| Pro Football Hall of Fame PK Lou "the Toe" Groza
died Wednesday night at the age of 76, apparently from a heart attack. Groza played 21
seasons with the Cleveland Browns, from 1946 to ’67 and is the franchise’s
career scoring leader. He played in nine Pro Bowls, was All-NFL six years and was inducted
into the Hall of Fame in ’74. The following text about Groza is an excerpt from
"Legends by the Lake: The Cleveland Browns at Municipal Stadium" by PFW
correspondent John Keim. The book, available in soft and hard cover, can be ordered by
calling 1-877-UAPRESS.
LOU GROZA
Tackle/kicker, 1946-59, ’61-67
Lou Groza hopped off the plane in the Philippines, scared but ready for his first taste
of World War II combat. He quickly learned about life in the war. And it wasn't pretty.
Moments after stepping off the plane, a soldier within a first down of Groza was shot in
the face.
Groza witnessed the damage.
''His face was shattered,'' Groza recalled. ''Then someone started going through his
wallet and they were taking the cash out. I thought, 'What kind of animal would do that?'
''
He learned war bred many animals during his two years as a surgical technician. They
set up tents about five miles from the front line and assisted the doctors.
''You were more concerned about not getting run over by the Japanese,'' said Groza, who
also served in Okinawa. ''We couldn't run away. If we had wounded we had to stay with
them. I saw a lot of men wounded with severe injuries. Loose legs, guts hanging out, stuff
like that. It's a tough thing, but you get hardened to it and you accept it as part of
your being there.''
After that experience, kicking a football doesn't seem so difficult. Maybe that's why
Groza did it so well and never seemed to be nervous. Certainly, he didn't appear that way
when he kicked the game-winning 16-yard field goal in Cleveland's first NFL championship
in 1950. Nor did he seem that way 17 years later when he was still booting the ball
through the uprights.
Of course, that wasn't all he did. Groza started at left tackle for 12 seasons until
first retiring after 1959 because of a bad back. When he returned in '61, Groza only
kicked. But he never considered himself only a kicker.
''I went to the Hall of Fame as a tackle,'' he said.
And Paul Brown, in his autobiography, said, ''He's in the Hall of Fame as much for his
play as a lineman as for his place-kicking.''
But kicking is what got Groza noticed. And noticed. Even Groza understood that the guys
who scored got the press. When he retired for good in '67, no one had scored more. He
finished with a then-record 1,349 points. His All-American Football Conference total
increased his total to 1,608.
The more he scored, the more people watched him. The more they watched, the more they
liked his entire game.
The folks in Martins Ferry, Ohio couldn't have been surprised. After all, Groza was
just doing what he had done as a kid. He led Martins Ferry to the state basketball title
in 1941 and was named all-state in football and basketball. And he captained both those
teams as well as the baseball team, earning the nickname ''Big Chief.''
As a kid, he hung around his older brother Frank, fetching the footballs he used to
boot. Soon Frank Groza taught his younger brother how to kick.
''I used to get a kick out of kicking the ball over the telephone wires when we would
play touch football in the street,'' Groza said. ''I liked to see how far I could make it
go.''
Turns out his kicks went pretty far, especially once he went to Ohio State. There, he
played three games on the freshman team — kicking five field goals, including a
45-yarder — and would cause eyes to widen when he kicked. Two of those eyes belonged
to Buckeye coach Paul Brown.
''We would practice away from the varsity field and our field was right below [Ohio]
Stadium where they had the training room,'' Groza said. ''I kept noticing that [Brown]
would look out the window.''
He must have seen something he liked. Groza left for the war the next year, but Brown
would send him footballs to stay sharp. In jungle clearings, Groza and his war buddies
would kick the footballs, wearing out several balls. But Groza said he didn't think he was
preparing himself for pro ball.
Rather, he planned to return to Ohio State. However, by the time he was discharged, his
class had graduated and he was 22. And Brown was headed to Cleveland. So Groza signed a
contract with the Browns two days after he was discharged in February 1946. Groza
eventually earned his degree from Ohio State.
