Harry Jacunski
Encyclopedia
Harry Anthony Jacunski was an National Football League
player and college football
coach for over 40 years.
Jacunski was an All-state center
on the New Britain High School
1934 basketball
team and played football
with Vince Lombardi
at Fordham University
, where Jacunski was one of Fordham’s "Seven Blocks of Granite
". In 1938 he was co-captain of the Fordham football team where he started as end.
He played in the NFL for six seasons (1939
– 1944
) as defensive end
for the Green Bay Packers
, who were NFL champions in 1939
and 1944
.
In 1945 he started a 35 year coaching career: one year at University of Notre Dame
, two years at Harvard University
, and the last 33 years at Yale University
. Jacunski was inducted into both the Fordham and Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
.
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player and college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
coach for over 40 years.
Jacunski was an All-state center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
on the New Britain High School
New Britain High School
New Britain High School is a public high school in New Britain, Connecticut. It is a part of New Britain Public Schools. The school's teams go by the name of "Golden Hurricanes"...
1934 basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team and played 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...
with Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
at Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, where Jacunski was one of Fordham’s "Seven Blocks of Granite
Seven Blocks of Granite
The Seven Blocks of Granite was a nickname given to the Fordham University football team's offensive line under head coach "Sleepy" Jim Crowley and line coach Frank Leahy. The most famous Seven Blocks of Granite were: Leo Paquin, Johnny Druze, Alex Wojciechowicz, Ed Franco, Al Babartsky, Natty...
". In 1938 he was co-captain of the Fordham football team where he started as end.
He played in the NFL for six seasons (1939
1939 NFL season
The 1939 NFL season was the 20th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL president Joseph Carr died, and Carl Storck was named to replace him....
– 1944
1944 NFL season
The 1944 NFL season was the 25th regular season of the United States National Football League. The Boston Yanks joined the league as an expansion team. Also, the Brooklyn Dodgers changed their name to Brooklyn Tigers. Meanwhile, both the Cleveland Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles resumed their...
) as defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
for the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, who were NFL champions in 1939
NFL Championship Game, 1939
The 1939 National Football League Championship game was held on December 10, 1939 at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This was the seventh NFL championship game played...
and 1944
NFL Championship Game, 1944
The 1944 National Football League Championship Game was the 12th NFL title game. The game was played on December 17, 1944 at New York's Polo Grounds. The attendance for the game was 46,016. The game featured the Green Bay Packers , champions of the Western Division versus the Eastern Division...
.
In 1945 he started a 35 year coaching career: one year at University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, two years at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and the last 33 years at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. Jacunski was inducted into both the Fordham and Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame was the first hall of fame built to honor a single professional American football team. After receiving approval from coach Vince Lombardi, William L. Brault, a Green Bay restaurateur and Packers fan, founded the Hall of Fame in 1966...
.