Eddie Prokop

Edward Stanley "Eddie" Prokop (February 11, 1922 – May 30, 1955) was an American football player. He played college football at the Georgia Institute of Technology and in the National Football League in the 1940s. He was the first pick (4th overall) in the 1945 NFL Draft for the Boston Yanks.[1]

Eddie Prokop
Prokop from The 1944 Blue Print
Born:(1922-02-11)February 11, 1922
Cleveland, Ohio
Died:May 30, 1955(1955-05-30) (aged 33)
Cleveland, Ohio
Career information
Position(s)Back
CollegeGeorgia Tech
NFL draft1945 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4
Drafted byBoston Yanks
Career history
As player
1946–1947Boston Yanks
1948Chicago Rockets
1949New York Bulldogs

College career

Prokop played college football at Georgia Tech under coach William Alexander and was a 1969 Hall of Fame inductee there.[2] In the 1944 Sugar Bowl Prokop led his #13 Yellow Jackets to 20–18 victory over #15 ranked Tulsa. In that game he rushed for 199 yards, threw a touchdown and kicked two extra points.[3] The Sugar Bowl did not award a game MVP until 1948.

NFL career

Prokop was the fourth overall pick of the 1945 NFL Draft, selected by the Boston Yanks, and played for them in the 1946 and 1947 seasons. He played for the Chicago Rockets in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1948, and then returned to the Yanks, who became the New York Bulldogs in 1949, his final season as a professional.[4]

After football

After his playing days, Prokop was a sales engineer for National Solvent Corp. in Cleveland.[5]

Death

At age 33 in 1955, Prokop suffered a cerebral hemorrhage at his Cleveland home. Originally thought to be heat exhaustion, he died later that day at Huron Road Hospital.[5]

Personal life

Prokop's brother Joe also played in the AAFC.[6]

See also

References
  1. "Eddie Prokop NFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  2. "Georgia Tech Official Athletic Site". Ramblinwreck.cstv.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  3. Casey Bienvenu. "1944 Game Recap / Allstate Sugar Bowl". Allstatesugarbowl.org. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  4. "Eddie Prokop Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  5. "Hemorrhage fatal to Prokop, former Tech grid star". Rome News-Tribune. (Georgia). Associated Press. May 31, 1955. p. 6.
  6. "Joe Prokop". pro-football-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
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