John Losch (August 13, 1934 – May 27, 2004) was an American athlete who was a member of the 1947 Little League World Series championship team, an All-American college football player, and member of the 1956 Green Bay Packers in the National Football League (NFL).
 Losch with the Miami Hurricanes football team | |||||||||
| No. 25 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Halfback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | August 13, 1934 New York City, New York, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | May 27, 2004 (aged 69) Williamsport, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Williamsport (PA) | ||||||||
| College: | Miami (FL) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1956 / round: 1 / pick: 8 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Little League Baseball
editLosch was the center fielder for the Maynard Midgets of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, when they clinched the inaugural Little League World Series title against Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, on August 23, 1947.[1][2]
Football
editLosch attended the University of Miami, where he starred in football, baseball, and track.[3] He was an All-American with the Hurricanes football team, playing three seasons (1953–1955) at halfback and defensive back.[3] Losch was inducted to the university's sports hall of fame in 1987.[3] Losch still held some rushing records with Miami at the time of his death in 2004.[2]
Losch was selected by the Green Bay Packers as the eighth overall pick in the 1956 NFL draft.[4] He played for one season, appearing in 12 games while rushing for 43 yards (2.3 yards per carry) and making seven receptions.
Post-playing career
editIn April 1957, Losch joined the United States Air Force,[5] where he spent three years as a jet pilot.[2] He did not resume his NFL career, due to an injury.[2] He worked for 37 years at General Motors Corporation, retiring in 1996 as Director of Fleet Services.[2]
Legacy
editLosch died on May 27, 2004.[2] On June 10, 2004, Little League Baseball announced that the Team Sportsmanship Award at the Little League World Series would be named after Losch.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Little Leaguers Do Well Finishing In Runner-Up Spot". The Express. Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. August 25, 1947. p. 9. Retrieved August 20, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f "Jack Losch, Player on First Little League World Series Championship Team, Passes Away". littleleague.org. May 28, 2004. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Jack Losch". umsportshalloffame.com. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "1956 NFL Player Draft". databasefootball.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2009. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ^ "Air Force Bound". The Miami News. April 9, 1957. p. 20. Retrieved August 26, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Little League World Series Team Sportsmanship Award to be Named for Jack Losch". littleleague.org. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
Further reading
edit- "Hawaii and Georgia Presented With Jack Losch Little League Baseball® World Series Team Sportsmanship Award". littleleague.org. August 26, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.