John Hlay (born May 21, 1930 in

Niles, Ohio Niles is a city in southern Trumbull County, Ohio, United States, situated at the confluence of the Mahoning River and Mosquito Creek. The city's population was 18,443 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan a ...

) is a former

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 ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

. He was a

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 ...

and

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

for the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

Buckeyes from 1950 to 1952.

Football career

High school

Hlay was an All-State football player at

Niles McKinley High School Niles McKinley High School is a four-year public high school in Niles, Ohio, United States. As of the 2017-2018 school year, the school had an enrollment of 748 students and 40.77 classroom teachers (on a FTE basis, for a student-teacher ratio of ...

. He was heavily recruited by colleges, and narrowly chose Ohio State over

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

after Ohio State

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Wes Fesler played on Hlay's state loyalties.

College

As a sophomore Hlay lettered as a backup fullback and linebacker on the 1950 Ohio State team. He suffered academic setbacks prior to his junior year, and incoming

Woody Hayes Wayne Woodrow Hayes (February 14, 1913 – March 12, 1987) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University (1946–1948), Miami University in Oxford, Ohio (1949–1950), and Ohio State University (1951 ...

benched him for the first three games of the 1951 season. When Hlay returned to the field in the fourth game of the season it was as a defensive replacement, playing exclusively as linebacker. Hlay returned to the offensive backfield in his senior year, in part due to the support of backfield coach Doyt Perry. As a senior Hlay led the Buckeyes in rushing, despite a backfield loaded with such talent as freshman

Howard "Hopalong" Cassady Howard Albert "Hopalong" Cassady (March 2, 1934 – September 20, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a halfback and split end. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1955, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame ...

, sophomore Bobby Watkins, and senior

Fred Bruney Frederick Karl Bruney (December 30, 1931 – January 22, 2016) was an American college football, college and NFL, professional American football defensive back. College career Bruney played Running back, halfback on both the offensive and defens ...

. Hlay's highest single-game rushing total was a 135-yard performance in a 21-14 loss to

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

on October 4, 1952.

Professional

Hlay was selected by the

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 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 ...

. He was drafted in the 16th round as the 187th overall selection (comparable to the sixth round in the modern 32-team draft). Hlay deferred reporting to Green Bay in 1953, but arrived the following year. The Green Bay staff had intended to play Hlay at linebacker, but filled that need in the 1954 draft with

Art Hunter Arthur Hunter (April 24, 1933 – December 25, 2009) was an American football tackle who played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL), mainly for the Los Angeles Rams. Notre Dame years At Notre Dame he played under head coach Fran ...

out of

Notre Dame University 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 campus ...

. Green Bay traded Hlay to the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

, but an ankle injury prevented him from joining the team.

After football

Hlay decided against trying out with the Giants in 1955. By that time he had become a

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspec ...

and bar-owner, and an

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 ...

career in that era would have meant a reduction in pay. Over his career, Hlay owned three different bars. He also worked in remodelling. His daughter Jill Hlay was a world-class swimmer, winning a

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...

in the 100 meter backstroke at the 1971

Pan Am Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

. Jill's son Matt Voelker is currently a

freestyle swimmer Freestyle is a category of swimming competition, defined by the rules of the International Swimming Federation (FINA), in which competitors are subject to a few limited restrictions on their swimming stroke. Freestyle races are the most common ...

on the Ohio State University swimming team.

External links

John Hlay profile from Niles McKinley High School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hlay, John 1930 births Living people People from Niles, Ohio Players of American football from Ohio American football linebackers American football running backs Niles McKinley High School alumni Ohio State Buckeyes football players Ohio State University alumni Drinking establishment owners