Johnny Karras
 Karras, circa 1950 | |
| No. 44 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Halfback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 29, 1928 Chicago, Illinois,U.S. |
| Died: | November 6, 2008(aged 80) Hinsdale, Illinois,U.S. |
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight: | 187 lb (85 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Summit (IL) Argo |
| College: | Illinois |
| NFL draft: | 1952/ Round: 2 / Pick: 16 |
| Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Player stats atPFR | |
John J. "Argo Express" Karras(January 29, 1928 – November 6, 2008) was anAmerican footballhalfbackwho played one season with theChicago Cardinalsof theNational Football League.[1]He was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals in the second round of the1952 NFL draft.Karras had previously playedcollege footballat theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaignand attendedArgo Community High SchoolinSummit, Illinois.He was a ConsensusAll-Americanin1951.[2][3][4]
College career
[edit]Karras first enrolled at the University of Illinois as a freshman in 1946 and then spent 18 months in theUnited States Armyholding the rank ofprivate first class.He returned to Illinois in 1949, accumulating seven rushing touchdowns and 826 yards rushing. He led theIllinois Fighting Illini footballteam in rushing yards in 1950 and 1951. Karras was a Consensus All-American in 1951 after gaining 716 yards rushing and scoring 13 touchdowns. Illinois went 16-3-1 and won the1952 Rose BowlagainstStanford.In 1990, he was named to Illinois' All-Century team.[5]
Professional career
[edit]Karras was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals with the sixteenth pick in the 1952 NFL Draft. He played in ten games and scored one receiving touchdown in1952.
References
[edit]- ^Jensen, Trevor (November 14, 2008)."John Karras: 1928 - 2008".chicagotribune.com.RetrievedAugust 19,2014.
- ^"Johnny Karras".sports-reference.com.Sports Reference LLC.RetrievedAugust 19,2014.
- ^"JOHNNY KARRAS".profootballarchives.com. Archived fromthe originalon September 9, 2015.RetrievedAugust 19,2014.
- ^Neil, Herb (October 31, 1951)."Johnny Karras Sparks..."The Michigan Daily.RetrievedAugust 19,2014.
- ^"Illini Legend Johnny Karras Passes Away".fightingillini.com. November 7, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon August 21, 2014.RetrievedAugust 19,2014.