Clyde John Zoia (May 16, 1896 – April 3, 1955) 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 ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

who played four seasons with the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). 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 ...

Early life and college

Clyde John Zoia was born on May 16, 1896, in

Preston, Minnesota Preston is a city in and the county seat of Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,325 at the 2010 census. The Root River runs through it, and Mystery Cave State Park is nearby. It bills itself as "America's Trout C ...

. He attended Woodstock High School in

Woodstock, Illinois Woodstock is a city in and the county seat of McHenry County, Illinois, McHenry County, Illinois, United States. It is located 51 miles northwest of Chicago, making it one of the city's outer-most suburbs. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

. Zoia lettered 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 ...

in 1917.

Professional career

Zoia signed with the

of the

American Professional Football Association The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

(APFA) in 1920. He played in eight games, starting three, during the

1920 APFA season The 1920 APFA season was the inaugural season of the American Professional Football Association, renamed the National Football League in 1922. An agreement to form a league was made by four independent teams from Ohio on August 20, 1920, at ...

. He appeared in eight games, starting six, in 1921. The APFA was renamed the

(NFL) in 1922 and Zoia played in seven games, all starts, during the

1922 NFL season The 1922 NFL season was the third regular season of what was now called the National Football League (NFL); the league changed its name from American Professional Football Association (APFA) on June 24, 1922. A total of 75 games were played by ...

. He played in 11 games, starting nine, during his final season in 1923 and was named a first-team

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

by the '' Canton Daily News''. He became a free agent on August 1, 1924.

Later life

Zoia died on April 3, 1955.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoia, Clyde 1896 births 1955 deaths People from Preston, Minnesota Players of American football from Minnesota American football guards Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Chicago Cardinals players