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Lou Rymkus

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Lou Rymkus
Lou Rymkus on a 1950 Bowman football card
Rymkus on a 1950 football card
No. 12, 44
Position:Tackle
Personal information
Born:(1919-11-06)November 6, 1919
Royalton, Illinois,U.S.
Died:October 31, 1998(1998-10-31)(aged 78)
Houston, Texas,U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:231 lb (105 kg)
Career information
High school:Tilden
(Chicago, Illinois)
College:Notre Dame
NFL draft:1943/ Round: 7 / Pick: 60
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

Career NFL statistics
Games played:86
Interceptions:1
Touchdowns:2
Player stats atPFR
Coaching stats atPFR

Louis Joseph"the Battler"Rymkus(November 6, 1919 – October 31, 1998) was anAmerican footballplayer and coach in theAll-America Football Conference(AAFC),National Football League(NFL) andAmerican Football League(AFL). Playing as atacklefor theCleveland Brownsin the AAFC and NFL in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Rymkus provided pass protection forquarterbackOtto Grahamas the team won five league championships. Following his playing career, Rymkus took a number of assistant coaching jobs before serving as the first head coach of the AFL'sHouston Oilersin1960.The team won theleague's first championship,but Rymkus was fired by Oilers ownerBud Adamsafter a slow start in1961.

Rymkus was born inRoyalton, Illinoisand grew up inChicago.He was a star lineman in high school and won a football scholarship to attend theUniversity of Notre Dame.At Notre Dame, he played on a 1941 team that went undefeated under head coachFrank Leahy.Rymkus was drafted by the NFL'sWashington Redskinsin 1943 and played one season for the team before joining theU.S. Marinesduring World War II. Following two years in the service, he signed with the Browns, where he spent the remainder of his playing career.Paul Brown,the Browns' first coach, called Rymkus "the best pass protector I've ever seen".[1]His blocking was used by coaches to demonstrate proper form.

After Rymkus's brief stint coaching the Oilers, he held numerous football jobs, including as the coach of a high school team inLouisianaand an assistant with theDetroit Lions.Rymkus was a finalist for induction into thePro Football Hall of Famein 1988 but was not elected. In 2005, he was named to theProfessional Football Researchers AssociationHall of Very Good in the association's third HOVG class.[2]

He died of a stroke inHouston, Texas,where he lived for most of his later life.

Early life and high school career

[edit]

Rymkus was born inRoyalton, Illinois,the son of aLithuanianimmigrant coal miner who owned a small grocery store.[3]After his father was shot and killed outside the grocery store, Rymkus and his family moved to theBack of the Yardsneighborhood onChicago's South Side.[3]With family finances tight, he took a number of odd jobs, including working as a laborer and delivering newspapers and groceries.[3][4]At the suggestion of a friend, Rymkus attendedTilden Tech,now known as Tilden High School, and began to display talent as a lineman on the school's football team.[3][4][5]He blocked a kick and scored a touchdown in a game at Chicago'sSoldier Fieldin 1936 against rival Austin High, a play he later said was the most memorable of his high school career.[5]Rymkus won sevenlettersat Tilden playing on the football, track and wrestling teams.[5]As a senior, he defeatedRudy Muchato win the Chicago prep-school wrestling title.[5]

College and professional career

[edit]

Rymkus's success in high school led to a scholarship to theUniversity of Notre Dame,where he played from 1940 to 1942.[3][6]He was known in college as a tough and durable tackle. In a 1941 game againstGeorgia Tech,Rymkus was elbowed in his upper lip. He left the game to get 14 stitches and returned to play in the 20–0 Notre Dame victory.[4]Notre Dame went undefeated that season, coachFrank Leahy's first year at the school.[7]During his junior year in 1942, Rymkus earnedAll-Americahonors, and in his final season at Notre Dame he was named the team's Most Valuable Player.[6]

