Joseph "Jumbo Joe" Lee Stydahar (born Joseph Lee Stajduhar on March 17, 1912; died March 23, 1977) 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 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...

 from 1936 to 1942 and 1945 to 1946 and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Pro Football Hall of Fame

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...

. He was born and raised about 70 miles (112.7 km) east of Pittsburgh in the small mining community of Kaylor, Pennsylvania in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania

Armstrong County, Pennsylvania

Armstrong County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,941. It is located northeast of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Armstrong County was added to the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area in 2003.The county seat is Kittanning...

. Stydahar attended West Virginia University

West Virginia University

West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...

, and was the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams during the 1950 and 1951 seasons, and the Chicago Cardinals during 1953 and 1954. Stydahar died on March 23, 1977.

College years

At West Virginia, Stydahar won various All-Eastern honors and after his senior year, he was invited to participate in the College All-Star game and the East-West All-Star game.

He was a two sport star at West Virginia, playing both football and basketball. Stydahar was a three year letterman in basketball and once held the single game scoring record of 24 points against West Virginia Wesleyan in 1933.

Joe was elected into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.

External links