Alexander Gregorieff Ketzko (November 19, 1919 – December 23, 1944) was an American football player.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | November 19, 1919 Chicago, Illinois |
| Died: | December 23, 1944 (aged 25) France |
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Mattawan (MI) |
| College: | Michigan State |
| Position: | Tackle |
| Undrafted: | 1940 |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
A native of Chicago, he moved with his family to Mattawan, Michigan as a boy. He played college football for Michigan State College (later known as Michigan State University) in 1938 and 1939. In July 1940, he signed to play professional football for the Paterson Panthers of the American Professional Football Association.[1] He signed with the National Football League's New York Giants before being traded to the Detroit Lions. He appeared in nine games during his rookie year of 1943.[2] During the season, he attended a military draft ceremony but remained with the Lions until the end of the year.[3]
Upon being inducted into the United States Army, he was deployed to Europe in May 1944 with the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Division, 7th Army.[4] Private First Class Ketzko was killed in action in Alsace in December at age 25.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Alex Ketzko Signs Pro Grid Contract". The News-Palladium. July 23, 1940. p. 7.
- ^ "Alex Ketzko". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ^ "Lions Stand to Lose Al Ketzko". Detroit Free Press. October 30, 1943. Retrieved July 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Anton, Todd; Nowlin, Bill (November 15, 2013). When Football Went to War. Triumph Books. pp. 63–64. ISBN 978-1600788451.
- ^ "Alex Ketzko Is Killed On French Front". The News-Palladium. February 9, 1945. p. 1.