George Ralph Mrkonic (December 17, 1929 – May 23, 2011) 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 ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

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) for the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

. He also played in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL) for the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

College career

Mrkonic 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 ...

at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

from 1950 to 1952. During that period, the Jayhawks had a 21-9 record. They finished 8-2 in 1951, the year he was selected as an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n. Mrkonic was selected on the all-conference team in 1950 and 1951. He was also the punter for the Jayhawks, and led Kansas in punting stats in 1951.

Professional career

Mrkonic was drafted in the fourth round (45th overall) in the

1953 NFL Draft The 1953 National Football League Draft was held on January 22, 1953, at Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. Selections made by the folded Dallas Texans were assigned to the new Baltimore Colts. This was the seventh year that the first ove ...

by the

and played ten games with them that season. In 1956, he tried the

, playing only one game with the

. He later retired and moved to Shawnee Mission Kansas, where he lived with his wife Ruth. He had six grandchildren.

Death

Mrkonic died in Kansas City, Kansas, the week of May 22, 2011 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

References

1929 births American football offensive tackles Sportspeople from McKeesport, Pennsylvania BC Lions players Philadelphia Eagles players Kansas Jayhawks football players American people of Serbian descent 2011 deaths Players of American football from Pennsylvania {{Canadianfootball-offensive-lineman-stub