Ray Prochaska

Ray Prochaska
refer to caption
Prochaska, circa 1946
No. 8
Position:End
Personal information
Born:(1919-09-08)September 8, 1919
Ulysses, Nebraska, U.S.
Died:March 9, 1997(1997-03-09) (aged 77)
Orange County, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:Ulysses (NE)
College:Nebraska
NFL draft:1941 / round: 7 / pick: 54
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Record at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Raymond Edward Prochaska (August 9, 1919 – March 9, 1997) was an American gridiron football player and coach.

Prochaska was born in Ulysses, Nebraska, to Emil Prochaska and Marie Fredlick, having Czech and Moravian ancestry.[1][2][3] He attended the University of Nebraska and played one season in the National Football League (NFL). Prochaska was drafted by and made his professional debut in the NFL in 1941 with the Cleveland Rams before leaving football for military service during World War II.[4]

Prochaska went on to be an assistant coach, often serving under Chuck Knox with multiple NFL teams, and in 1961 briefly served as interim head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals. He coached under Knox with the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Seattle Seahawks. After Pop Ivy resigned late in the season, Prochaska shared head coaching duties with fellow assistant coaches Chuck Drulis and Ray Willsey. Under the trio's guidance, the team won its last two games.

  1. ^ Prochaska (1997). "California Death Index, 1940-1997". FamilySearch.
  2. ^ Prochaska (1920). "United States Census, 1920". FamilySearch.
  3. ^ Prochaska (1920). "United States Census, 1920". FamilySearch.
  4. ^ "1941 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.