Jack Karwales John Joseph " Jack " Karwales ( June 22 , 1920 – December 31 , 2004 ) was a U . S . American football player . He played at the end and tackle positions for the University of Michigan in 1941 and 1942 . Following four years of service in the United States Army Air Forces during and after World War II , he played professional football for the Chicago Bears in 1946 and for the Chicago Cardinals in 1947 . Early years . Karwales was the son of Felix Karwales , Sr . , and Mary ( née Shemky ) Karwales . He was born in 1920 on the west side of Chicago , Illinois , and attended Harrison Technical High School in Chicago . University of Michigan . In 1939 , Karwales enrolled at the University of Michigan . He played football at the end position ( some at the tackle position in 1942 ) for Fritz Crisler ' s Michigan Wolverines football team from 1941 to 1942 . Karwales had been expected to play for the 1940 team , but a knee injury sidelined him for the season . In September 1941 , Karwales ' debut was again delayed due to swelling in his feet that led doctors to " relegate him to a hospital cot for treatment . " He played for the 1941 Michigan team that finished 6 - 1 - 1 and ranked No . 5 in the final AP poll , and for the 1942 Michigan team that finished 7 - 3 and ranked No . 9 in the final AP poll . In August 1943 , Karwales played for the College All - Star team that defeated the NFL champion Washington Redskins in the College All - Star Game . World War II . In 1943 , Karwales entered the United States Army Air Forces where he served for almost four years during an after World War II . He served in the Pacific theater , and also played football with the Third Air Force team in 1944 . Professional football . In June 1946 , Karwales was signed by George Halas to play for the Chicago Bears . He joined the Bears in August 1946 for their summer training camp in Collegeville , Indiana . According to some sources , Karwales played at the end position for the 1946 Chicago Bears team that won the NFL championship . Other sources do not list Karwales among the regular season roster of the 1946 Bears . A " Chicago Daily Tribune " article from September 1947 reported that Karwales had played with the Akron Bears in 1946 . Karwales participated in training camp and pre - season for the Bears in the summer of 1947 . He was released by the Bears on September 22 , 1947 , prior to the first game of the regular season . Karwales signed with the Chicago Cardinals on October 1 , 1947 . He played for the 1947 Cardinals team that compiled a 9 - 3 - 0 record and finished 1st in NFL West Division . Later years and family . Karwales was hampered as a football player by bad knees and retired as a football player in 1948 . He coached football at St . Louis University football for three years . He was an assistant coach for the Saint Louis Billikens under head coach Joe Maniaci . Karwales was married to Virginia Kailer . They had two daughters , Cathy O ' Hara and Jill Fink . His brother , Felix Karwales , Jr . , was a rookie pitcher for the Cleveland Indians in 1940 before being inducted into the U . S . Army . Felix was injured in action in Germany in February 1945 and died in October 1949 . Karwales became a co - owner of the Kailer - Youngquist Oldsmobile dealership in Chicago . The dealership was started by his father - in - law , Louis G . Kailer , who died on January 12 , 1956 . He later owned an Oldsmobile dealership named Karwales Olds , inc . located in Wheaton , IL . Karwales was a resident of Evanston , Illinois for approximately 50 years . He retired in 1983 , and his wife died in January 1993 . Karwales died on December 31 , 2004 at the Bethany Retirement Community in Chicago . His funeral mass was held at St . Catherine Laboure Catholic Church in Glenview , Illinois .