25 Facts About Alex Wojciechowicz

Alexander Francis "Wojie" Wojciechowicz was an American professional football player in the National Football League from 1935 to 1950.

Alex Wojciechowicz was a two-way player who played at center on offense and at linebacker on defense.

Alex Wojciechowicz has been inducted into both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame, was a founder and the first president of the NFL Alumni Association, and was the third player to receive the Order of the Leather Helmet.

Alex Wojciechowicz was selected as the consensus first-team All-American center in both 1936 and 1937.

Alex Wojciechowicz was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 1938 NFL draft and played for the Lions from 1938 to 1946.

Alex Wojciechowicz was selected as a first-team All-NFL player in 1939 and 1944.

Alex Wojciechowicz won two NFL championships with the Eagles, in 1948 and 1949.

Alex Wojciechowicz was born in 1915 in South River, New Jersey.

Alex Wojciechowicz's father, Andrew Wojciechowicz, was a Polish immigrant and tailor.

Alex Wojciechowicz recalled that his real love as a boy was baseball, playing catcher and batting cleanup for his successful high school squad.

However Alex Wojciechowicz sought a college education and saw football as his natural path to academic possibilities and he consequently shifted his focus to the fall sport.

Alex Wojciechowicz was torn between Villanova, Dartmouth, and Fordham, ultimately choosing the latter due to its location in New York City and Catholic orientation.

Alex Wojciechowicz enrolled at Fordham in 1935 and played college football as the center for the Fordham Rams football team from 1935 to 1937.

Alex Wojciechowicz was a member of the Fordham line, alongside guard Vince Lombardi, that became known as the "Seven Blocks of Granite".

Alex Wojciechowicz was selected as the consensus first-team All-American center in both 1936 and 1937.

Alex Wojciechowicz was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round, sixth overall pick, of the 1938 NFL draft.

For nine years, Alex Wojciechowicz was a fixture in the Lions' lineup, a 60-minute player who played at center on offense and linebacker on defense.

Alex Wojciechowicz was selected as a first-team All-NFL player in 1939 and 1944 and had seven interceptions in 1944, a Lions single-season record at the time.

Alex Wojciechowicz appeared in seven games for the Eagles, only one as a starter, during the 1946 season.

In 1948, Alex Wojciechowicz lost the starting center job to Vic Lindskog, but appeared in 10 games, mostly on defense, for the 1948 Eagles team that shut out the Cardinals in the 1948 NFL Championship Game.

Alex Wojciechowicz was considered past his prime when he joined the Eagles, but head coach Greasy Neale used him principally as a linebacker, and he responded with quality defensive play.

Alex Wojciechowicz was married to Katherine Mallen, and they had three sons and a daughter.

For many years after retiring from the NFL, Alex Wojciechowicz lived in Wanamassa, New Jersey, and worked as a real estate appraiser and broker.

Alex Wojciechowicz was one of the founders of the NFL Alumni Association, established to negotiate with the owners for the creation of a pension plan to benefit the game's early players, and was elected as its president in 1968.

Alex Wojciechowicz died in 1992 at his home in Forked River, New Jersey at age 76.