John Joseph Vardian (September 25, 1921 – August 8, 1989) was an American football player and coach. He played at the halfback and defensive back positions for the Miami Seahawks in 1946 and the Baltimore Colts in 1947 and 1948. He was an assistant coach for the Tampa Spartans football team from 1950 to 1961.
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| Position: | Halfback, defensive back | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | September 25, 1921 Johnstown, Pennsylvania | ||||
| Died: | August 8, 1989 (aged 67) Tampa, Florida | ||||
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 167 lb (76 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Johnstown Catholic (PA) | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Early years and military service
editA native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, he attended Johnstown Catholic High School.[1] During World War II, he served in the United States Navy for three years.[2] In the fall of 1945, he played for the Naval Amphib football team and was clocked at 10 seconds in the 100 fully attired in football equipment.[3]
Professional football
editHe played professional football in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the Miami Seahawks in 1946 and the Baltimore Colts in 1947 and 1948. He appeared in a total of 32 AAFC games and carried the ball 46 times for 62 yards.[1][4]
Coaching and later years
editAfter his playing career ended, Vardian was an assistant coach responsible for the defense for the Tampa Spartans football team from 1950 to 1960.[2][5][6] After his coaching career, he remained in Tampa and went into the contracting business. He died in Tampa in 1989 at age 67.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "Johnny Vardian Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ a b c Tom McEwen (August 10, 1989). "Former UT defensive coach Vardian dies at the age of 67". The Tampa Tribune. p. 7C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Navy's Vardian Gallops at Rockets' Wing". The Nashville Tennessean. September 16, 1945 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vardian Snagger". The Baltimore Sun. July 31, 1947 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "John Vardian Signs As Sinkwich Aide". The Miami News. June 10, 1950. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vardian To Coach Tampa Semipro Football Team". The Tampa Tribune. October 19, 1960. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.