James Grabowski (born September 9, 1944) is a former American football player and broadcaster. He played college football at the University of Illinois and professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. He was an analyst on Illinois football radio broadcasts for nearly 30 years, retiring after the 2006 season.
No. 33 | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Halfback | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | (1944-09-09) September 9, 1944 (age 78) Chicago, Illinois | ||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | Chicago Taft (Chicago, IL) | ||||||||||
College: | Illinois | ||||||||||
NFL Draft: | 1966 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9 | ||||||||||
AFL Draft: | 1966 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||||
Grabowski entered the University of Illinois in 1962, out of Taft High School in Chicago. At Illinois, Grabowski was a star running back, and was named Associated Press All-American in both 1964 and 1965. As a sophomore in 1963, Grabowski was named Most Valuable Player of the Rose Bowl, after leading the Fighting Illini to a 17–7 comeback victory over the Washington Huskies.[1] Grabowski received many awards and recognitions after his senior season in 1965, including finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting, being named The Sporting News co-player of the year and Back of the Year by the Washington Touchdown Club, and receiving the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten Conference Most Valuable Player. He finished as the all-time leader in rushing yards in Big Ten history. Grabowski was also an outstanding student at the University of Illinois, having been named GTE Academic All-American in 1964 and 1965, and graduated with a degree in finance in 1966.
Grabowski is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, inducted in 1995. He was also inducted into the GTE Academic All-American Hall of Fame and the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. Additionally, Grabowski was named to the University of Illinois "All-Century" team, and is a member of the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.
After graduation, Grabowski was selected in the first round of the 1966 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers, with the ninth overall selection. (Grabowski was also taken as the first overall pick in the AFL draft, by the expansion Miami Dolphins.)[3] Grabowski played five seasons for the Packers, and was known as one of Green Bay's "Gold Dust Twins" (along with fellow rookie running back Donny Anderson) in the late Sixties.[4][5]
After he gained the starting position in 1967, a series of injuries hampered his career. He was the Packers leading rusher in 1967 with 466 yards, while also catching 12 passes for 171, but a late-season injury forced him to miss the postseason, including their win in Super Bowl II. With a new head coach in 1971, Grabowski was waived by Green Bay in August,[6][7] picked up by the Chicago Bears for the season, and retired in training camp in September 1972.[8] Over his six seasons in the NFL, Grabowski rushed for 1,731 yards and scored 12 touchdowns, 8 rushing, 3 receiving, and one after a fumble by Mel Renfro which he retuned for an 18-yard score in the 1966 NFL title game versus the Dallas Cowboys.
Green Bay Packers 1966 NFL Draft selections | |
---|---|
|
Green Bay Packers Super Bowl I champions | |
---|---|
| |
| |
|
Green Bay Packers Super Bowl II champions | |
---|---|
| |
| |
|
1965 College Football All-America Team consensus selections | |
---|---|
Offense |
|
Defense |
|
Sporting News College Football Player of the Year winners | |
---|---|
|
Chicago Tribune Silver Football | |
---|---|
|
Miami Dolphins first-round draft picks | |
---|---|
|
Miami Dolphins 1966 AFL draft selections | |
---|---|
|
American Football League first overall draft picks | |
---|---|
|
1966 NFL Draft first-round selections | |
---|---|
Green Bay Packers first-round draft picks | |
---|---|
|