| Position | Fullback |
|---|---|
| Number | 25 |
| Birth date | April 4, 1921 |
| Birth place | St. David, Illinois, U.S. |
| Death date | April 18, 1945 (aged 24) |
| Death place | Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, Japanese Empire |
| Draftyear | 1944 |
| Draftround | 1 |
| Draftpick | 11 |
| High school | Lewistown (IL) |
| College | Purdue |
| Pastteams |
|
| Statlabel 1 | Rushing attempts-yards |
| Statlabel 2 | Receptions-yards |
| Statlabel 3 | Touchdowns |
| Highlights |
|
Anthony J. Butkovich (April 4, 1921 – April 18, 1945) was a Croatian American football player who was a fullback at the University of Illinois and spent his last year at Purdue. He was drafted by the Cleveland Rams in the first round of the 1944 NFL draft.
Instead of going to the Rams he enlisted in the US Marines and fought in World War II. While serving as a Marine in the 6th Division on Guadalcanal he participated in the Mosquito Bowl.[1]
Purdue career
He led the nation in rushing in 1943; 833 yards, 142 carries (5.9 average), scoring 16 touchdowns (still tied for a Purdue single season record) and led the Boilermakers to a record of 9–0 and a share of the Big Ten Title. The Boilermakers finished the season as the No. 4 team in the nation. In conference play alone, he led the conference in rushing (629 yards over 95 carries) and scoring (13 touchdowns, 78 points); despite only playing 4 conference games as he was transferred by the Marines before the Minnesota game.[2]
He was selected All-American by the Associated Press (AP), International News Service, The Sporting News, United Press International (UPI) and Stars and Stripes; he was also First Team, All-Conference.
Statistics
| Year | Team | Rushing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yards | Avg | Yards/G | TD | ||
| 1941 | Illinois | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 1942 | Illinois | 60 | 174 | 2.9 | 34.8 | -- |
| 1943 | Purdue | 142 | 833 | 5.9 | 92.6 | 16 |
| Totals | 202 | 1,007 | 4.9 | 71.9 | 16 | |
Personal life
He was a native of St. David, Illinois and graduated from Lewistown High School in Lewistown, Illinois.
He was killed in action by sniper fire at Okinawa.[5] Coincidentally, fellow #11 overall NFL draft pick Dave Schreiner (from the year prior) died from sniper fire at Okinawa several months later.
References
- ^ Daniel, Douglass K. (19 September 2022). "1944 Marine 'Mosquito Bowl' defines football, courage, duty". Navy Times. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ https://www.newspapers.com/image/104805058/
- ^ "Tony Butkovich". www.sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
- ^ "1942 Final Big Ten Football Statistics". umich.edu. University of Michigan. December 2, 1942. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
- ^ "Remembering the fallen heroes". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. November 11, 2004. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
Further reading
- Bissinger, Buzz (2022). The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II. 1st ed. New York. ISBN 978-0-06-287992-9. OCLC 1267753036