LaVern Dilweg
LaVern Dilweg | |||||||||
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWisconsin's8thdistrict | |||||||||
| In office January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945 | |||||||||
| Preceded by | Joshua L. Johns | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | John W. Byrnes | ||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||
| Born | November 1, 1903 Milwaukee, Wisconsin,U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | January 2, 1968(aged 64) St. Petersburg, Florida,U.S. | ||||||||
| Political party | Democratic | ||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||
| Children | 3, includingGary | ||||||||
| Relatives | Anthony Dilweg(grandson) | ||||||||
| Alma mater | Marquette University Marquette University Law School | ||||||||
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American football career | |||||||||
| No. 70 | |||||||||
| Position: | End | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Washington (WI) | ||||||||
| College: | Marquette | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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LaVern Ralph "Lavvie" Dilweg(November 1, 1903 – January 2, 1968) was an American professionalfootballplayer,attorney,andU.S. CongressmanfromWisconsin.[1][2][3][4]
Football
[edit]Born and raised inMilwaukee,Dilweg attended its public schools and graduated fromWashington High School.He enrolled atMarquette Universityin Milwaukee and playedcollege footballfor theGolden Avalancheunder head coachFrank Murray.A three-sport college athlete, he playedcenteron thebasketballteam and was ashot putteron thetrackteam.[5]Dilweg was anAll-Americanend,and played in the firstEast–West Shrine GameinSan Franciscoin late 1925.[6][7]The Golden Avalanche had a record of 28–4–1 during Dilweg's four years.[8]
After two undergraduate years at Marquette, Dilweg had enrolled in theMU law school,and was admitted to the Wisconsin Bar in 1927.[9]While in law school in1926,he played professionally for theMilwaukee Badgers,anNFLteam in its fifth year that folded before the end of the season.[10]While practicing law inGreen Bay,he continued to play pro football, he signed with theGreen Bay Packersin August1927[11]and played through the1934season, with football in the morning and afternoons at the law office.[10]Dilweg was recognized as one of the best ends in the NFL during the late 1920s and early 1930s and the Packers won three consecutiveNFL championshipsin1929,1930,and1931.Dilweg was afootball officialin theBig Ten Conferenceuntil his move toWashington, D.C.in early 1943.[12]
Dilweg played in 107 games (out of a possible total of 113) while starting 72 of them. Records are incomplete, but they show Dilweg having 12 touchdowns with 23 receptions on 443 yards. Considered the best all-around end in pro football prior toDon Hutson,Dilweg was named to the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team, and is only one of two players on the list not in thePro Football Hall of Fame.He was named consensus All-Pro for five consecutive years, with four of those years being unanimous All-Pro. In 2005, he was named to theProfessional Football Researchers AssociationHall of Very Good in the association's second HOVG class[13]and his candidacy for induction into the Professional Football Hall of Fame is one of four candidacies that the PFRA officially supports. In 1970, he was inducted into theGreen Bay Packers Hall of Fame.[14]
Political career
[edit]DuringWorld War II,Dilweg was elected toCongressin1942as aDemocratfrom the8th district.He announced hiscandidacyin late July, less than four months before the election,[12]and defeated incumbentJoshua Johns.He served in the78th United States Congress(January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945), but was not re-elected in1944,defeated byJohn Byrnes,who went on to serve 28 years in the seat. Dilweg resumed the practice of law in Green Bay and Washington, and was confirmed as a member of theForeign Claims Settlement Commissionin 1961, appointed by PresidentKennedy.
Death
[edit]Ill for several months after surgery, Dilweg was on vacation with his wife inFloridain early 1968 when he died inSt. Petersburg,where they had been visiting friends.[3][4][15]His death came just two days after the famousIce Bowlgame at Green Bay on New Year's Eve. Dilweg is interred at the Fort Howard Cemetery in Green Bay.
