Menil Mavraides
Encyclopedia
Menil Mavraides was a guard
for the Philadelphia Eagles
football
team in 1954 and 1957. With the nickname "Minnie," he was listed at 6'-2" and 220 lbs.
. He played for the Lowell High School
Red Raiders football team under head coach Ray Riddick
.
from 1950 to 1953. At Notre Dame he played under head coach Frank Leahy
, who was the former line coach for the Seven Blocks of Granite
where Learhy coached Menil's high school coach Ray Riddick. Here, Mavraides played shoulder-to-shoulder with Tackle Art Hunter
, Center
Jim Schrader
, and Fullback
Neil Worden
as the main blockers for Heisman Trophy
winning running back
Johnny Lattner
.
During His Sophomore Year, Menil was instrumental in helping the Irish beat the 9-0 Rose Bowl
bound USC Trojans
at home by recovering a late game fumble deep in Trojan territory.
His Senior year, the 1953 Notre Dame finished the season 9-0-1 and was runner up to the National Championship, and had an unprecedented 12 players drafted to '54 NFL
. Menil also finished his collage career being ranked #1 in all NCAA with 27pts in kick scoring.
In the September 13th, 1954 Sports Illustrated
article Herman Hickman
describes the 1953 Notre Dame Team by writing;
Before the start of the 1954 NFL season, Mavraideres, joined four of his Fighting Irish classmates, in the 1954 summer classic College All-Star Game
, where they lost 31 to 6 to the Detroit Lions
in front of 93,000 fans.
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 Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
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...
team in 1954 and 1957. With the nickname "Minnie," he was listed at 6'-2" and 220 lbs.
Early years
Mavraides was born November 17, 1931 in Lowell, MassachusettsLowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
. He played for the Lowell High School
Lowell High School (Lowell, Massachusetts)
Lowell High School is a single-campus public high school located in downtown Lowell, Massachusetts. The school is a part of Lowell Public Schools...
Red Raiders football team under head coach Ray Riddick
Ray Riddick
Raymond Ernest Riddick was an American football player and coach in the United States. He played with the Green Bay Packers as an end from 1940 to 1942 and in 1946.-Early years:...
.
College years
Menil went on to play for Notre DameNotre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
from 1950 to 1953. At Notre Dame he played under head coach Frank Leahy
Frank Leahy
Francis William Leahy was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive...
, who was the former line coach for the 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...
where Learhy coached Menil's high school coach Ray Riddick. Here, Mavraides played shoulder-to-shoulder with Tackle Art Hunter
Art Hunter
Arthur Hunter is a former American football tackle who played twelve seasons in the National Football League, mainly for the Los Angeles Rams.-NFL career:...
, Center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
Jim Schrader
Jim Schrader
James Lee Schrader was an American football center and tackle in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles from 1954 to 1964....
, and Fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
Neil Worden
Neil Worden
Neil James Worden is a former American football fullback who played in the National Football League. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1954 NFL Draft and played in the 1954 and 1957 seasons. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame.-Collage Years:Worden went to...
as the main blockers for Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winning running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Johnny Lattner
Johnny Lattner
John Joseph "Johnny" Lattner is a former American football player in the United States. He was a halfback for the University of Notre Dame where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1953, and won the Maxwell Award twice, in 1952 and 1953....
.
During His Sophomore Year, Menil was instrumental in helping the Irish beat the 9-0 Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
bound USC Trojans
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the athletic teams representing the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy...
at home by recovering a late game fumble deep in Trojan territory.
His Senior year, the 1953 Notre Dame finished the season 9-0-1 and was runner up to the National Championship, and had an unprecedented 12 players drafted to '54 NFL
1954 NFL Draft
The 1954 National Football League Draft was held on January 28, 1954.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:-Round eleven:...
. Menil also finished his collage career being ranked #1 in all NCAA with 27pts in kick scoring.
In the September 13th, 1954 Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
article Herman Hickman
Herman Hickman
Herman M. Hickman was a Hall of Fame college football player for the University of Tennessee and later a head football coach for Yale University. He played pro football for the NFL's Brooklyn Dodgers. He later was a TV and radio analyst and broadcaster, a writer and a professional wrestler.-...
describes the 1953 Notre Dame Team by writing;
Frankly, it's hard to see how any squad could lose such men as Halfback Johnny Lattner, Fullback Neil Worden, Tackle Art Hunter, Center Jim Schrader and Guard Menil Mavraides and still be a top-ranked team. Each was on some All-American or other. Lattner, Worden and Hunter were first-round Pro draft choices. Schrader was a second-round choice. Mavraides a third. But Notre Dame is not an ordinary football team, it's Notre Dame... Notre Dame doesn't lose two often.
Before the start of the 1954 NFL season, Mavraideres, joined four of his Fighting Irish classmates, in the 1954 summer classic College All-Star Game
College All-Star Game
The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played annually from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year...
, where they lost 31 to 6 to the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
in front of 93,000 fans.