Enrique Edward Ecker (January 21, 1923 – January 4, 1990), most commonly known as Ed Ecker, 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 with ...

player who was a 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 ...

(NFL) and

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...

(AAFC) for seven seasons during the late 1940s and early 1950s. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for John Carroll University, and signed with the NFL's

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

in 1946 and played parts of four seasons. He also played for the AAFC's

Chicago Rockets The Chicago Rockets were an American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946 to 1949. During the 1949 season, the team was known as the Chicago Hornets. Unlike the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, an ...

in 1948, and the NFL's

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

in 1950 and 1951. He finished his career with the NFL's

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

in 1952. In his seven-season pro career, he played in 60 regular season games. He was the largest player in the NFL during that time. As was typical of his era of football, he played on both offense and defense.

Acting career

Because of his size and imposing presence, Ecker also acted. For instance, he played an arsonist in the Peter Gunn TV series (season 1, episode 12, aired December 8, 1958, titled "The Torch").

References

External links

* 1923 births 1990 deaths American football offensive tackles Chicago Bears players Chicago Rockets players Green Bay Packers players Saint Ignatius High School (Cleveland) alumni Washington Redskins players John Carroll Blue Streaks football players Players of American football from Cleveland {{offensive-lineman-1920s-stub