Position: | Tackle | ||||||||
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Personal information | |||||||||
Date of birth: | March 17, 1912 | ||||||||
Place of birth: | Kaylor, Pennsylvania | ||||||||
Date of death: | March 23, 1977 | (aged 65)||||||||
Place of death: | Beckley, West Virginia | ||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 233 lb (106 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | Shinnston (WV) | ||||||||
College: | West Virginia | ||||||||
NFL Draft: | 1936 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
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As coach: | |||||||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
Games played: | 84 |
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Fumble recoveries: | 2 |
Coaching record: | 20–27–1 |
Player stats at NFL.com |
Joseph Lee "Jumbo Joe" Stydahar (born Joseph Lee Stajduhar; March 17, 1912 – March 23, 1977) was an American football tackle for the Chicago Bears from 1936 to 1942 and 1945 to 1946 and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was born and raised about 70 miles (110 km) east of Pittsburgh in the small mining community of Kaylor, Pennsylvania in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. Stydahar attended West Virginia University, 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.
Stydahar was the first player drafted by George Halas's Chicago Bears; he was the sixth overall pick in the 1936 NFL draft, the first ever NFL draft.
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.
Stydahar was elected into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.