Brown may have known Groza could kick far, but even he was surprised to see the rookie,
then just a kicker, warming up on the sidelines every time Cleveland crossed midfield.
''You don't think you can kick one from there, do you?'' Brown asked him.
''I think I can,'' Groza answered.
Then Groza showed he could, drilling field goals from 49, 51 and 50 yards, the latter
in a driving rainstorm in Miami. Writers started calling him Groza the Toe-Za which soon
became the more famous Lou the Toe.
''From that time on,'' Brown said in his book. ''He was always a great potential weapon
when we were inside an opponent's 49-yard line. I know that Lou won more games in clutch
situations with his kicking than any player in the game's history.''
No one did it better during most of Groza's career. The straight-on kicker retired as
the NFL's all-time leading scorer, a mark since broken. But he still holds the record for
extra points (641) and extra-point attempts (658).
In 1953, Groza made 88.5 percent of his field goals (23 of 26) — at a time when 53
percent was the average. That mark remained the best mark in pro football history until
Washington's Mark Moseley made 95.2 percent of his kicks in 1982.
Groza's mark is more astounding considering the conditions in which he kicked. Much
wider hash marks provided harsh angles to the uprights, no domes existed during his career
and defenders could be hoisted on teammates shoulders to try and block the kick.
Plus, Groza doubled as a tackle, a position he moved into full-time in 1948. He did so
with one year of college ball, interrupted by three years of service, and only two years
of pro ball. But he excelled, making nine Pro Bowls.
At tackle, his right foot was fair game for opponents.
''Guys would yell out, 'Step on Groza's foot!' '' he recalled. ''We were playing the
Lions once and the guy I was playing against was going back to the line of scrimmage after
a play. He came over and stomped on my foot in the huddle and ran back to the line of
scrimmage laughing.''
Groza usually had the last laugh. In 1948, the Los Angeles Dons Lee Artoe hit Groza's
nose on the game's first play. On the next play, Groza nailed Artoe in the face, slamming
into the mask he was wearing to protect him and cutting his chin.
Groza's best asset was his speed as the 255-pounder ran the 40-yard dash in 4.8
seconds, making him effective in pulling situations and lead flips. His wit was just as
fast. Even now, when reminded he was fast, Groza said straight-faced, ''Oh, I thought you
meant with the girls.''
But a back injury ended his career in 1960. A year later, thanks to the rival AFL, the
NFL rosters expanded allowing teams to carry specialists. Groza was working with the
Browns' kickers when owner Art Modell asked if he could still kick. Groza said yes. Brown
was convinced and Groza returned for another seven years, even making the game-winning
kick in his first game back at Cleveland Stadium to beat St. Louis. But Dick Schafrath had
replaced him at tackle.
By this time, Groza had become a successful insurance agent as well. While others would
head out for a beer after practice in training camp, he would return to his room to check
on business. In 1998, Groza still was selling insurance.
He also became a father figure to many of the players and often would invite the
younger guys to his Berea home for dinner. They remembered his practical jokes — dead
rats in teammates shoes etc., — but also his lessons.
''He preached to all the players, 'When a kid asks you for an autograph, you better
give it to him. If not, I'll make you do it,' '' said former Browns guard Jim Ray Smith.
''He believed that you meet the same people on the way up that you do on the way down and
you want to make sure you have a good relationship with them.''
Groza, whose jersey No. 76 is retired by the Browns, might not be the greatest Brown of
all-time, but he might be the most significant. Consider: He's the only Brown to play in
all 12 of their championship games, including four in the AAFC and eight in the NFL. And
he was the only one to play with, or for, every one of Cleveland's other 12 Hall of
Famers.
Groza's touch even extended into the 1970s and '80s as he recommended the Browns draft
a tight end from Illinois named Doug Dieken and move him to tackle.
''When you talk about the ambassador of Cleveland Browns football, it's Lou,'' Dieken
said. ''It's an honor to be around him.'' |
