Joe Kopcha
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Position:Guard
Born:December 23, 1905
Whiting, Indiana, U.S.
Whiting, Indiana, U.S.
Died:July 29, 1986 (aged 80)
Hobart, Indiana, U.S.
Hobart, Indiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
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| Position: | Guard | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | December 23, 1905 Whiting, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | July 29, 1986 (aged 80) Hobart, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 221 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Whiting (IN) | ||||||||
| College: | Chattanooga | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Joseph Edwards Kopcha (December 23, 1905 – July 29, 1986) was an American professional football player who was a guard for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Chicago Bears.
Kopcha attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he studied to become an obstetrician,[1] and played professional football in order to fund his university studies.[2] Kopcha played for the Detroit Lions when he obtained an internship at Harper Hospital, after previously studying at the Rush Medical College when playing for the Bears.[3] Kopcha used his knowledge to redesign the shoulder pads worn by players, with his basic designs still in use today.[4]