George Zorich (November 24, 1918 – October 14, 1967), 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 ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

. Zorich was born in 1918 at

Wakefield, Michigan Wakefield is a city in Gogebic County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,851 at the 2010 census. Wakefield is located in the western Upper Peninsula about east of the Wisconsin border. The city is mostly surrounded by Wakefi ...

, located in the iron region of Michigan's

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by t ...

. He attended Wakefield High School, graduating in 1937. He played college football at the guard position for Northwestern from 1939 to 1941. He graduated from Northwestern in February 1941 with a degree in history and education. He joined the Army in 1942 after the United States' entry into

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 opposin ...

. He served in the Coast Artillery and attained the rank of second lieutenant. He played professional football 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

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 ...

from 1944 to 1945 and in the

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 ...

for the

Miami Seahawks The Miami Seahawks were a professional American football team based in Miami, Florida. They played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in the league's inaugural season, 1946, before the team was relocated to Baltimore. They are notable ...

in 1946 and the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...

in 1947. He appeared in 35 professional football games, 17 of them as a starter. After retiring from football, Zorich worked as an insurance broker in

Rensselaer, Indiana Rensselaer is a city located along the Iroquois River in Marion Township, Jasper County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,859 at the 2010 census, up from 5,294 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jasper County. Saint ...

. He died in 1967 in Rensselaer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zorich, George 1918 births 1967 deaths American football guards Chicago Bears players Miami Seahawks players Baltimore Colts players Northwestern Wildcats football players Players of American football from Michigan People from Gogebic County, Michigan Baltimore Colts (1947–1950) players