Frank Grigonis

Frank John Grigonis (October 10, 1916 – September 2, 2003) was an American football fullback.

Frank Grigonis
Position:Fullback
Personal information
Born:(1916-10-10)October 10, 1916
Calumet City, Illinois
Died:September 2, 2003(2003-09-02) (aged 86)
Atlanta, GA
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
College:Chattanooga
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:131
Yards per carry:3.5
Rushing touchdowns:1

Grigonis played college football for the Chattanooga Moccasins from 1939 to 1941. He was captain of the 1941 Chattanooga Moccasins football team,[1] led the team with 73 points in 1941,[2] and was selected as a first-team back on the 1941 All-Dixie Conference football team.[3]

In 1942, he signed with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League.[2] He appeared in 10 games for the 1942 Lions, rushed for 131 yards, scored one touchdown, and intercepted one pass.[4]

Grigonis served in the United States Army during World War II. On October 14, 1945, Grigonis starred in an Army football game attended by Dwight Eisenhower and 20,000 soldiers in Frankfurt, Germany. Grigonis reportedly put on "a one-man show", scoring a touchdown and kicking a field goal on Eisenhower's 55th birthday.[5]

After his discharge from the Army, Grigonis played professional football in 1946 for the Portsmouth Pirates of the Dixie League.[6]

Grigonis and his wife, Dorothea ("Dot"),[7] had two daughters: Janet and Susan. Grigonis died in 2003 in Atlanta. He was buried at the Chattanooga National Cemetery.[8]

References
  1. "University of Chattanooga Media Guide". University of Chattanooga. 2019. p. 156.
  2. "Lions Sign 4 Freshmen Ball Carriers". Detroit Free Press. July 26, 1942. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Chattanooga Places Five on All-Dixie". The Nashville Tennessean. December 15, 1941. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Frank Grigonis". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  5. "General Ike Sees Football Game And Gets Kiss From WAC". The Times Herald. October 15, 1945. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Clippers Edge Portsmouth, 9-7". Rocky Mount Telegram. October 7, 1946. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Death Notice". The Atlanta Constitution. December 25, 1941. p. C13 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Death Notice". The Atlanta Constitution. September 4, 2003. p. C6 – via Newspapers.com.
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