Edward Leonard Klewicki (May 6, 1912 – July 20, 1997) was an

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

player. Of Polish descent, he is in the National Polish-American Hall of Fame. Klewicki was born in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

and moved to

Hamtramck, Michigan Hamtramck ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the United States 2020 Census, 2020 census, the city population was 28,433. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion that borders the ...

with his family at a young age. At the time, Hamtramck was an enclave of Polish immigrants in the Detroit area. He graduated from Hamtramck High School in 1929. During his high school career, he was the

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher ...

on the school's first championship

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

team and starred in the backfield for the football team. Klewicki got his school's top graduation honour for combining accomplishment in scholarship, athletics and citizenship. Klewicki moved on the play College football at Michigan State College (later to become

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

). His college coach,

Charles Bachman Charles William Bachman III (December 11, 1924 – July 13, 2017) was an American computer scientist, who spent his entire career as an industrial researcher, developer, and manager rather than in academia. He was particularly known for hi ...

, rated Klewicki as the best defensive end he had ever coached. ''

The New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American online newspaper published in Manhattan; from 2002 to 2008 it was a daily newspaper distributed in New York City. It debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of the earlier New York ...

'' selected him to the second-team

1934 College Football All-America Team The 1934 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1934. The nine selectors recognized by the ...

, and he was named MVP of the

1934 Michigan State Spartans football team The 1934 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State College as an independent during the 1934 college football season. In their second season under head coach Charlie Bachman, the Spartans compiled an 8–1 record, outscor ...

. In 1935, Klewicki signed a pro contract with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

and was a member of the NFL's World Championship team that season. He continued to play pro football through the 1938 season. Klewicki earned a B.S. degree from Michigan State and attended

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and ...

for post-graduate work. He served in a number of positions including president of the Michigan State Varsity Alumni for two years as well as secretary for the same club for four years. In addition, he served as president of the Detroit Lions Alumni and the president of the Lansing Country Club. Klewicki played a key role in the Detroit Lions' 26–7 triumph over the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

for the National Football League crown on a raw, gloomy afternoon at the

University of Detroit Stadium University of Detroit Stadium, also known as U of D Stadium, Titan Stadium, or Dinan Field, was an outdoor athletic stadium in the north central United States, located on the campus of the University of Detroit in Detroit, Michigan. The stadium ...

before 15,000 fans on December 19, 1935. In the early minutes of play, Lions' coach

Potsy Clark George M. "Potsy" Clark (March 20, 1894 – November 8, 1972) was an American football and baseball player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Michigan Agricultural College, now Michigan State University, ( ...

decided to surprise the Giants with a shotgun offense. Glenn Presnell, the Lions' passer, fired a long pass intended for Klewicki, but the ball hit New York Giants'

Ed Danowski Edward Frank Danowski (September 30, 1911 – February 1, 1997) was an American football player who played quarterback and halfback in the National Football League (NFL). He grew up in Aquebogue, his father, Anton, was a Polish immigrant. Fo ...

's chest. The ball squirted high in the air, but Klewicki reached out quickly, gathered the ball in and put the Lions into scoring position from the two-yard line. Ace Gutowsky plunged for a touchdown, Presnell kicked the extra point and the Lions led 7–0 on their way to the championship.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klewicki, Ed 1912 births 1997 deaths American football ends Detroit Lions players Michigan State Spartans football players Purdue University alumni People from Hamtramck, Michigan Players of American football from Wayne County, Michigan Players of American football from Pennsylvania American people of Polish descent