Theodore George Karras Sr. (January 31, 1934 – January 26, 2016) was a

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) player. He played for nine seasons with four teams, winning a championship with 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 ...

in 1963 as a guard. Karras 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 ...

for

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

. His son,

Ted Karras Jr. Theodore George Karras Jr. (born December 10, 1964) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for Marian University in Indianapolis, a position he first held from the program's inception in 2007 th ...

, played college football for

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

and in the NFL for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

in 1987 and is currently the head football coach at

Walsh University Walsh University is a private Roman Catholic university in North Canton, Ohio. It enrolls approximately 2,700 students and was founded in 1960 by the Brothers of Christian Instruction as a liberal arts college. Walsh College became Walsh Univers ...

. His brothers,

Lou Karras Louis George Karras (September 19, 1927 – September 20, 2018) was an American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins, until an eye injury prematurely ended his career. He played college foot ...

and

Alex Karras Alexander George Karras (July 15, 1935 – October 10, 2012) was an American football player, professional wrestler, sportscaster, and actor. He was a four-time Pro Bowl player with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), ...

, also played in the NFL. His grandson, Ted Karras III, played college football at the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Universit ...

, played for the New England Patriots winning two Super Bowls and now plays for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

References

1934 births 2016 deaths American football defensive tackles Indiana Hoosiers football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Chicago Bears players Detroit Lions players Los Angeles Rams players Players of American football from Gary, Indiana American people of Greek descent Karras football family {{defensive-lineman-1930s-stub