Rymkus was drafted by theNational Football League'sWashington Redskinsin 1943, signing a contract giving him a $2,000 annual salary ($35,215 in 2023 dollars).[4][6]Playing alongside quarterbackSammy Baugh,Rymkus returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in one game and an interception for a touchdown in the next game.[4]After the 1943 season, Rymkus joined theU.S. Marinesduring World War II.[6]He trainedNavyrecruits atGreat Lakes Naval Stationnear Chicago in 1944 and 1945, and served atPearl Harbor.[4]

As the war wound down withGermany's surrenderin mid-1945, Rymkus decided to join the newCleveland Brownsof the fledglingAll-America Football Conference.[4]Paul Brown,the coach of the new team, had met Rymkus at Great Lakes, where he coached the training station's military football squad.[4]Brown offered Rymkus a $4,000 salary ($67,697 today), double what he made with the Redskins.[4]George Preston Marshall,the owner of the Redskins, declined to match the offer and questioned the wisdom of joining a league that he thought had little chance of success competing against the more established NFL.[8]Rymkus left his wife Betty inNappanee, Indianaand hitchhiked to the Browns' training camp inBowling Green, Ohio.[4]

The Browns began play in 1946, and Rymkus soon became an anchor of the team's offensive and defensive lines. He solidified his reputation for toughness by playing more than 50 minutes per game that year despite a knee injury for which he needed surgery immediately after the season.[9]On defense, Rymkus helped stop opponents' rushing attacks and disrupt the opposing quarterback. On offense, he helped protect quarterbackOtto Grahamand opened up running room forfullbackMarion Motley.[10]Graham led the AAFC in total passing yards over its four years of existence, while Motley led the league in rushing.[11]

The Browns advanced to the AAFC championship in 1946, but a week before the game, Rymkus and teammatesJim DaniellandMac Speediewere arrested and held for several hours after a confrontation with Cleveland police.[12]The men were drinking as they waited to pick up Speedie's wife, who was coming on a plane from Utah.[12]Daniell, who was driving the car the three men were in, honked at a police car that was blocking him, leading to an argument and the arrests.[13]Rymkus and Speedie were charged with creating a disturbance and Daniell was charged with public intoxication.[14]Daniell, the Browns' captain, was kicked off the team after the incident, but Rymkus and Speedie remained.[14]The Browns went on to win the championship the following week, and Rymkus was named to a combined all-AAFC and NFL team.[15]

Cleveland won the AAFC championship in each of the following three years before the league dissolved and the Browns were absorbed by the NFL.[16]Rymkus was named to all-AAFC teams in 1947, 1948, and 1949.[17]In 1948, when the Browns won all of their games, Brown took away Rymkus's defensive duties and made him exclusively an offensive tackle.[4]That summer, he served as anumpirein theAll-American Girls Professional Baseball League.[18]

The Browns won theNFL championshipin 1950, the team's first year in the league.[19]Cleveland advanced to the championship the following year, but lost 24–17 to theLos Angeles Rams.[20]Slowed by injuries to his elbow and knees, the 32-year-old Rymkus retired after the 1951 season, never having missed a game or a practice during his six years with the team.[4][6]Brown called him "the best pass protector I've ever seen"; former teammates said his play was a model Cleveland coaches used to teach pass blocking to newcomers.[1]

Coaching career

[edit]

Following his retirement in early 1952, Rymkus accepted a position as line coach atIndiana University,where his former Notre Dame teammateBernie Crimminshad been appointed head coach.[21]A year later, he headed north to work as an assistant under former Rams head coachBob Snyderwith theCalgary Stampedersof theCanadian Football League.[4]In 1954, he returned to the NFL as a line coach for theGreen Bay Packers.[4]In four seasons there, he worked with future Hall of FamersForrest GreggandJim Ringo.[4]

On January 9, 1958, Rymkus accepted an assistant coaching position with the Rams. Rymkus had been mentioned as a possible candidate to replaceLisle Blackbournas the head coach of the Packers, but was passed over for the job in favor of fellow assistantRay McLean.[7]He worked underSid Gillmanwith the Rams for two seasons, and was seen as a potential head coach. The newAmerican Football League's (AFL)Los Angeles Chargersconsidered him for the top spot in 1959; Leahy, Rymkus's former Notre Dame coach, served as the team's general manager.[22]The Chargers selected Gillman instead, and Rymkus in January 1960 took the head coaching position of the AFL'sHouston Oilers.[23]Oilers ownerBud Adamssigned him to a three-year contract paying $15,500 per year ($159,638 in 2023 dollars).[4]