Personal
[edit]Dilweg's wife,Eleanor Coleman Dilweg(1906–1978) was anOlympicswimmer from Milwaukee and a former world record holder.[16][17]They met at Marquette, married in 1927, and had three sons.[4]SonGary(b. 1937) graduated from theU.S. Naval Academyand served in theU.S. Marines,and later in theWisconsin legislatureas aRepublicanfrom Green Bay.[18][19][20]
GrandsonAnthony Dilwegwas an NFL quarterback from 1989 to 1991, with the Packers andLos Angeles Raiders.He played college football atDukeunder head coachSteve Spurrier.
Dilweg was an initiatedFreemason,Knight TemplarandShriner.[21]
References
[edit]- ^"Biographical Sketch of LaVern Dilweg"(PDF).Wisconsin Blue Book. 1944. p. 23.
- ^"Football star, Dilweg, dies".Milwaukee Journal.January 2, 1968. p. 17, part 2.
- ^ab"Dilweg, ex-Pack, MU great, dies".Milwaukee Sentinel.UPI. January 3, 1968. p. 1, part 2.
- ^abc"Dilweg had two careers; was successful in both".Milwaukee Journal.January 3, 1968. p. 16, part 2.
- ^"LaVerne Dilweg".Marquette University Athletics. Hall of Fame. 2011. Archived fromthe originalon November 25, 2010.RetrievedMarch 22,2014.
- ^Runyon, Damon (December 26, 1925)."All-star elevens get big grid test on coast today".Milwaukee Sentinel.Universal Service.p. 10.
- ^Runyon, Damon (December 28, 1925)."Runyon heaps praise on play of Lavvie Dilweg".Milwaukee Sentinel.Universal Service.p. 9.
- ^"Marquette".College Football Data Warehouse. yearly totals. Archived fromthe originalon March 21, 2014.RetrievedMarch 23,2014.
- ^Hylton, J. Gordon (November 2009)."Lavvie Dilweg ('27): MU Law's Contribution to the NFL (and to Congress)".Marquette University Law School. faculty blog.RetrievedMarch 22,2014.
- ^abBledsoe, Terry (October 7, 1965)."Halas helped make Dilweg a Packer".Milwaukee Sentinel.Packers of the past. p. 21, part 2.
- ^"Dilweg signs with Packers".Milwaukee Sentinel.August 21, 1927. p. 3, section 3.
- ^ab"Dilweg enters Congress race".Milwaukee Journal.July 20, 1942. p. 6, part 2.
- ^"Hall of Very Good".Archived fromthe originalon October 5, 2016.RetrievedJuly 14,2016.
- ^Christl, Cliff."Lavvie Dilweg".Packers.Archivedfrom the original on October 3, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 20,2023.
- ^"Ex-Packer great 'Lavvie' Dilweg dies here at 64".St. Petersburg Times.January 3, 1968. p. 3C.
- ^Dilweg, Eleanor C. (May 1, 1933)."Swimming is unequaled for benefits to health, beauty, and poise".Milwaukee Journal.p. 2, part 2.
- ^"Dilweg dies; ex-Olympian".Milwaukee Journal.October 3, 1978. p. 8, part 2.
- ^"Dilweg to seek Proxmire seat".Milwaukee Sentinel.May 1, 1976. p. 6, part 1.
- ^Shiveley, Neil H. (February 13, 1980)."Legislators charge Green Bay paper factor in death".Milwaukee Sentinel.p. 1, part 1.
- ^"Gary T. Dilweg".Wisconsin Historical Society. Dictionary of Wisconsin History.RetrievedMarch 22,2014.
- ^"10,000 Famous Freemasons By William R. Denslow - Volume 1" A-D "".phoenixmasonry.org.RetrievedMarch 12,2023.
External links
[edit]- United States Congress."LaVern Dilweg (id: D000349)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Career statistics and player information fromNFL·Pro Football Reference
- LaVern DilwegatFind a Grave
- Marquette University, Raynor Memorial Libraries– digital archives – LaVern Dilweg
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
- 1903 births
- 1968 deaths
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 20th-century American legislators
- American athlete-politicians
- American football ends
- American Freemasons
- Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin
- College football officials
- Green Bay Packers players
- Lawyers from Washington, D.C.
- Milwaukee Badgers players
- Marquette Golden Avalanche football players
- Marquette University Law School alumni
- Wisconsin lawyers
- Players of American football from Milwaukee
- Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame