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Albert Charles Blozis was born on Jan 5, 1919 in Garfield, New Jersey, into a humble family of Lithuanian ancestry.
Since he was little, he developed an impressive athletic and physical condition, which allowed him to shine in any sport he wanted. Football, swimming, track, basketball… he was good at everything.
It was at L. Dickinson High School in Jersey that his results of it began to attract attention. Especially in the shot put. A sport that he agreed to by chance. During a training session on the track, he was nearly hit by a wrong throw. In anger, he grabbed the weight and returned it to the pitcher, in such an impressive manner that the coach was stunned. He immediately offered her to join the team.
Already at Georgetown University, he won the NCAA shot put title, both indoors and outdoors, for three consecutive years, between 1940 and 1942. In total, Blozis won 23 of the 26 championships. in which he participated His best mark of him was 17.61 meters.
However, despite his undoubtedly great future as an athlete, what Blozis really liked was American football.
In fact, during those years when he projected himself as a great shot putter, he also competed with the university soccer team. In 1940 he led the Georgetown Hoyas to an incredible 20-6-1 record, qualifying them for the Orange Bowl. In that same year he was included in the best university team in the USA.
So, to the surprise of many, Al Blozis appeared in the 1942 NFL draft. He was chosen by the New York Giants, who saw in him a future great offensive tackler, mainly due to his enormous physical strength (he measured 1'98m and weighed 113 kg) and his speed.
Al Blozis participated in the NFL All Star in his year as a roockie, and was included in the best team in the competition in 1943.
However, that 1943 season would be the last one that Al Blozis would play.
Since the beginning of WWII, his intention was to fight alongside his compatriots. Curiously, what had made him such a great athlete prevented him from doing so: he exceeded the height and weight limits of the American army.
Finally, in late 1943 he was inducted into the US Army. He initially did it as a physical instructor at the Walter Reed Hospital in Washington DC. Like so many other renowned athletes, he was kept out of the trenches.
But Al really wanted to fight. Go to the front. So in 1944, and faced with the need for the USA to increase its offensives, he was sent to France with the 28th Infantry Div.
On Jan 31, 1945, during the Battle of the Bulge, while his platoon was identifying the enemy lines, the absence of two comrades was confirmed. Blozis returned to search for him, alone. He never came back.
First of all, he was registered on the list of disappeared. But in April 1945 his death was confirmed. He was 26 years old. His remains of him were interred at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-Avold, Moselle.
Since he was little, he developed an impressive athletic and physical condition, which allowed him to shine in any sport he wanted. Football, swimming, track, basketball… he was good at everything.
It was at L. Dickinson High School in Jersey that his results of it began to attract attention. Especially in the shot put. A sport that he agreed to by chance. During a training session on the track, he was nearly hit by a wrong throw. In anger, he grabbed the weight and returned it to the pitcher, in such an impressive manner that the coach was stunned. He immediately offered her to join the team.
Already at Georgetown University, he won the NCAA shot put title, both indoors and outdoors, for three consecutive years, between 1940 and 1942. In total, Blozis won 23 of the 26 championships. in which he participated His best mark of him was 17.61 meters.
However, despite his undoubtedly great future as an athlete, what Blozis really liked was American football.
In fact, during those years when he projected himself as a great shot putter, he also competed with the university soccer team. In 1940 he led the Georgetown Hoyas to an incredible 20-6-1 record, qualifying them for the Orange Bowl. In that same year he was included in the best university team in the USA.
So, to the surprise of many, Al Blozis appeared in the 1942 NFL draft. He was chosen by the New York Giants, who saw in him a future great offensive tackler, mainly due to his enormous physical strength (he measured 1'98m and weighed 113 kg) and his speed.
Al Blozis participated in the NFL All Star in his year as a roockie, and was included in the best team in the competition in 1943.
However, that 1943 season would be the last one that Al Blozis would play.
Since the beginning of WWII, his intention was to fight alongside his compatriots. Curiously, what had made him such a great athlete prevented him from doing so: he exceeded the height and weight limits of the American army.
Finally, in late 1943 he was inducted into the US Army. He initially did it as a physical instructor at the Walter Reed Hospital in Washington DC. Like so many other renowned athletes, he was kept out of the trenches.
But Al really wanted to fight. Go to the front. So in 1944, and faced with the need for the USA to increase its offensives, he was sent to France with the 28th Infantry Div.
On Jan 31, 1945, during the Battle of the Bulge, while his platoon was identifying the enemy lines, the absence of two comrades was confirmed. Blozis returned to search for him, alone. He never came back.
First of all, he was registered on the list of disappeared. But in April 1945 his death was confirmed. He was 26 years old. His remains of him were interred at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-Avold, Moselle.