Ron Drzewiecki

{{Short description|American football player (1933–2015)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Ron Drzewiecki

| image = Ron Drzewiecki.jpeg

| caption =

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 11

| weight_lbs = 185

| position = Halfback

| number = 21, 22

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1933|1|25|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2015|11|4|1933|1|25}}

| death_place = Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.

| draftyear = 1955

| draftround = 1

| draftpick = 11

| high_school = Boys' Tech (WI)

| college = Marquette

| pastteams =

• Chicago Bears ({{NFL Year|1955}}, {{NFL Year|1957}})

| highlights =

| HOF =

| CollegeHOF =

| pfr = DrzeRo20

}}

Ronald John Drzewiecki (January 25, 1933 – November 4, 2015) was a professional football player, a halfback and defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears in 1955 and 1957. He was selected by Chicago in the first round of the 1955 NFL draft with the eleventh overall pick.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Y3BQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ww8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4935%2C6030932 |newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel |title=Drzewiecki, Bears' No. 1 draftee, signs |date=April 7, 1955 |page=4, part 2 }} He spent the 1956 season in the U.S. Navy and was cut from the Bears' training camp in mid-August 1958.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=82lQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HxAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4495%2C1540945 |newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel |title=Bears cut Drzewiecki|date=August 14, 1958 |page=7, part 2}}

Drzewiecki was offered more money in 1955 to play in Canada for the Calgary Stampeders, but opted to play in the NFL with the Bears.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=p5AxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0g8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=2538%2C6802172 |newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel |title=Drzewiecki offered $10,500 by Calgary |date=March 11, 1955 |page=2, part 2 }} He signed a contract with the Oakland Raiders in the spring of 1960, months prior to the first season of the American Football League.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1368&dat=19600427&id=cGhQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ChAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7345,4105196 |newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel |title=Raiders sign Drzewiecki |agency=UPI |date=April 27, 1960 |page=4, part 2 }}

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Drzewiecki graduated from Boys' Tech High School in 1951,{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3PopAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6SMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7033%2C5486342 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |title=Tech eleven romps over Bay View, 31-13 |last=Wolf |first=Bob |date=November 11, 1950 |page=6}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bL9QAAAAIBAJ&sjid=riMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3676%2C216756 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |title=Freshman may help bolster Hilltop line |date=September 3, 1951 |page=2, sports }} and played college football at Marquette University, also in Milwaukee, and was inducted into its athletic hall of fame in 1985.{{cite web |url=http://www.gomarquette.com/hallfame/marq-hallfame.html#Drzewiecki |publisher=Marquette University Athletics |agency=Hall of Fame |title=Ron Drzewiecki |access-date=March 20, 2014 |archive-date=November 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125212946/http://www.gomarquette.com/hallfame/marq-hallfame.html#Drzewiecki |url-status=dead }} He died on November 4, 2015, at the age of 82.{{cite news|last1=Gabler|first1=Ellen|title=Ronald Drzewiecki was Marquette star before Chicago Bears drafted him |url=http://archive.jsonline.com/news/obituaries/chicago-bears-player-ronald-drzewiecki-was-born-in-milwaukee-b99612271z1-343313822.html/ |access-date=November 27, 2017|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|date=November 8, 2015}}