Rymkus hired a stable of assistant coaches includingWally Lemm,Walt Schlinkman,Fred Wallnerand former Browns teammate Speedie.[4]The team was led by quarterbackGeorge Blanda,running backBilly Cannonand wide receiverCharlie Hennigan.As the regular season progressed, Houston built up a 10–4 record, setting up a meeting with the Chargers in the AFL championship game.[24]The Oilers had lost to the Chargers in a November 13 game dubbed the "Sawdust Game" because sawdust was spread over the muddy and wet field in Los Angeles, but they entered the championship a six-and-a-half point favorite.[25]Before the game, Rymkus was named the AFL's coach of the year.[24]The Oilers went on to beat Gillman's Chargers 24–16 in the championship game on January 1, 1961.[26]To commemorate the victory, Rymkus ordered thousands of drinking glasses emblazoned with a picture of his face and gave them to friends.[27]

The celebratory mood continued into the next preseason, when Adams sent the team for two weeks of training camp inHawaii.[28]Rymkus was upset by the distractions caused by the decision. "We found it hard to think football around the palm trees", he said. "A preseason camp has to be hard, and you have to work hard. You can't do it in a place like Hawaii."[28]The team got off to a 1–3–1 start in 1961, and Adams fired him on October 14.[29]Adams said the decision was "based on the conclusion the material on hand has not been used to its fullest potential".[29]Wally Lemm was given the head coaching job, but the shake-up prompted Speedie to resign.[30]Under Lemm, the Oilers regrouped to win their second consecutive title.[31]

Rymkus left football after his firing and accepted a regional public relations position with the Los Angeles-basedGlobal Marine Exploration Company.[32]After more than three years out of the sport, he returned to coaching and the Oilers when former Redskins teammateHugh Taylorhired him as the team's offensive line coach.[33]Rymkus stayed with the team for the 1965 season, resigning in January 1966.[34]Despite his short tenure with the Oilers, Rymkus was popular in Houston; over 250 people attended a dinner in his honor following his resignation.[35]

Three weeks later, Rymkus and Baugh, who had worked with him on the Oilers' staff, were named assistant coaches for theDetroit Lions.[36]WhenHarry Gilmerwas fired as Lions' head coach after the1966 NFL season,however, Rymkus was once again out of work. He got a job as an assistant for theAkron Vulcansof theContinental Football Leagueand was appointed the team's head coach and general manager in 1967.[37]Rymkus stayed in the position until the team folded later that year due to financial difficulties; the team's owner, Frank Hurn, ran out of money and stopped paying the Vulcans' bills.[38][39]

Rymkus next took a steep pay cut to serve as head coach of Many High School inMany, Louisiana.[38]The job, in rural west-central Louisiana, paid him only $9,200 a year ($80,608 in 2023) to coach football, teach three history classes and run the school's summer recreation program. Rymkus was drawn by the tough conditions the players endured; many of his athletes missed practice to work on family farms. The team failed to win a game in 1968, but Rymkus stayed connected to professional football as a scout with theKansas City Chiefson weekends.[40]

In 1969, Rymkus left Many – he said he "couldn't afford it" – and began working as general manager of the Executive Health Club in Houston.[41]Later that year, he raised money to organize aWest Texas Rufneksteam in theContinental Football League.[42]After the Rufneks lost an exhibition game 31–0 to the visitingOmaha Mustangs,the board of directors of Professional Sports Inc. voted unanimously to remove him as head coach. Ted Dawson, who had been head coach and general manager of the Rufneks when the team was part of the Texas Football League in 1968, retook the position and completed the season in a tie with the Western Conference championSan Antonio Toros.[43]

