press (AP) All-Pro team. The AP reported:

The standout player of the 1937 national pro football league season wasn't Slingin' Sammy Baugh . . ., but Joe Stydahar, veteran tackle of the Chicago Bears. That was the way the coaches of the 10 league clubs figured, at least, when it came to casting their ballots for the all-league team. ... Stydahar received 43 points out of a possible 50.{{cite news|title=Stydahar, Veteran Bear Tackle, Is Top Grid Pro|newspaper=The Burlington (N.C.) Daily Times-News|date=December 15, 1937|page=2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14270548/stydahar_veteran_bear_tackle_is_top/}}

Stydahar played nine years as a tackle for the Bears from 1936 to 1942 and from 1945 to 1946, appearing in 84 NFL games. He continued to be acknowledged as one of the best players in the league through the 1930s. In 1939, the United Press rated him as "the league's best tackle" and "one of the toughest linemen in the league to take out."{{cite news|title=Bears Win Three Places on Pro All Star Team|newspaper=The Hammond (IN) Times|date=December 14, 1939|page=21|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14271442/bears_win_three_places_on_pro_all_star/|via=Newspapers.com}} He was also ranked third among all NFL players in points received in the AP's 1939 All-Pro voting, trailing only Don Hutson and Dan Fortmann.{{cite news|title=Four Giants Win Honors|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=December 15, 1939|page=II-13|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14271252/four_giants_win_honors/|via=Newspapers.com}} In all, he was selected as a first-team All-Pro five consecutive years from 1936 to 1940. During his time with the club, the Bears won five NFL Western Division titles (1937, 1940, 1941, 1942, and 1946) and won the 1940, 1942, and 1946 NFL Championship Games.

Stydahar missed the 1943 and 1944 NFL seasons due to military service during World War II. He served as a lieutenant and gunnery officer in the United States Navy on the USS Monterey light aircraft carrier.

Coaching career

File:Joe Stydahar 1950 (alternate).jpg

=Los Angeles Rams=

In February 1947, Stydahar was hired by the Los Angeles Rams as an assistant coach.{{cite news|title=Joe Stydahar to Help Tutor L. A. Rams' Line|newspaper=Green Bay Press-Gazette|date=February 7, 1947|page=13|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14250616/joe_stydahar_to_help_tutor_l_a_rams/|via=Newspapers.com}} He served three years as the Rams' line coach from 1947 to 1949.{{cite news|title=Stydahar To Be Coach Of Rams|newspaper=The News, Frederick, Md.|date=February 20, 1950|page=10|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14251657/stydahar_to_be_coach_of_rams/|via=Newspapers.com}}

In February 1950, Sydahar took over as the Rams' head coach. In his first season as head coach, he led the 1950 Rams to the NFL Western Division championship with a 9–3 record and the top offense in the NFL (38.8 points per game).{{cite web|title=1950 Los Angeles Rams Statistics & Players|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=October 9, 2017|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/ram/1950.htm}} In the 1950 NFL Championship Game, the Rams lost, 30–28, to the Cleveland Browns on a field goal by Lou Groza with 27 seconds remaining in the game.

In his second season with the Rams, Stydahar led the 1951 Rams to the NFL championship with a victory over the Cleveland Browns in the 1951 NFL Championship Game.{{cite web|title=1950 Los Angeles Rams Statistics & Players|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=October 9, 2017|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/ram/1950.htm}}

Stydahar began the 1952 season as the Rams' head coach. After losing to the Cleveland Browns in the season opener, dissension between Stydahar and his backfield coach Hamp Pool became public.{{cite news|title=Trouble Between Coaches Bared|newspaper=News-Press|date=September 30, 1952|page=5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14312227/trouble_between_coaches_bared/|via=Newspapers.com}} On September 30, Stydahar reached an agreement with Rams owner Dan Reeves under which Stydahar resigned and was paid him $11,900 to buy out his contract, and Pool was promoted as the new head coach.{{cite news|title=Pool Succeeds Stydahar as Ram Coach; Joe Paid, $11,900|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=October 1, 1952|page=4-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14312256/pool_succeeds_stydahar_as_ram_coach/|via=Newspapers.com}}

=Green Bay Packers=

In mid-November 1952, Stydahar was hired by the Green Bay Packers.{{cite news|title=Joe Stydahar Joins Bay Staff|newspaper=Green Bay Press-Gazette|date=November 14, 1952|page=13|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14312289/joe_stydahar_joins_bay_staff/|via=Newspapers.com}} He served as a scout and part-time assistant coach for the balance of the 1952 season.

=Chicago Cardinals=

In January 1953, Stydahar was hired as head coach of the Chicago Cardinals.{{cite news|title=Stydahar New Cardinals Coach|newspaper=The Journal and Courier (IN)|date=January 30, 1953|page=16|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14212877/stydahar_new_cardinal_coach/|via=Newspapers.com}} His Cardinals teams compiled records of 1–10–1 in 1953 and 2–10 in 1954.{{cite web|title=1953 Chicago Cardinals Statistics & Players|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=October 9, 2017|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd/1953.htm}}{{cite web|title=1954 Chicago Cardinals Statistics & Players|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=October 9, 2017|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd/1954.htm}} In June 1955, Stydahar and the Cardinals reached an agreement buying out the remainder of his three-year contract with the club.{{cite news|title=Grid Cards Name Richards Coach: Joe Stydahar Out; Settle 3 Season Pact|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=June 3, 1955|page=3-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14312372/grid_cards_name_richards_coach_joe/|via=Newspapers.com}}

=Chicago Bears=

In February 1963, George Halas hired Stydahar as defensive line coach for the Chicago Bears.{{cite news|title=Bears Sign Stydahar As Defense Aid|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=February 15, 1963|page=4-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14312107/bears_sign_stydahar_as_defense_aid/|via=Newspapers.com}} Stydahar was credited with overhauling the Bears defensive line,{{cite news|title=Bears' Defensive Line Overhauled by Stydahar|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=August 28, 1963|page=3-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14312146/bears_defensive_line_overhauled_by/|via=Newspapers.com}} helping to lead the 1963 Bears to the best scoring defense in the NFL and an NFL championship.{{cite web|title=1963 Chicago Bears Statistics & Players|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=October 9, 2017|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/chi/1963.htm}} The Bears dropped to sixth place in the Western Division in 1964,{{cite web|title=1964 Chicago Bears Statistics & Players|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=October 9, 2017|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/chi/1964.htm}} and Stydahar resigned from his position with the club at the end of the 1964 season in order devote his efforts to his work for a corrugated carton company.{{cite news|title=Stydahar Resigns His Post As Line Coach for Bears|date=December 16, 1964|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/12/16/stydahar-resigns-his-post-as-line-coach-for-bears.html}}

=Head coaching record=

rowspan="2"\|Team	rowspan="2"\|Year	colspan="5"\|Regular season	colspan="4"\|Postseason
class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
Won	Lost	Ties	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Win %	Result
style="background:#fdd;" !LA	1950 \|9	3	0	.750	1st in NFL National	1	1	.500	Lost to Cleveland Browns in NFL Championship.
style="background:#FDE910;" !LA\|\|1951 \|8\|\|4\|\|0\|\|.667\|\|1st in NFL National\|\| 1 \|\| 0 \|\| 1.000 \|\| NFL Champions.
LA\|\|1952 \|0\|\|1\|\|0\|\|.000\|\|2nd in NFL National\|\| 0 \|\| 0 \|\| .000 \|\| –
colspan="2"\|LA total\|\|17\|\|8\|\|0\|\|.680\|\| \|\| 2 \|\| 1 \|\| .667 \|\| –
CHI\|\|1953 \|1\|\|10\|\|1\|\|.091\|\|6th in NFL Eastern\|\| – \|\| – \|\| – \|\| –
CHI\|\|1954 \|2\|\|10\|\|0\|\|.167\|\|6th in NFL Eastern\|\| – \|\| – \|\| – \|\| –
colspan="2"\|CHI total\|\|3\|\|20\|\|1\|\|.130\|\| \|\| – \|\| – \|\| – \|\| –
colspan="2"\|NFL total[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/StydJo0.htm Joe Stydahar Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks - Pro-Football-Reference.com]\|\|20\|\|28\|\|1\|\|.417\|\| \|\| 2 \|\| 1 \|\| .667 \|\| –
colspan="2"\|Total\|\|20\|\|28\|\|1\|\|.417\|\| \|\| 2 \|\| 1 \|\| .667 \|\| –

