Carl Karilivacz
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Glen Cove, New York, U.S.
Glen Cove, New York, U.S.
| No. 20, 21, 31 | |||||||||
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| Positions | Defensive back, halfback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | November 20, 1930 Glen Cove, New York, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | August 30, 1969 (aged 38) Glen Cove, New York, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 188 lb (85 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Glen Cove | ||||||||
| College | Syracuse | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1953: 23rd round, 277th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Carl Karilivacz (November 20, 1930 – August 30, 1969) was an American professional football player who was a defensive back for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Detroit Lions, the New York Giants, and the Los Angeles Rams. He played college football at Syracuse.[1][2]
Detroit Lions
Karilivacz was drafted in the 23rd round of the 1953 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions to play wide receiver. He was switched to defense during training camp.[3]
Over five seasons with the Lions, he played in 58 games with 52 starts, including three championship games in 1953, 1954, and 1957. While the 1954 championship game ended in a loss, the other two resulted in the Lions, and Karilivacz, being crowned NFL champions.[1]
New York Giants
Tom Landry, the player-coach of the New York Giants, had been looking for a player to play right cornerback[3] and made a trade for Karilivacz on September 15, 1958, exchanging him for a 1959 fourth-round pick. The Lions later used this pick to select Bob Grottkau 46th overall.[4]
Karilivacz played twelve games in his singular season with the Giants, scoring one touchdown on a 23-yard fumble return.[1]
Los Angeles Rams
After the Giants acquired cornerback Dick Lynch, Karilivacz signed with the Los Angeles Rams.[3] Over two seasons with the Rams, he played in 15 games with 7 starts.[1]
Pittsburgh Steelers
Karilivacz spent a brief amount of time in the 1961 offseason with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was released by the Steelers on September 12.[4]