Bernard John Digris, was an American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 offensive tackle/guard

Guard (American football)

In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....

 for the Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 and was a member of their 1943

1943 Chicago Bears season

The 1943 Chicago Bears season was their 24th regular season and 8th postseason completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 8-1-1 record under temporary co-coaches Hunk Anderson and Luke Johnsos...

 NFL Championship

NFL Championship Game, 1943

The 1943 NFL Championship Game was the 11th annual title game of the National Football League . The game was held at Wrigley Field in Chicago on December 26, 1943, and drew attendance of 34,320....

 team. Digris played in two games for the Bears during that year.

Early life and education

Digris attended high school in Ansonia, Connecticut

Ansonia, Connecticut

Ansonia is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, on the Naugatuck River, immediately north of Derby and about northwest of New Haven. The population was 19,249 at the 2010 census. The ZIP code for Ansonia is 06401. The city is serviced by the Metro North railroad...

 where he is a member of Ansonia High School's sports hall of fame.

Digris was a graduate of Holy Cross

College of the Holy Cross

The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...

 in Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....

 where he captained their football team. He was the first graduate of Holy Cross on a football scholarship to leave with a degree other than Physical Education. His degree was in Chemistry.

After playing professional football Digris was a member of the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 where he served in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.