James Matthew Dombrowski (born October 19, 1963) is an American former 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 ...

player who played his entire 11-years career as a

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and

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

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). Dombrowski 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 ...

for the

Virginia Cavaliers The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as Wahoos or Hoos, are the athletic teams representing the University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers compete at the NCAA Division I level ( FBS for football), in the Atlantic Coast C ...

, earning consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors. A first-round pick in the 1986 NFL draft, he was elected to the

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in 2008 and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.

Early life

Dombrowski was born in

Williamsville, New York Williamsville is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 5,423 at the 2020 census. The village is named after Jonas Williams, an early settler. It is part of the Buffalo- ...

.National Football League, Historical Players
Jim Dombrowski
Retrieved March 19, 2012. He graduated from Williamsville South High School,database Football.com, Players, . Retrieved March 19, 2012. and played for the Williamsville South Billies

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team.

College career

Dombrowski accepted an

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private school, private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the U ...

to attend the University of Virginia, where he played for coach George Welsh's Virginia Cavaliers football team from 1982 to 1985. He won numerous accolades as one of the finest student-athletes in the history of UVa athletics, including being recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American as a senior in 1985. He was also a two-time first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) selection in 1984 and 1985, the recipient of the ACC's Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 1984 and 1985 as the conference's best offensive lineman, and a first-team Academic All-Conference honoree in 1985. After graduation, he was later honored as a recipient of the NCAA's Today's Top Six Award for his combined athletic ability, academic achievement, leadership characteristics and campus involvement. Dombrowski's No. 73 jersey has been retired by the university.

Professional career

The New Orleans Saints chose Dombrowski in the first round, sixth pick overall, of the 1986 NFL draft. He played for the Saints from to . After seeing action in only three games as a rookie in 1986, he became a consistent starter for the Saints in his second NFL season in . Dombrowski played left tackle until the middle of the season, and then played left guard until his retirement in . He ultimately played his entire professional career with the Saints and was named to the franchise's 30th and 35th anniversary teams. During his 11 NFL seasons, he played in 151 regular season games and started 137 of them.

Life after football

Dombrowski earned his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in education in 1991. He resides in Mandeville, Louisiana and works as a certified financial planner for Benjamin F. Edwards. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008, and the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2013, he was elected into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dombrowski, Jim 1963 births Living people All-American college football players American football offensive linemen College Football Hall of Fame inductees New Orleans Saints players Sportspeople from Williamsville, New York Players of American football from Erie County, New York Virginia Cavaliers football players People from Mandeville, Louisiana Players of American football from St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana