Mike Basrak

Mike Basrak
Mike Basrak
Date of birth: November 23, 1912(1912-11-23)
Place of birth: Bellaire, OH
Date of death: December 18, 1973(1973-12-18) (aged 61)
Place of death: Skokie, IL
Career information
Position(s): Center
College: Duquesne University
NFL Draft: 1937 / Round: 1
Organizations
 As player:
1937-1938 Pittsburgh Pirates
Career highlights and awards
Awards: 1937 Orange Bowl MVP
Honors: All-American, Duquesne Univ.
Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com

Michael J. Basrak (November 23, 1912 – December 18, 1973) was an All-American US collegiate football player in the mid 1930s.

Basrak was Duquesne University's first All-American selection, and the Most Valuable Player of the 1937 Orange Bowl game in Miami, in which Duquesne defeated Mississippi State University, 13-12. Later in 1937 Basrak was the first-round draft pick (#5 pick overall) of the National Football League Pittsburgh Pirates, later called the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, Basrak only played two seasons in the NFL, retiring after the 1938 season.

Basrak was an officer in the United States Navy during the Second World War.

In later life Basrak served as football coach at Niles East High School (1954–62) and then Niles West High School (1963–73), both in Skokie, Illinois, a suburb north of Chicago.

Basrak died at home in Skokie on December 18, 1973, aged 61.[1] After his death, the Niles West football field was named Mike Basrak Field in his honor.

References

  1. ^ "Football Coach at Niles West Is Dead at 61." Chicago Tribune. December 19, 1973. p. C4
v · d · ePittsburgh Steelers first-round Draft selections

Bill Shakespeare (1936/ #3 overall) | Mike Basrak (1937/ #5) | Byron "Whizzer" White (1938/ #4) | Kay Eakin (1940/ #3) | Bill Dudley (1942/ #1) | Bill Daley (1943/ #7) | Johnny Podesto (1944/ #10) | Paul Duhart (1945/ #2) | Doc Blanchard (1946/ #3) | Hub Bechtol (1947/ #5) | Dan Edwards (1948/ #9) | Bobby Gage (1949/ #6) | Lynn Chandnois (1950/ #8) | Butch Avinger (1951/ #9) | Ed Modzelewski (1952/ #6) | Ted Marchibroda (1953/ #5) | Johnny Lattner (1954/ #7) | Frank Varrichione (1955/ #6) | Gary Glick (1956/ #1) | Art Davis (1956/ #5) | Len Dawson (1957/ #5) | Jack Spikes (1960/ #6) | Bob Ferguson (1962/ #5) | Paul Martha (1964/ #10) | Dick Leftridge (1966/ #3) | Mike Taylor (1968/ #10) | Joe Greene (1969/ #4) | Terry Bradshaw (1970/ #1) | Frank Lewis (1971/ #8) | Franco Harris (1972/ #13) | J. T. Thomas (1973/ #4) | Lynn Swann (1974/ #21) | Dave Brown (1975/ #26) | Bennie Cunningham (1976/ #28) | Robin Cole (1977/ #21) | Ron Johnson (1978/ #22) | Greg Hawthorne (1979/ #28) | Mark Malone (1980/ #28) | Keith Gary (1981/ #17) | Walter Abercrombie (1982/ #12) | Gabriel Rivera (1983/ #21) | Louis Lipps (1984/ #23) | Darryl Sims (1985/ #20) | John Rienstra (1986/ #9) | Rod Woodson (1987/ #10) | Aaron Jones (1988/ #18) | Tim Worley (1989/ #7) | Tom Ricketts (1989/ #24) | Eric Green (1990/ #21) | Huey Richardson (1991/ #15) | Leon Searcy (1992/ #11) | Deon Figures (1993/ #23) | Charles Johnson (1994/ #17) | Mark Bruener (1995/ #27) | Jamain Stephens (1996/ #29) | Chad Scott (1997/ #24) | Alan Faneca (1998/ #26) | Troy Edwards (1999/ #13) | Plaxico Burress (2000/ #8) | Casey Hampton (2001/ #19) | Kendall Simmons (2002/ #30) | Troy Polamalu (2003/ #16) | Ben Roethlisberger (2004/ #11) | Heath Miller (2005/ #30) | Santonio Holmes (2006/ #25) | Lawrence Timmons (2007/ #15) | Rashard Mendenhall (2008/ #23) | Evander Hood (2009/ #32) | Maurkice Pouncey (2010/ #18) | Cameron Heyward (2011/ #31)

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