George Joseph Melinkovich (July 5, 1911 – May 27, 1994) 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 and coach. He was an All-American

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

in 1932 and the head football coach at

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...

from 1949 to 1950. Melinkovich played high school football in

Tooele, Utah Tooele ( ) is a city in Tooele County in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 35,742 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Tooele County. Located approximately 30 minutes southwest of Salt Lake City, Tooele is known for Tooele Army ...

, and then 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 the

Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 23 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...

in 1931, 1932, and 1934. He was selected by ''

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

'' magazine and

Parke H. Davis Parke Hill Davis (July 15, 1871 – June 5, 1934)"PARKE H. DAVIS BURIED.; Many Prominent Men at Funeral of Football Authority", special to ''The New York Times'', June 9, 1934 was an American football player, coach, and historian. Shortly befo ...

as a first-team fullback on the

1932 College Football All-America Team The 1932 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1932. The eight selectors recognized by the ...

. (''Liberty'' magazine selection) Melinkovich served as a high school football coach in New Jersey for several years, and he then served as the head coach for the

Utah State Aggies football The Utah State Aggies are a college football team that competes in the Mountain West Conference (MWC) of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of NCAA Division I, representing Utah State University. The Utah State college football program began in ...

team in 1949 and 1950, compiling a record of 5–16 at Utah State. He also coached football at

Judge Memorial Catholic High School Judge Memorial Catholic High School is a private Catholic high school located in Salt Lake City, Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It is one of three high schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City serving students in grades ...

in Salt Lake City and later moved to California and worked as a teacher in Los Angeles for 20 years. He was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. He died in 1994 at age 82 in Los Angeles.Death record for George Joseph Melinkovich, born 5 Jul 1911 in Utah, died 27 May 1994 in Los Angeles. Ancestry.com. California, Death Index, 1940-1997 atabase on-line

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melinkovich, George 1911 births 1994 deaths American football fullbacks American football halfbacks Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Utah State Aggies football coaches High school football coaches in New Jersey High school football coaches in Utah People from Tooele, Utah Players of American football from Utah