Evening star., 1947-09-17
Chicago Game Climax
To Joe Tereshinski's
.Long-He|d Dream
BY Lewis F. Atchison
Stor stoff CORRESPONDENT

fTerry) Tereshinskis town and to-
night, when the Redskins square off
with Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
he hopes to complete the conquest
begun three weeks ago against these
same Bears as a member of the
College All-Stars.
Joe plays end, as if you didn't
know, and the pigskin Nijinskis
bruising ballet brings a smile to the
fretting brow of Wayne Millner, the
old Notre Dame boy who was one of
the greatest ends in the National
Football League and who expects his
pupils to do as we'll as he did.
We say Chicago is Joe's town be-
cause years ago, as a toW-headed
tike in the mining town of Glen
Lyon. Pa, he dreamed a bright,
beautiful dream of some day playing
in the All-Star game. Some kids
want to be firemen, railroad engi-
neers and even policemen. But all
Joe thought about was the excite
ment generated by the crowds, the
himself jogging out on Soldier Field
in the platinum glare of the spot
light as the announcer doomed,
" and at right end, Joe Tere-
shinSki ="
But that was only part of the
dream that was pretty big for a
youngster in stove-pipe britches. Joe
also wanted to play in the Rose
Bowl. After that he wanted to play
pro football with the Washington
Redskins.
1t was a million-t -to-one shot that
Joe would even get to college. much
less play in the Rose Bowl or the
All-Star game. First of all, both
Papa and Mama Tershinski didn t
want their sons to play football.
Joe and his older brother Pete
didn't even bring home the injury
immunity waiver high school Off
Gals demanded that parents sign
before the boys could play football
They signed it themselves, and got
away with it until Pete came home
one day with his nose 4 degrees
south by southwest of its normal
position. With the cat out of the
bag the parents relented. Maybe it
wasn't so bad, after all, for both
Pete and Joe were doing well enough
in school and there was much talk of
another Glen Lyon boy who had
played football and turned out all
right.
Urged On by Stralka.
This lad was Glen Stralka, a
grandson of old Frank Stralka, the
undertaken mentioned in that book
The Miracle of the Bells Glen
had gone off to Georgetown Univer-
sity to study and play football and
the old folks had to agree it seemed
to have done him good. Glen was
enthusiastic. He talked to the
youngsters about going to college,
about playing football, and when he
graduated to the Redskins and came
home with glowing tales of the
league wherein only the best players
IN the Nation played. the kids were
completely enchanted.
That was when Joe Tereshinski
added the final chapter to his dream
to play with the Redskins, and
there were a couple of men in town
who could help. One was Harold
.Ketson. who distributed Coca Cola,
and the other John Bryan, football
official, They didn't represent any
particular school, but merely tried to
find college scholarships for deserving
Glen Lyon boys who could play foot
ball. Together they worked to get
him into Georgia, and once there,
things began to happen on whole
sale scale.
Joe played in the Rose Bowl on
New Year Day, 1943, when Georgia
BANKED U. C. L. A, 80, and before
he was through he had played in the
Sugar Bow and the first Oil Bowl
games. Naturally, he drew an invi-
tation to the All-Star game and
when the Redskins offered him a
contract Joe's dream was complete.
Married Cheer Leader.
Meanwhile, he met. courted and
married Georgia's prettiest cheer
leader. Martha Elizabeth Walraven.
an Atlanta beauty. for completely
happy ending. Then, en- route to
Pennsylvania for visit with the old
folks, Joe stopped off in Washington
and dropped around the wigwam for
a visit that momentarily clouded the
dream.
Tribe officials thought 1t best for
him to skip the All-Star game and
report directly to California for the
full training season. He was told
that promoters of the Chicago game
had been advised of this and his in
vitation had been withdrawn, and
that announcement fell on him like
two tackles executing a mousetrap.
1t just couldn't be- He explained
that all his life, since he was old
enough to hold a football, he had
looked forward to playing in the
All-Star game, and then with the
Redskins. He simply had to play in
Chicago.
Coach Turk Edwards agreed that
he should play in the All-Star game,
but by that time the invitation had
been withdrawn. More feverish long
distance calls ensued, and Joe's in
vitation was reissued. The dream
seemed complete.
Joe distinguished himself in the
game. but Coach Frank Leahy used
(See REDSKINS, Page AID