1. Edmund Raymond "Zeke" Bratkowski was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League for 14 seasons with the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, and Green Bay Packers.
17 Facts About Zeke Bratkowski
1. 2.
Zeke Bratkowski was the father of former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski.
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Zeke Bratkowski came to national prominence in his sophomore season at the University of Georgia in Athens in 1951, and was twice the SEC passing leader under head coach Wally Butts.
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Zeke Bratkowski was considered one of college football's greatest quarterbacks of his day and was the NCAA's all-time leading passer until 1961.
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Zeke Bratkowski led the NCAA in punting his senior year in 1953 with a 42.6 yard average.
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Zeke Bratkowski was selected 17th overall in the second round of the 1953 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears as a "future choice" after his redshirt junior season, then played his fifth-year senior season at Georgia in 1953.
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Zeke Bratkowski joined the Bears as a rookie in 1954.
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Zeke Bratkowski started the first game of the season with a 64-yard touchdown pass, but was benched after completing just one of his next 11 passes with four interceptions.
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Zeke Bratkowski then served in the US Air Force for two years, missing the 1955 and 1956 seasons.
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Zeke Bratkowski returned in 1957 and shared time at quarterback with Ed Brown, and played five seasons in Chicago, through 1960.
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Zeke Bratkowski was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in March 1961, and played in Los Angeles for.
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In Green Bay, Zeke Bratkowski was nicknamed "Uncle Zekie", and became an ideal backup and spot starter during the Lombardi championship era.
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Zeke Bratkowski was a quarterbacks coach with Cleveland and the Jets and worked two stints as a Green Bay assistant coach.
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Zeke Bratkowski died at his home in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, on November 11,2019, of a heart attack at the age of 88.
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Nine years later, Zeke Bratkowski was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
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Zeke Bratkowski was elected to the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
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Zeke Bratkowski was inducted into the University of Georgia's Circle of Honor in 2006, and was the first member of his high school's Hall of Fame in 1974.