After playing college football at Yale, Prchlik was drafted by the Boston Yanks in the 30th round (277th overall) in the 1947 NFL Draft. He played five seasons for the Detroit Lions including their 1952 and 1953 Championship seasons and in the 1951 and 1952 seasons was defensive captain. In the off season, he worked towards his law degree and graduated from Wayne State University Law School in 1952. He was an executive at Ford Motor Company for 30 years.