Bob Skoronski
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Bob Skoronski (born Robert Francis Skowronski; March 5, 1934 – October 30, 2018) was an
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
player who played tackle in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
for the Green Bay Packers for 11 seasons.


Early years

Born in
Ansonia, Connecticut Ansonia is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. Located on the Naugatuck River, it is immediately north of Derby, and about northwest of New Haven. The population was 18,918 at the time of the 2020 census. The ZIP code for ...
, Skoronski grew up in
Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
with three brothers and a sister. He went to high school at Fairfield College Preparatory School, graduating in 1951. He then attended Admiral Billard Academy in
New London New London may refer to: Places United States *New London, Alabama *New London, Connecticut *New London, Indiana *New London, Iowa *New London, Maryland *New London, Minnesota *New London, Missouri *New London, New Hampshire, a New England town ** ...
for a year. He played college football at
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...
in Bloomington. As a senior in 1955, he was the Hoosiers' most valuable player and averaged 50 minutes per game.


Playing career

Skoronski was selected in the fifth round of the 1956 NFL draft, 56th overall, by the Green Bay Packers. He started at left tackle in his rookie season in
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, ar ...
under third-year head coach
Lisle Blackbourn Lisle William "Liz" Blackbourn (June 3, 1899 – June 14, 1983) was an American football coach in Wisconsin, most notably as the third head coach of the Green Bay Packers, from 1954 through 1957, and the final head coach at Marquette Universit ...
, and then served two years in the
U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
. Skoronski returned to the team in
1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
, the first season under head coach
Vince Lombardi Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be the greatest coach in football history, and he is recognized a ...
. Skoronski was the offensive left tackle and offensive captain on Lombardi's five NFL championship teams. He played in the
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
following the 1966 season (and the first Super Bowl). Following his 11th season in the NFL, Skoronski retired in June 1969, and was elected to the Packers Hall of Fame in 1976. In 2017, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Skoronski to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2017.


Personal life

Skoronski met his wife Ruth in college and they married in 1956. They had four children, three boys and a girl (Bob, Steve, Ron and Patti), and four grandchildren. He died of Alzheimer's disease on October 30, 2018, in
Middleton, Wisconsin Middleton is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States, and a suburb of the state capital, Madison. Middleton's motto is "The Good Neighbor City." The population was 21,827 at the 2020 census. In 2007, Middleton was chosen as the best pl ...
. A grandson, Peter Skoronski, played offensive tackle at
Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...
and is expected to be chosen in the first round of the
2023 NFL Draft The 2023 NFL Draft will be the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft is scheduled to be held in the plaza outside of Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 27–29, ...
.


References


External links

*
National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame
– Bob Skoronski {{DEFAULTSORT:Skoronski, Bob 1934 births 2018 deaths American football offensive linemen Indiana Hoosiers football players Green Bay Packers players People from Ansonia, Connecticut Western Conference Pro Bowl players Players of American football from Connecticut American people of Polish descent Fairfield College Preparatory School alumni