Raymond Edward Prochaska ( ; August 9, 1919 – March 9, 1997) was an American

gridiron football Gridiron football ( ),"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' ...

player and coach. He attended the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

and played one season in 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).

Biography

Ray Prochaska was born in

Ulysses, Nebraska Ulysses is a village in Butler County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 171 at the 2010 census. History The first post office in Ulysses was established in 1869. The village is named for Ulysses S. Grant. Geography According to the ...

, to Emil Prochaska and Marie Fredlick, having

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

and Moravian ancestry. He attended high school in Ulysses before enrolling at the

, where he played college football. Prochaska helped take the Cornhuskers to the

1941 Rose Bowl The 1941 Rose Bowl was the 27th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Wednesday, January 1. The undefeated and second-ranked Stanford Indians of the Pacific Coast Conference defeated the ...

, where they were defeated by the Stanford Indians, 21 to 13. Prochaska was drafted by and made his professional debut in the

1941 The Correlates of War project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 3.49 million. However, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program estimates that the subsequent year, 1942, wa ...

with the

Cleveland Rams The Cleveland Rams were a professional American football team that played in Cleveland from 1936 to 1945. The Rams competed in the second American Football League (AFL) for the 1936 season and the National Football League (NFL) from 1937 to ...

before leaving football for military service during World War II. He served from 1942 to 1946 in the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

and held the rank of captain when discharged.Eddie McGuire (ed.), ''Chicago Cardinals: 1951 Press, Radio and Television Guide.'' Chicago: Chicago Cardinals Football Club, 1951; p. 11. After leaving the military he joined the coaching staff at his alma mater, where he was assistant coach in charge of

ends End, END, Ending, or ENDS may refer to: End Mathematics *End (category theory) *End (topology) *End (graph theory) *End (graph_theory)#Cayley_graphs, End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) *End (endomorphism) Sports and games *End (gridir ...

. In May 1955 he moved to the professional ranks, joining the staff of head coach

Pop Ivy Lee Frank "Pop" Ivy (January 25, 1916 – May 17, 2003) was an American football player and coach who was the only person to serve as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL), the American Football League (AFL) and the Western Interpro ...

of the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). When Ivy was named head coach of 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 ...

in 1958, Prochaska turned down an offer to take over as head coach of the Eskimos and followed his mentor to the NFL, joining him as an assistant coach on his staff. After Ivy resigned as coach of the Cards late in the 1961 season, Prochaska joined fellow assistant coaches Chuck Drulis and Ray Willsey in sharing head coaching duties on an interim basis. The trio finished the year with a 2–0 record. Prochaska went on to be an NFL assistant coach for a number of NFL teams, often serving under

Chuck Knox Charles Robert Knox (April 27, 1932 – May 12, 2018) was an American football coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. He served as head coach of three National Football League (NFL) teams, the Los Angeles Rams (1973–197 ...

, including the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

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 ...

, and

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

. Ray Prochaska died March 9, 1997, in

Orange County, California Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county (United States), county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population ...

. He was 77 years old at the time of his death.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prochaska, Ray 1919 births 1997 deaths American football ends Buffalo Bills coaches Cleveland Browns coaches Los Angeles Rams coaches Edmonton Elks coaches Nebraska Cornhuskers football coaches Nebraska Cornhuskers football players St. Louis Cardinals (football) coaches St. Louis Cardinals (football) head coaches Seattle Seahawks coaches American military personnel of World War II People from Butler County, Nebraska Players of American football from Nebraska American people of Czech descent