Roman Piskor
{{Short description|American football player (1917–1981)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Roman Piskor
| image = Roman Piskor, American football tackle, in 1946.png
| image_size =
| alt = A picture of Roman Piskor in uniform sitting on a bench in 1946, while with the New York Yankees
| caption = Piskor in 1946 while with the Yankees
| number = 41, 45
| position = Tackle
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1917|08|09}}
| birth_place = North Tonawanda, New York, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1981|08||1917|08|09}}
| death_place = Niagara, New York, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 0
| weight_lbs = 245
| high_school = North Tonawanda
| college = Niagara University
| draftyear =
| draftround =
| draftpick =
| pastteams =
- New York Yankees (1946)
- Cleveland Browns (1947)
- Chicago Rockets (1948)
| highlights =
- AAFC champion (1947)
| statlabel1 = Games
| statvalue1 = 34
| pfr = PiskRo20
}}
Roman John "Ray" Piskor (August 19, 1917 – August 1981) was an American football tackle who played three seasons in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) between 1946 and 1948. Piskor played for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Browns and the Chicago Rockets. Piskor grew up in North Tonawanda, New York and attended Niagara University, where he was a star lineman. After several years in the Army Air Force during World War II, he was signed by the Yankees in 1946. Piskor was traded to the Browns the following year, when the team won the AAFC championship. He spent a final season with the Rockets in 1948.
High school and college career
Piskor attended North Tonawanda High School in North Tonawanda, New York.{{cite news|title=Niagara Has Candidate In Roman Piskor|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19391020&id=x1gbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=a0wEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2161,2417676|accessdate=September 23, 2012|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=October 20, 1939|page=45}} He enrolled at Niagara University in 1938 and was a star lineman on the school's football team. Piskor joined the Army Air Force in July 1942 during World War II and did his basic training in Atlantic City, New Jersey.{{cite news|title=Ex-Mates Piskor, Kasprazak To Clash in Service Contest|url=http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201945%20%20Grayscale/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201945%20%20Grayscale%20-%202253.pdf|accessdate=September 24, 2012|newspaper=The Evening News|date=October 11, 1945|page=1}} Piskor was a member of an Eastern All-Army team coached by Robert Neyland in 1942.{{cite news|title=Browns Land Big Lineman In Trade|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=August 23, 1947|location=Bowling Green, O.|page=14}} He later transferred to a base in Greensboro, North Carolina and played for its Tech Hawks football team. He went to fight overseas in 1944 with the Third Air Force.
Professional career
After his discharge from the Air Force, Piskor joined the New York Yankees of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1946. The Yankees finished the year with a 10–3–1 win-loss-tie record and faced the Cleveland Browns in the AAFC championship.{{cite web|title=1946 New York Yankees Players & Statistics|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/naa/1946.htm|publisher=Pro Football Reference|accessdate=September 23, 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018092907/http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/naa/1946.htm|url-status=live|archivedate=October 18, 2012}} The Yankees lost the game 14–9. Piskor, who worked for the Yankees as an accountant in the offseason, was sent to the Buffalo Bills in 1947 and then traded to the Browns for John Duda and Jack Carpenter.{{cite news|title=Roman Piskor, Former Niagara Star, May Play with Bisons Next Season|url=http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%208/Niagara%20Falls%20NY%20Gazette/Niagara%20Falls%20NY%20Gazette%201947%20Mar-may%20Grayscale/Niagara%20Falls%20NY%20Gazette%201947%20Mar-may%20Grayscale%20-%200254.pdf|accessdate=September 24, 2012|newspaper=The Niagara Falls Gazette|date=March 22, 1947|page=16}} Cleveland finished the season with a 12–1–1 record and won the AAFC championship, beating the Yankees in the title game for the second year in a row.{{sfn|Piascik|2007|p=81}} Piskor was sent to the Chicago Rockets in 1948 as part of a league-led effort to balance out talent among the AAFC's teams.{{cite news|title='Gift' Gridder Is Rocket Headache|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=February 17, 1948|agency=Associated Press|location=Chicago|page=16}} He spent one season with the Rockets before retiring from professional football.{{cite web|title=Roman Piskor NFL Football Statistics|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PiskRo20.htm|publisher=Pro Football Reference|accessdate=September 24, 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116172710/http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PiskRo20.htm|url-status=live|archivedate=November 16, 2012}}
References
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
=Bibliography=
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite book|last=Piascik|first=Andy|year=2007|title=The Best Show in Football: The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns|publisher=Taylor Trade Publishing|location=Lanham, MD|isbn=978-1-58979-571-6}}
{{refend}}
External links
{{Portal|Biography}}
- {{Footballstats |pfr=PiskRo20}}
{{1947 Cleveland Browns}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piskor, Roman}}
Category:Cleveland Browns (AAFC) players
Category:New York Yankees (AAFC) players
Category:Chicago Rockets players
Category:People from North Tonawanda, New York
Category:United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II