Mitchell Olenski

Mitchell "Mitch" Olenski (January 13, 1920 – June 13, 2000) was an American football player and coach. Olenski played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, while serving in the Army at Fort Warren and then professionally with the Miami Seahawks and Detroit Lions. He also served as a coach for the Alabama Informals football team in their lone 1943 season and at Fort Warren in 1944 and 1945.

Mitchell Olenski
No. 60, 82
Position:Tackle
Personal information
Born:(1920-01-13)January 13, 1920
Benton, Illinois
Died:June 13, 2000(2000-06-13) (aged 80)
Vestal, New York
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
College:Alabama
NFL Draft:1944 / Round: 9 / Pick: 78
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

University of Alabama

Olenski played his first season with the Crimson Tide as a member of their freshmen team for the 1940 season.[1] He then started at tackle for Alabama in both the 1941 and 1942 seasons.[2][3]

After the University canceled the 1943 season, Olenski served as a coach for the Alabama Informals.[4][5] The squad was composed of 17-year-old and draft deferred students and after a loss to Howard, the Informals defeated Marion Military Institute twice and finished the season with an overall record of two wins and one loss.[5][6]

Professional career

Olenski was taken in the ninth round as the 78th overall pick in the 1944 NFL Draft by the Brooklyn Tigers.[7] He never played a game with the Tigers, and instead enlisted in United States Army.[8] Olenski was stationed at Fort Warren in Cheyenne, Wyoming where he also played defensive tackle and served as an assistant coach for the base team, the Fort Warren Broncos.[9] For his performance on the field in 1944, Olenski was named to the 1944 All-Rocky Mountain Team.[10]

On September 9, 1945, he was signed by the Miami Seahawks of the All-America Football Conference for their 1946 season for whom he would play after he finished the 1945 season at Fort Warren.[8][10] With the Seahawks, Olenski played for one of his former coaches at Alabama, Hank Crisp, and was a starter at the tackle position for the duration of the season.[11][12] After his first season in Miami, Olenski was signed by the Baltimore Colts in July 1947, but was subsequently cut on August 26.[8][13] He was then signed by the Detroit Lions where he played tackle for their 1947 season.[14]

References
  1. "Tide-Howard frosh stage grid preview here Friday". The Tuscaloosa News. Google News Archives. September 19, 1940. p. 6. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  2. "Middle of Tide line weak". The Tuscaloosa News. Google News Archives. September 22, 1941. p. 7. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  3. "Scrimmage set for Tide today". The Tuscaloosa News. Google News Archives. November 25, 1942. p. 7. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  4. "Intercollegiate football abandoned at University". The Tuscaloosa News. Google News. August 23, 1943. p. 1. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  5. "Howard to play Alabama Informals in chest game". The Tuscaloosa News. Google News. October 29, 1943. p. 1. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  6. "Informals rally to trip Cadets". The Tuscaloosa News. Google News Archives. November 21, 1943. p. 10. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  7. "NFL Draft History: 1944". NFL.com. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  8. "Miami pros sign Olenski". The Miami News. Google News. September 7, 1946. p. 7B. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  9. "Flyers due here tonight; Advance ticket sales heavy". The Spokesman-Review. Google News. September 5, 1945. p. 9. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  10. "Olenski is signed by Miami outfit". The Spokesman-Review. Google News. September 10, 1945. p. 7. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  11. "Crisp to join Seahawk staff". The Tuscaloosa News. Google News. June 30, 1946. p. 6. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  12. "Colts sign six more gridders". Gettysburg Times. Google News. July 16, 1947. p. 3. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  13. "Colts waive 10 pro gridders". The Spokesman-Review. Google News. August 27, 1947. p. 12. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  14. "Detroit Lions: All-time roster". DetroitLions.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
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