Johnny Olszewski (American football)
American football player (1929–1996)
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John Peter Olszewski (December 21, 1929 – December 8, 1996) was an American professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the first round (fourth overall) of the 1953 NFL draft and played in the league for the Chicago Cardinals, the Washington Redskins and the Detroit Lions.[1] He was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1953 and 1955 seasons.[2][3] Known as "Johnny O", he was among the first NFL players to wear the jersey number zero.
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Long Beach, California, U.S.
Olszewski c. 1959 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 33, 36, 0 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Fullback, halfback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | December 21, 1929 Washington, D.C., U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | December 8, 1996 (aged 66) Long Beach, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | St. Anthony (Long Beach) | ||||||||||||||
| College | California | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1953: 1st round, 4th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL/AFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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He concluded his career in the American Football League (AFL) with the Denver Broncos in 1962.
He played college football for the California Golden Bears, earning second-team All-American honors in 1952. He is still the No. 10 ground-gainer in school history with 2,504 yards.[citation needed]
He was inducted into the California Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993.[4]
He is buried at All Souls cemetery in Long Beach.
NFL/AFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1953 | CRD | 12 | 12 | 106 | 386 | 3.6 | 34 | 4 | 21 | 210 | 10.0 | 77 | 1 |
| 1954 | CRD | 11 | 11 | 106 | 352 | 3.3 | 23 | 1 | 12 | 133 | 11.1 | 25 | 1 |
| 1955 | CRD | 11 | 9 | 84 | 326 | 3.9 | 41 | 1 | 9 | 37 | 4.1 | 9 | 0 |
| 1956 | CRD | 11 | 11 | 157 | 598 | 3.8 | 34 | 2 | 17 | 182 | 10.7 | 31 | 0 |
| 1957 | CRD | 11 | 11 | 83 | 271 | 3.3 | 38 | 2 | 3 | 36 | 12.0 | 24 | 0 |
| 1958 | WAS | 10 | 9 | 98 | 505 | 5.2 | 45 | 2 | 11 | 102 | 9.3 | 36 | 0 |
| 1959 | WAS | 10 | 4 | 65 | 432 | 6.6 | 65 | 1 | 7 | 62 | 8.9 | 15 | 0 |
| 1960 | WAS | 11 | 2 | 75 | 227 | 3.0 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 62 | 6.2 | 31 | 0 |
| 1961 | DET | 14 | 2 | 30 | 109 | 3.6 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 14 | 0 |
| 1962 | DEN | 12 | 1 | 33 | 114 | 3.5 | 46 | 0 | 13 | 150 | 11.5 | 26 | 1 |
| Career | 113 | 72 | 837 | 3,320 | 4.0 | 65 | 16 | 104 | 988 | 9.5 | 77 | 3 | |
