Joseph Michael Prokop (January 9, 1921 – April 29, 1995) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

halfback who played one season with the

Chicago Rockets The Chicago Rockets were an American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946 to 1949. During the 1949 season, the team was known as the Chicago Hornets. Unlike the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, a ...

of the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a major professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many ...

(AAFC). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

and

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,200 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in fiv ...

Early life and college

Joseph Michael Prokop was born on January 9, 1921, in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. He attended Cathedral Latin High School in Cleveland. Prokop played

for the

Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 26 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...

of the

from 1940 to 1941. He also participated in track at Notre Dame. Prokop later played football for the

Bradley Braves The Bradley Braves are the intercollegiate athletics teams of Bradley University, located in Peoria, Illinois, United States. The Braves' athletic program is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and competes at the Division I (NCAA), ...

from 1946 to 1947.

Professional career

In May 1948, it was reported that Prokop was considering signing with the

of the

(AAFC). Prokop stated that Rockets head coach Edward McKeever was going to award him a contract if he reported to training camp on July 18. McKeever was Prokop's freshman coach at Notre Dame. On July 28, it was reported that Prokop had been released by the Rockets. However, Prokop later returned to the Rockets and played in two games for the team during the 1948 AAFC season as a halfback. He stood 6'2" and weighed 170 pounds during his pro career.

Personal life

Prokop's brother Eddie also played for the Rockets in 1948. Joe died on April 29, 1995.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prokop, Joe 1921 births 1995 deaths Players of American football from Cleveland American football halfbacks Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's track and field athletes Bradley Braves football players Chicago Rockets players Track and field athletes from Cleveland