James Matthew Dombrowski (born October 19, 1963) is a former American college and professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, Kick (football), kicking a Football (ball), ball to score a Goal (sport), goal. Unqualified, Football (word), the word ''football'' normally means the form of football tha ...

player who was a guard and

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 i ...

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 ma ...

(NFL) for eleven seasons. Dombrowski 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 o ...

for the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

, and earned All-American honors. A first-round pick in the

1986 NFL Draft The 1986 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1986, at the Marriott ...

, he played his entire 11-year pro career for the NFL's

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

. He was elected to the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vot ...

in 2008 and the

Virginia Sports Hall of Fame The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes, coaches, administrators, journalists and other contributors to athletics. Many of the more than 350 inductees since 1972 were born in Virginia or enjoyed success in college, professional, amateur or ...

in 2010.

Early years

Dombrowski was born in

Williamsville, New York Williamsville is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 5,423 at the 2020 census. The village is named after Jonas Williams, an early settler. It is part of the Buffalo– Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical ...

.National Football League, Historical Players
Jim Dombrowski
Retrieved March 19, 2012. He graduated from Williamsville South High School,database Football.com, Players
Jim Dombrowski
. Retrieved March 19, 2012. and played for the Williamsville South Billies

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...

team.

College career

Dombrowski accepted an

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the United St ...

to attend the University of Virginia, where he played for coach George Welsh's

Virginia Cavaliers football The Virginia Cavaliers football team represents the University of Virginia in the sport of American football. Established in 1888, Virginia plays its home games at Scott Stadium, capacity 61,500, featured directly on its campus near the Academ ...

team from 1982 to 1985. He won numerous accolades as one of the finest student-athletes in the history of UVa athletics, including being recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American as a senior in 1985. He was also a two-time first-team All-

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

(ACC) selection in 1984 and 1985, the recipient of the ACC's

Jacobs Blocking Trophy The Jacobs Blocking Trophy is the name of several similar annual college football awards bestowed by a conference upon their best blocker. The awards are named in honor of William P. Jacobs, founder and president of Presbyterian College from 1935 ...

in 1984 and 1985 as the conference's best offensive lineman, and a first-team Academic All-Conference honoree in 1985. After graduation, he was later honored as a recipient of the NCAA's Today's Top Six Award for his combined athletic ability, academic achievement, leadership characteristics and campus involvement. Dombrowski's No. 73 jersey has been retired by the university.

Professional career

The New Orleans Saints chose Dombrowski in the first round, sixth pick overall, of the

,Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History
1986 National Football League Draft
Retrieved March 19, 2012. and he played for the Saints from to . After seeing action in only three games as a rookie in 1986, he became a consistent starter for the Saints in his second NFL season in .Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players

Retrieved March 19, 2012. Dombrowski played left tackle until the middle of the season, and then played left guard until his retirement in . He ultimately played his entire professional career with the Saints and was named to the franchise's 30th and 35th anniversary teams. During his 11 NFL seasons, he played in 151 regular season games and started 137 of them.

Life after football

Dombrowski earned his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in education in 1991. He resides in Mandeville, Louisiana and works as a certified financial planner for Benjamin F. Edwards. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008, and the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2013, he was elected into the

National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame The National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame and Museum was founded in 1973. The mission of the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame is to recognize and preserve outstanding achievement by individuals of Polish heritage in the field of ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dombrowski, Jim 1963 births Living people All-American college football players American football offensive linemen College Football Hall of Fame inductees New Orleans Saints players People from Williamsville, New York Virginia Cavaliers football players People from Mandeville, Louisiana Ed Block Courage Award recipients