George Poschner (January 15, 1919 – May 2, 2004) was an American football

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who played for the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

from 1939 to 1942. During his tenure with the Bulldogs, he participated in the

1942 Orange Bowl The 1942 Orange Bowl matched the Georgia Bulldogs and the TCU Horned Frogs. Game summary Frank Sinkwich was the highlight of the game in a Georgia beatdown of TCU. Sinkwich had three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown for a combined total ...

and the

1943 Rose Bowl The 1943 Rose Bowl game was the 29th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Friday, January 1. The second-ranked Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) defeated the #13 UC ...

Collegiate football career

Poschner was born in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, whi ...

, and came to the University of Georgia as a result of the efforts of his good friend,

Frank Sinkwich Frank Francis Sinkwich Sr. (October 10, 1920 – October 22, 1990) was an American football player and coach. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1942 playing for the University of Georgia, making him the first recipient from the Southeastern Conferen ...

. When Sinkwich was recruited by Georgia, he accepted the

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

on the condition that Poschner would be granted a scholarship as well. Poschner earned

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 ...

honors in 1942, and was selected in the eighth round of the

1943 NFL Draft The 1943 National Football League Draft was held on April 8, 1943, at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Detroit Lions selected running back Frank Sinkwich. This draft is the first NFL draf ...

by the Detroit Lions. The most celebrated event in Poschner's collegiate career came when he caught two fourth-quarter passes from Sinkwich in a 21–10 win over Alabama in 1942.

Military service

Poschner served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, where he received the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

and

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

. On January 8, 1945, Poschner participated as a lieutenant in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

. While advancing into enemy territory, he was severely injured by machine-gun fire and did not receive medical treatment until two days later. Poschner lost both legs and several fingers as a result of his injuries. A ''New York Times'' report on Poschner's injuries observed, "His brilliant pass receiving added much to the reputation of All-America Frank Sinkwich, also of Youngstown, as a forward passer". The news report added that "Poschner's mother advised Coach

Wally Butts James Wallace Butts Jr. (February 7, 1905 – December 17, 1973) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head coach at the University of Georgia from 1939 to 1960, compiling a record of 140– ...

of her son's case".

Legacy

Poschner was admired as much for his military valor and buoyant optimism as he was for his impressive achievements on the gridiron. In 1982, his former teammate, Frank Sinkwich, lauded him at a testimonial dinner held at Youngstown's

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n Home. "Knowing George has made me stronger all my life", Sinkwich said. In his letter nominating Poschner to the

Georgia Sports Hall of Fame The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame is located in Macon, Georgia. It is the largest state sports hall of fame in the United States at . Exhibitions The Hall of Fame houses over of exhibit space broken down into sections including Hall of Fame Induc ...

, Sinkwich wrote: "In my opinion, George Poschner is perhaps the greatest competitor of all time, both on and off the field. I have never known anyone with more courage on the football or the battlefield". Poschner was inducted into the

in 1982, and the Orange Bowl Hall of Honor in 1985.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poschner, George 1919 births 2004 deaths American football ends 176th Infantry Spirits football players Georgia Bulldogs football players United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Players of American football from Youngstown, Ohio American disabled sportspeople Sportspeople with limb difference

Collegiate football career

Military service

Legacy

See also

References