Janowicz was born and raised in Elyria,Ohio as son of Polish immigrants. He went to Holy Cross Elementary School and graduated from Elyria High School. The stretch of Seventh Street which runs along the south side of Elyria High is named Vic Janowicz Drive in his honor. In addition,a life-size painting of Janowicz hangs in the lobby of the school. Additionally,the Little League Baseball field located on Wittenburg Ave in Elyria is named Vic Janowicz Park.
After college,Janowicz passed up offers to play professional football in order to pursue a baseball career. He reached the major leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates,but hit only .214 over two seasons as a bench player. He returned to football late in the 1954 season with the Washington Redskins,and was their starting halfback one year later.
Tragic accident
During training camp in 1956,Janowicz suffered a severe injuries in a two-car crash that left him partially paralyzed on the left side and ultimately ended his career as a professional athlete.
After a 39-21 win over the Rams in an exhibition game at the Los Angeles Coliseum,Janowicz attended a victory celebration at the home of Redskins teammate Gene Brito near San Bernardino,approximately 90 miles from the site of the game. On their way back to the team training facility at Occidental College,Janowicz sustained severe brain trauma,lacerations and bruises when 21-year-old student nurse Barbara Wagner fell asleep at the wheel and the vehicle struck a utility pole. Teammate Al Dorow sustained a back injury in the accident. The victims were taken to Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital for treatment and observation.
Janowicz incurred considerable hospital bills as a result of the accident,which Redskins team owner George Preston Marshall agreed to pay,but he was soon released from the team on the grounds that the injuries were not related to football. Teammates voted to contribute $10 weekly each to help support him and his family while he was inactive.
Post-playing career
Janowicz eventually made a full recovery from the mishap and became a broadcaster of Buckeyes football games. Later he worked as an account executive at a Columbus manufacturing firm and from 1986 as an administrative assistant to the state auditor.
Janowicz's grave at St. Joseph Cemetery (Lockbourne, Ohio)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