In early 1970, Rymkus applied for a job as the Browns' offensive line coach but did not get the position.[44]Later that year, he returned to the NFL as an offensive line coach for theBaltimore ColtsunderDon McCafferty.[45]After just three regular-season games, however, he was replaced byGeorge Youngand transferred to the team's scouting department.[45]Rymkus received a championship ring that year when the Colts defeated theDallas CowboysinSuper Bowl V.[6]

During his coaching career, Rymkus was renowned for his strictness. While with the Oilers, he repeatedly threatened to whip his players.[27]He could also be melodramatic. He once repeated a speech Leahy gave at Notre Dame before a practice in a blizzard.[27]He told his players during a hot August in Houston to be "like the Great Northern Buffalo, whose coat is shaggy and whose muscles are strong. The Great Northern Buffalo sticks his head into the wind and braves the cold, not like the puny Southern Buffalo, who turns his back to the storm."[27]

Later life and death

[edit]

Rymkus worked in the late 1970s for theHouston Astrosin the group sales department.[46]He went on to take a number of jobs outside of football, including selling cars inHouston,where he spent his remaining years. In 1988, he was among 15 finalists for induction into thePro Football Hall of Famebut did not make the cut (among those finalists, Rymkus andLee Roy Jordanare the only ones who did not eventually become elected into the Hall)[47]He died of astrokein a Houstonhospiceon October 31, 1998.[3]He and his wife Betty had two children, twin boys named Pat and Mike.[6]