Honors and awards

Stydahar received numerous honors for his football career, including the following:

In 1950, he was one of the 25 charter inductees into the Helms Athletic Foundation's Professional Football Hall of Fame.{{cite news|title=Pro Football's Hall of Fame Is Announced|newspaper=The Circleville (OH) Herald|date=August 3, 1950|page=13|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14210596/pro_football_hall_of_fame_is_announced/|via=Newspapers.com}}
In 1960, he was named to Sports Illustrated's Silver Anniversary All-America team.{{cite news|title=Dr. Hugh MacMillan Makes 25th Anniversary All-America|newspaper=The Cumberland News|date=December 19, 1960|page=6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14308850/dr_hugh_macmillan_makes_25th/|via=Newspapers.com}}
In 1967, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.{{cite news|title=Fete Ex-Bear Stydahar in Highland Park|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=April 20, 1967|page=3-3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14308090/fete_exbear_stydahar_in_highland_park/|via=Newspapers.com}}
In 1969, Stydahar was named to the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team.{{cite news|title=All-1930's NFL Team Selected|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=August 27, 1969|page=C5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9748483/all1930s_nfl_team_selected/}}
In 1972, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.{{cite news|title=Stydahar Joins Grid Greats|newspaper=The Charleston Daily Mail|date=February 17, 1972|page=5C|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14309020/stydahar_joins_grid_greats/|via=Newspapers.com}}
In 1991, he was elected into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame.{{cite web|title=Joe Stydahar|publisher=West Virginia University|access-date=October 9, 2017|url=http://wvusports.com/hof.aspx?hof=17}}
In October 2022, he was inaugurated in the Croatian-American Sports Hall of Fame.{{cite web |url=https://www.croatiaweek.com/inaugural-croatian-american-sports-hall-of-fame-induction-held/ |title=Inaugural Croatian-American Sports Hall of Fame induction held |author= |date=October 18, 2022 |website=croatianweek.com |publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}

Family and later years

Stydahar married Yolanda Monet Margowski in 1947. They were later divorced, but they had three sons,{{cite news|title=Former NFL Great Joe Stydahar Dies|newspaper=The Cumberland News|date=March 25, 1977|page=16|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14272278/former_nfl_great_joe_stydahar_dies/|via=Newspapers.com}} David (born 1948),{{cite news|title=Joe Stydahar Father of Boy|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=February 12, 1948|page=II-9|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14272103/joe_stydahar_father_of_boy/|via=Newspapers.com}} Joseph (born 1952),{{cite news|title=Stydahar Proud Father of Son|newspaper=Redlands Daily Facts|date=June 27, 1952|page=7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14272336/stydahar_proud_father_of_son/|via=Newspapers.com}} and George, and a daughter, Stephanie (born 1955).{{cite web|title=In the Wake of the News|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=March 4, 1955|page=III-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14273391/in_the_wake_of_the_news_stydahar/|via=Newspapers.com}}

After being released by the Cardinals, Stydahar remained in the Chicago area where he had formed a cardboard box business with a partner. He continued in that business into the 1960s.{{cite news|title=Ram-Bear Switch May Help Both ---Stydahar|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=May 1, 1961|page=IV-2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14312062/rambear_switch_may_help_both/|via=Newspapers.com}} In his later years, Stydahar lived in Highland Park, Illinois, where he was the eastern regional manager for a container company. He died of heart failure in 1977 at age 65 while on a business trip in Beckley, West Virginia.{{cite news|title=Football Great Stydahar Dies, Had Planned To Live In Beckley|newspaper=Beckley Post-Herald|date=March 25, 1977|page=17|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14249219/football_great_stydahar_dies_had/|via=Newspapers.com}} He was buried at the Shinnston Memorial Cemetery, adjacent to Stydahar Field, a sports complex named in his honor.[https://shinnstonnews.com/illustrious-career-shinnstons-jumbo-joe-stydahar-still-remembered/ Shinnston News]