George Lilja
| No. 62 | |||||||
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| Position: | center | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Date of birth: | March 3, 1958 | ||||||
| Place of birth: | Evergreen Park, Illinois | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| College: | Michigan | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1981 / Round: 4 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| 1980 First Team All-American | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Games Played: | 54 |
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| Seasons Played: | 6 |
| Fumbles: | 1 |
George Vincent Lilja (born March 3, 1958) is a former professional American football offensive lineman who played for several National Football League teams over the course of six seasons. He is also a former collegiate All-American center for the Michigan Wolverines football team. He was a member of the 1980 Big Ten Conference Champions who played in the 1981 Rose Bowl.
Lilja attended Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, Illinois where he was both a baseball and football standout before enrolling at the University of Michigan. Lilja played center for the Michigan Wolverines from 1979-1980. At 6'4" and 260 pounds, Lilja started 24 straight games at center during his junior and senior seasons. As a senior in 1980, Lilja received numerous awards and honors, including being named the team's co-captain (with Anthony Carter), receiving the University's Myer Morton Award (given by the M Club of Chicago for the football player who shows the greatest development and most promise as a result of spring practice), and being named a first-team All-American by Walter Camp. He was named second-team All-American and All Big Ten by a numerous sports news organizations. He is one of eleven centers to become an All-American for Michigan football. The 1979 team played in the Gator Bowl, and the 1980 Big Ten Conference Champions played in the 1981 Rose Bowl. The 1981 Rose Bowl marked the first bowl game victory for Bo Schembechler.
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