References

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  1. ^abPiascik 2007,p. 241.
  2. ^"Hall of Very Good".Archived fromthe originalon October 5, 2016.RetrievedJuly 14,2016.
  3. ^abcdefBreslin, Meg McSherry (November 3, 1998)."Lou Rymkus, 78, Former Oilers Coach".Chicago Tribune.Archived fromthe originalon March 4, 2016.RetrievedAugust 7,2012.
  4. ^abcdefghijklmnopqCarroll, Kevin."Lou Rymkus –" The Battler ""(PDF).Pro Football Researchers. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on December 18, 2010.RetrievedAugust 7,2012.
  5. ^abcdDenniston, Jack (November 13, 1942)."Introducing"(PDF).The Notre Dame Scholastic.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on October 3, 2015.RetrievedNovember 19,2012.
  6. ^abcdefgEddy, Bob (February 11, 2010)."Son Wears His Father's Championship Ring with Pride".The Herald of Randolph.Archived fromthe originalon March 3, 2016.RetrievedAugust 7,2012.
  7. ^ab"Rymkus Will Aid Gillman".Cleveland Plain Dealer.Associated Press. January 10, 1958. p. 29.
  8. ^Piascik 2007,p. 24.
  9. ^Piascik 2007,p. 25.
  10. ^Piascik 2007,pp. 24–25.
  11. ^Piascik 2007,p. 149.
  12. ^abPiascik 2007,p. 60.
  13. ^Piascik 2007,pp. 60–61.
  14. ^abPiascik 2007,p. 61.
  15. ^Piascik 2007,pp. 64, 66.
  16. ^Piascik 2007,pp. 81, 121, 146.
  17. ^Piascik 2007,pp. 82, 148.
  18. ^"The Big Brute".The Washington Post.August 26, 1948. p. 18.
  19. ^Piascik 2007,p. 181.
  20. ^Piascik 2007,p. 233.
  21. ^Sauerbrei, Harold (February 6, 1952). "Rymkus, Crimmins Back Together in Indiana".Cleveland Plain Dealer.p. 27.
  22. ^Heaton, Chuck (December 1, 1959). "Football Footnotes".Cleveland Plain Dealer.p. 30.
  23. ^"Rymkus Is Coach For AFL Entry".Cleveland Plain Dealer.Houston, Tex. Associated Press. January 3, 1960. p. C1.
  24. ^ab"Lou Rymkus Named 'Coach Of Year'".Beaver County Times.New York. United Press International. December 29, 1960. p. 14.RetrievedAugust 8,2012.
  25. ^"Houston Is Favored by 6 1/2 in Mud".Cleveland Plain Dealer.Houston, Tex. Associated Press. December 31, 1960. p. 21.
  26. ^"3d-Down Passing Wins for Oilers".Spokane Daily Chronicle.Houston. Associated Press. January 2, 1961. p. 34.Archivedfrom the original on March 12, 2016.RetrievedAugust 8,2012.
  27. ^abcdHerskowitz, Mickey (November 5, 1998)."Title with Oilers a small part of Rymkus' football glory".Houston Chronicle.Archived fromthe originalon May 26, 2024.RetrievedAugust 27,2012.
  28. ^abRathet, Mike (August 26, 1961)."Houston Perks Up In S.C."The Sumter Daily Item.Associated Press. p. 5.Archivedfrom the original on October 2, 2018.RetrievedAugust 8,2012.
  29. ^ab"Oilers Fire Lou Rymkus".The Palm Beach Post.Houston. Associated Press. October 15, 1961. p. 34.RetrievedAugust 8,2012.[permanent dead link]
  30. ^"Speedie Quits Oilers".The New York Times.Associated Press. October 18, 1961. Archived fromthe originalon March 13, 2016.RetrievedAugust 8,2012.
  31. ^"Lemm Credits Oilers' Victory To Material".Tri City Herald.Houston, Tex. Associated Press. December 26, 1961. p. 12.RetrievedAugust 8,2012.[permanent dead link]
  32. ^"Rymkus Gets Job".The Milwaukee Journal.Houston, Tex. Associated Press. November 1, 1961. p. 9.RetrievedAugust 8,2012.[permanent dead link]
  33. ^"Rymkus Added To Oiler Staff".Toledo Blade.Houston, Tex. Associated Press. December 27, 1964. p. F7.Archivedfrom the original on October 2, 2018.RetrievedAugust 8,2012.
  34. ^"2 Oiler Coaches Quit In Shakeup".St. Petersburg Times.Houston, Tex. Associated Press. January 8, 1966. p. 3C.Archivedfrom the original on October 2, 2018.RetrievedAugust 8,2012.
  35. ^"Useful Gift".New Castle News.Houston, Tex. United Press International. January 18, 1966. p. 16.RetrievedAugust 8,2012.
  36. ^"Baugh Joins Lions".Spartanburg Herald.Detroit. Associated Press. February 11, 1966. p. 13.RetrievedAugust 8,2012.
  37. ^"Vulcans Hire Rymkus As Manager, Coach".Toledo Blade.Akron, Ohio. Associated Press. August 22, 1967. p. 20.RetrievedAugust 8,2012.
  38. ^ab"Notes...off the cuff".Cleveland Plain Dealer.September 28, 1968. p. 50.
  39. ^"Akron Vulcans".Ohio History Central. July 1, 2005. Archived fromthe originalon September 27, 2012.RetrievedDecember 26,2012.
  40. ^Bledsoe, Terry (October 3, 1968)."Rymkus Writes".The Milwaukee Journal.p. 19.RetrievedAugust 8,2012.[permanent dead link]
  41. ^"Notes...off the cuff".Cleveland Plain Dealer.April 5, 1969. p. 4C.
  42. ^"Notes...off the cuff".Cleveland Plain Dealer.June 14, 1969. p. 2D.
  43. ^"Rufneks Fire Lou Rymkus".Odessa American.Midland. August 22, 1969. p. 19.RetrievedSeptember 14,2012.
  44. ^Heaton, Chuck (January 30, 1970). "Notes...off the cuff".Cleveland Plain Dealer.p. 1C.
  45. ^abHeaton, Chuck (October 6, 1970). "Extra Points".Cleveland Plain Dealer.p. 2D.
  46. ^"Notes off the Cuff".Cleveland Plain Dealer.August 6, 1977. p. 3C.
  47. ^"Ditka, Griese pass first step to Fame".Lakeland Ledger.Canton, Ohio. Associated Press. January 15, 1988. p. 5D.Archivedfrom the original on October 25, 2021.RetrievedAugust 8,2012.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Piascik, Andy (2007).The Best Show in Football: The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns.Lanham, Maryland: Taylor Trade Publishing.ISBN978-1-58979-571-6.
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