John Matsko (American football)

John Matsko
Michigan State Spartans
Position Center
Personal information
Date of birth (1933-12-20)December 20, 1933
Place of birth Pennsylvania
Date of death December 24, 2010(2010-12-24) (aged 77)
Place of death Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg)
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-American (1956)
First-team All-Big Ten (1956)

John Matsko, Jr. (December 20, 1933 – December 24, 2010) was an American football player. He played Center for the Michigan State Spartans football team and was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference player and second-team All-American in 1956.

Matsko grew up in Cambria County, Pennsylvania. He attended Adams-Summerhill High School in St. Michael, Pennsylvania, and won a total of 12 varsity letters in football, baseball, basketball and track.[1] He was offered a contract to play professional baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but opted to play college football at Michigan State College.[1][2]

Matsko played at the center position at Michigan State and also handled place-kicking for the team. He was captain of the 1956 Michigan State Spartans football team that compiled a 9–1 record and was ranked #9 in the final AP Poll. At the end of the season, he was selected by the United Press (UP), International News Service (INS), and Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) as a second-team player on the 1956 College Football All-America Team.[3][4][5] He was also selected by the Associated Press (AP) as a first-team player on the 1956 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[6] The United Press (UP) selected him as the second-team All-Big Ten center.[7]

In August 1957, Matsko played for the college all-stars in Chicago and was in discussions with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[8] He ultimately played for the Calgary Stampeders during the 1959 CFL season.[1][9]

In 1960, after retiring from professional football, Matsko was hired as a junior high school social studies teacher and assistant football coach in Ferndale, Pennsylvania.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "John Matsko". Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  2. ↑ "untitled". The Kansas City Times. February 18, 1956 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Norman Miller (1956-11-29). "Tubbs, Parker, Kramer Steal All-America Show: Three Linmen Get Most Attention In United Press' Poll". The Daily News. Huntingdon and Mount Union, PA.
  4. ↑ "Two Big 10 Players On All-America Team". The Cedar Rapids Gazette. 1956-11-27.
  5. ↑ Harry Grayson (1956-11-23). "Grayson Says World's Top Athletes Comprise His 1956 All-America Team: Michigan End Ron Kramer Is Squad's Lone Repeater". The Berkshire Eagle.
  6. ↑ "Hawk Trio On All Big Ten". The Spencer Daily Reporter. November 30, 1956. p. 4.
  7. ↑ "Mel Dillard on All-Big Ten Team; Iowa Puts Men in Four Positions". Alexandria (IN) Times-Tribune. November 30, 1956. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Talk To M.S.U. Player: Canadian Club Might Sign Matsko". The Kansas City Times. August 14, 1957 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Players A-Z". CFLapedia. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Assistant Skipper". The Daily Courier. August 29, 1960 – via Newspapers.com.
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