Roman John "Ray" Piskor (August 19, 1917 – August 1981) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

tackle who played three seasons in 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) between 1946 and 1948. Piskor played for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

and 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 ...

. Piskor grew up in

North Tonawanda, New York North Tonawanda is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. Its population was 31,568 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Buffalo, New York, Buffalo–Niagara Falls, New York, Niagara Falls Buffalo-Niagara Falls me ...

and attended

Niagara University Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in the census-designated place Niagara University, New York, in the town of Lewiston near Niagara Falls. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and ...

, where he was a star lineman. After several years in the

Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 North Tonawanda High School (NTHS) is a public high school located in North Tonawanda, New York. N.T.H.S. is the high school for the North Tonawanda City School District. The current principal is Bradley Rowles. Academics Academies North To ...

. He enrolled at

in 1938 and was a star lineman on the school's football team. Piskor joined the

in July 1942 during

and did his

basic training Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which resocializes its subjects for the unique dema ...

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

. Piskor was a member of an Eastern All-Army team coached by

Robert Neyland Robert Reese Neyland (; February 17, 1892 – March 28, 1962) was an American football player and coach and officer in the United States Army, reaching the rank of Brigadier general (United States), brigadier general. He served three stints as ...

in 1942. He later transferred to a base in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

and played for its Tech Hawks football team. He went to fight overseas in 1944 with the

Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a Numbered Air Force, numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U ...

Professional career

After his discharge from the Air Force, Piskor joined the

of the

(AAFC) in 1946. The Yankees finished the year with a 10–3–1 win-loss-tie record and faced the

in the AAFC championship. 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 The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

in 1947 and then traded to the Browns for John Duda and Jack Carpenter. 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. Piskor was sent to the

in 1948 as part of a league-led effort to balance out talent among the AAFC's teams. He spent one season with the Rockets before retiring from professional football.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Piskor, Roman 1917 births 1981 deaths Cleveland Browns (AAFC) players New York Yankees (AAFC) players Chicago Rockets players People from North Tonawanda, New York United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II