Edward Anthony Rucinski (July 12, 1916 – April 22, 1995) was an American professional football player who played end for six seasons for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cardinals and "Card-Pitt" of the National Football League. Rucinski was named to the 1939 College Football All Polish-American Team.[1] He played college football at Indiana University where he was a member of Sigma Pi fraternity.[2] He died in Florida on April 22, 1995.[3] He was drafted in the six round of the 1941 NFL Draft by the Brooklyn Dodgers.[4]
Career
Rucinski played in sixty NFL games, starting in forty-one of them. He scored eight career touchdowns (all as a receiver) and averaged 14.2 receiving yards per game. In his career he had ninety-nine receptions for 1408 yards. He also had eighteen career rushes for eighty-five yards. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1942 and named All-Pro in 1943.[5]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1941 | BKN | 11 | 8 | 17 | 204 | 12.0 | 33 | 1 |
| 1942 | BKN | 11 | 9 | 9 | 99 | 11.0 | 24 | 1 |
| 1943 | CRD | 10 | 9 | 26 | 398 | 15.3 | 47 | 3 |
| 1944 | CRD | 10 | 6 | 22 | 284 | 12.9 | 40 | 1 |
| 1945 | CRD | 8 | 7 | 23 | 400 | 17.4 | 62 | 2 |
| 1946 | CRD | 10 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 12 | 0 |
| Career | 60 | 41 | 99 | 1,408 | 14.2 | 62 | 8 | |
Personal life
Rucinski was married to Mae Tilly. He had a daughter named Suzie and a stepson named John. After leaving football he moved to California. In the 1970s he moved to Indian Rocks Beach, Florida, where he was a member of St. Jerome's Catholic Church, and opened a medical supply business in St. Petersburg, Florida.[3]
References
- 1.Rosiak, A. J. (December 24, 1939). "In The Polish Colony". The Sunday Morning Star. p. 14. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- 2.Langhammer, Jay (Fall 1985). "Sigma Pis in Pro Football" (PDF). The Emerald of Sigma Pi. Vol. 74, no. 3. p. 21. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
- 3.[3.2]"Edward Anthony Rucinski". The Times of Northwest Indiana. April 27, 1995 – via Newspapers.com.
- 4."1941 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- 5."Ed Rucinski Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 14, 2025.