Elmer F. Madar (November 28, 1920 – February 9, 1972) was an All American football player at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1942 and 1946. He played one season of professional football for the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...

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).

Biography

Early life

Elmer Madar was born in

Sykesville, Pennsylvania Sykesville is a borough in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,157 at the time of the 2010 census. Named for Jacob B. Sykes, an early resident, Sykesville was the birthplace of Olga Madar (1915–1996), the fir ...

on November 28, 1920. Madar played football at Northeastern High School in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Collegiate football

He was a backup

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

for the

in 1941 and moved to

end End, END, Ending, or ENDS may refer to: End Mathematics *End (category theory) * End (topology) * End (graph theory) * End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) * End (endomorphism) Sports and games *End (gridiron football) *End, a division ...

in 1942 where he played in 10 games, scored two touchdowns and made 12 receptions for 160 yards. He was part of the 1942 Michigan line with Merv Pregulman,

Julius Franks Julius "Julie" Franks, Jr. (September 5, 1922 – November 26, 2008) was a civil rights leader and an All-American guard who played football at the University of Michigan from 1941 to 1942. Franks wore #62 as a varsity letterman in 1941 and #63 ...

Al Wistert Albert Alexander "Ox" Wistert (December 28, 1920 – March 5, 2016) was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played his entire nine-year NFL c ...

, Bob Kolesar, Bill Pritula and Phil Sharpe that was known as the "Seven Oak Posts," due to their reputation for not using substitutes. Madar served in the Air Corps 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 ...

, but returned to the University of Michigan after the war. In 1946, he played in more minutes than any other player on

Fritz Crisler Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler ( ; January 12, 1899 – August 19, 1982) was an American college football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football", an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and ...

's football team. In December 1946, he was named to the

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All-American team,

Professional football

Madar was the first pick in the 1947

draft by the

Miami Seahawks The Miami Seahawks were a professional American football team based in Miami, Florida. They played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in the league's inaugural season, 1946, before the team was relocated to Baltimore. They are notable ...

. Late in September 1947, Madar was signed by the

and joined the team as an end for the rest of the 1947 season. He appeared for the Colts in 9 games — starting in 6 — during which he caught 8 passes for 53 yards."Elmer Madar,"
Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com/ It would be his only year as a professional football player. In March 1948, he was hired as the end coach at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, working with fellow Michigan alum and head coach

Arthur Valpey Arthur Ludgate Valpey Jr. (August 5, 1915 – March 12, 2007) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Harvard University from 1948 to 1949 and at the University of Connecticut from 1950 to 1951, compilin ...

. He was assistant coach for the

Holy Cross Crusaders The Holy Cross Crusaders are the athletic teams representing the College of the Holy Cross. They compete in NCAA Division I, primarily as members of the Patriot League. In ice hockey, a sport not sponsored by the Patriot League for either sex, th ...

in 1952 and 1953 but resigned in 1954 to seek a coaching job closer to his Michigan home.

Life after football

While he was an assistant coach at Holy Cross, Madar worked in the off-season in the sales division for the Altes Brewing Company, part of the

National Brewing Company The National Brewing Company was an American brewing company that was founded in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1885. Its Baltimore brewery was located in the city's Highlandtown neighborhood. After World War II, it grew to be the largest brewer in Bal ...

of Baltimore. Madar subsequently became a teacher in the Detroit public schools.

Death and legacy

Madar died of gunshot wounds in 1970 at his brother's house in Detroit. Police reported that the wounds were believed to be self inflicted. Elmer Madar was the brother of

Olga Madar Olga M. Madar (May 17, 1915 – May 16, 1996) was the first woman to serve on the United Auto Workers (UAW) International Executive Board. Early life Born in Sykesville, Pennsylvania, Madar moved to Detroit, Michigan during the Great Depression. A ...

, a trailblazing functionary with the

United Auto Workers The United Auto Workers (UAW), fully named International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico) and sou ...

union (UAW).

References

External links

Bentley Library biography and photograph
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madar, Elmer 1920 births 1972 deaths Harvard Crimson football coaches Holy Cross Crusaders football coaches Michigan Wolverines football players Baltimore Colts (1947–1950) players United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces soldiers Northeastern High School (Michigan) alumni People from Jefferson County, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Detroit Players of American football from Pennsylvania Deaths by firearm in Michigan