Henry M. "Hammering Hank" Toczylowski (February 2, 1919 – October 10, 1982) was an American football player and coach.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | February 2, 1919 Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died: | October 10, 1982 (aged 63) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| College: | Boston College |
| Position: | Quarterback |
| NFL draft: | 1941 / Round: 9 / Pick: 78 |
| Career history | |
| As a coach: | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
A graduate of Lynn Classical High School and St. John's Preparatory School he played college football at the quarterback position for the Boston College Eagles football team and was selected as a first-team player on the 1940 College Football All-America Team.[1][2] He played on the B.C. team that defeated Tennessee 19–14 in the 1941 Sugar Bowl. During the game, Toczylowski threw a crucial block that allowed Mickey Connolly to score a game-tying touchdown.[3]
Toczylowski was selected by the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1941 NFL Draft and offered a $75 a game contract.[4] He instead accepted a $2,200 a year job as a teacher and head football coach at Saugus High School. After the Dodgers had lost a number of players to military service he was offered a $6,200 contract by the Dodgers, but chose to fulfill his contract and remain at Saugus High until he was called into active service with the United States Navy in May 1942.[5][6] Toczylowski was released from military service in 1943 and was offered contracts by the Dodgers and the Washington Redskins, but instead chose to become a geometry teacher and head football coach at Beverly High School.[7] In 1944 he moved on to Arlington High School, where he was head football and basketball coach.[8] Toczylowski's 1949 team won the Class A championship and received an invitation to the Sugar Bowl schoolboy classic.[9] He was succeeded as head football coach by Eddie Burns in 1955 but remained at AHS as a house dean and business teacher.[2][10]
Toczylowski was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974.[11] He was also inducted into the High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame. He died on October 10, 1982, at St. Elizabeth's Hospital following a stroke.[2]
References edit
- ^ "New York Sun Now Names All-Americans". Los Angeles Times. 1940-12-01.
- ^ a b c Coughlin, William P. (October 11, 1982). "Henry M. Toczylowski, teacher; quarterback on famed BC bowl teams". The Boston Globe.
- ^ "Fake Pass Practiced Only Once". The Boston Daily Globe. January 2, 1941.
- ^ "1941 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- ^ "Toczylowski Signs as Coach". The New York Times. January 22, 1941.
- ^ Kaese, Harold (September 5, 1941). "Toz Dumfounds Skeptics; Keeps Word to Saugus". The Boston Daily Globe.
- ^ Dalton, Ernie (September 10, 1943). "Toczylowski Spurns Pro Offers for Beverly Berth". The Boston Daily Globe.
- ^ "Ostergren Quits; Cavalieri, Toczylowski Ponder Bids". The Boston Daily Globe. May 31, 1944.
- ^ "Arlington Eleven Gets Bid From New Orleans Bowl". The Boston Daily Globe. November 24, 1949.
- ^ Pave, Marvin (March 18, 1973). "Arlington's Burns... coach of year". The Boston Globe.
- ^ "Henry Toczylowski Bio". Boston College. Retrieved January 19, 2015.