Date of birth | December 16, 1913 |
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Place of birth | Ikaris, Greece |
Date of death | December 26, 2000 (aged 87) |
Place of death | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Career information | |
Position(s) | Guard |
College | Ohio State |
NFL draft | 1938 / Round: 5 / Pick 40 |
Career history | |
As player | |
1938 | Chicago Bears |
1939 | Brooklyn Dodgers |
1939–1940 | Green Bay Packers |
Career stats | |
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Gustave Constantine Zarnas (December 16, 1913 – December 26, 2000) was a college football All-American and professional football player. He is distinguished as being the first Greek to play in the National Football League.
Born in Ikaria, Greece, Zarnas came to America with his parents. He played the guard position at the Ohio State University from 1935 to 1937 and received All-American recognition his last year as a Buckeye. At 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), 220 lbs., Zarnas played professionally in the NFL for the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers from 1938 to 1940, and enlisted into the United States Navy becoming a lieutenant during World War II. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1975.