Detroit Lions: 15 best first-round draft picks of all-time
By John Buhler
Playing at well at one position in football is tough. Starring at positions on opposite sides of the ball is even more difficult. Center/linebacker Alex Wojciechowicz did that during his 13-year NFL career split between two teams. Detroit selected the two-time All-American out of Fordham with the No. 6 overall pick in the 1938 NFL Draft.
In college, Wojciechowicz was part of the “Seven Blocks of Granite” offensive line at Fordham. He would absolutely bring his lunch pail mentality to the NFL as a 60-minute player for the Lions in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Wojciechowicz would earn First-Team All-Pro Honors twice in his eight-plus years with the Lions.
After the first game of the 1946 season, Wojciechowicz would be released by the Lions in the midst of a panic move. Days later, he would sign with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he would play the next five NFL seasons before retiring after the 1950 NFL season. He would win two NFL championships while with the Eagles.
Wojciechowicz is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame from his days starring at Fordham. He would make the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team. In 1968, he would earn Canton enshrinement.
His classmates in the Pro Football Hall of Fame include Los Angeles Rams running back Elroy Hirsch, Cleveland Browns fullback Marion Motley, Washington Redskins end Wayne Millner and Chicago Cardinals running back Charley Trippi.