 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2009) |
| No. 11 | |
| Date of birth | November 23, 1912 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Bellaire, Ohio, U.S. |
| Date of death | December 18, 1973 (aged 61) |
| Place of death | Skokie, Illinois, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Center |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| US college | Duquesne |
| High school | Bellaire |
| NFL draft | 1937 / round: 1 / pick: 5 |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1937–1938 | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career stats | |
| |
Michael J. Basrak (November 23, 1912 – December 18, 1973) was an American professional football player for the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Duquesne Dukes, earning consensus All-American honors in 1936. The school's first All-American selection, he was the Most Valuable Player of the 1937 Orange Bowl game in Miami, in which Duquesne defeated Mississippi State University, 13–12. Later in the year, Basrak was selected by Pirates (later known as the Steelers) in the first round of the 1937 NFL draft with the fifth overall pick. Pittsburgh Pirates.[1] However, Basrak only played two seasons in the NFL, retiring after the 1938 season.
Basrak was an officer in the United States Navy during the Second World War. In later life Basrak served as football coach at Niles East High School (1954–62) and then Niles West High School (1963–73), both in Skokie, Illinois, a suburb north of Chicago.
Basrak died at home in Skokie on December 18, 1973, aged 61.[2] After his death, the Niles West football field was named Mike Basrak Field in his honor.
- ^ "1937 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
- ^ "Football Coach at Niles West Is Dead at 61." Chicago Tribune. December 19, 1973. p. C4