Ron Jaworski
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[Ron Jaworski] at NFL.comRonald Vincent "Jaws" Jaworski (born March 23 1951 in Lackawanna, New York) is a former Polish-American football player. In the spring of 1977, Jaworski was "traded" by the Rams to the Philadelphia Eagles for former All-Pro tight end Charles Young; the trade was technically "illegal" under NFL by-laws since both Jaworski and Young had completed their contracts, but no one raised any objection to the deal, so it was permitted to stand.
In 1980 Jaworski was named the UPI "NFL Player of the Year", and also in that same year he received the Bert Bell Award, The Maxwell Football Club's Professional Player of the Year, and the "Professional Athlete of the Year" award sponsored by Dunlop Tire Co. (the Eagles reached the Super Bowl that year, but lost to the Oakland Raiders). Despite compiling generally good statistics during his tenure with the Eagles (which lasted through 1986), he often threw ill-timed interceptions and fans occasionally demanded his replacement by the team's second-string quarterback, Joe Pisarcik. Likewise, the Eagles did not return to the successes of the 1978-81 playoff years under their new head coach, Marion Campbell (the "Swamp Fox"). Following a shaky performance in the 1985 season-opener, he was benched and replaced by rookie Randall Cunningham in Week 2; Jaws subsequently regained the starter's role and performed well, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Month honors in October. After more injuries to Jaws in 1986, Cunningham remained the starter and the team did not re-sign Jaworski at season's end. In the spring of 1987, he signed with the Miami Dolphins as backup to Dan Marino. Jaws never took the field in 1987 and saw limited action in 1988. He moved on to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989, starting a pair of games in a QB rotation that included Steve DeBerg and Steve Pelleur. At one point, he and center Mike Webster formed the oldest starting QB-Center combo in NFL history. Following the season, he retired as an NFL player. Jaworski turned down appeals to return to the Eagles in 1991, when Cunningham was lost for the season in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, on account of a helmet-to-knee hit by linebacker Bryce Paup.
In 1991 Jaworski was inducted into the National Polish-American Hall of Fame. In 1992 Jaworski was inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Honor Roll, and in 1994 he was nominated for admission to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio (his first year of eligibility for this as he had retired five years earlier, in 1989). In 1997 he received the Pinnacle Award from the South Jersey Chamber of Commerce for his outstanding volunteer work and longtime service to the South Jersey Chamber as well as the business community. In 1997 Jaworski received the Bert Bell Award from the Eagles Fly for Leukemia, which is given to the person who had contributed significantly to the NFL.
In 1998, The United Way honored Ron with their Volunteer Leadership Award, which is the highest award given by the United Way.
He currently serves as team president of the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League (owned by Jon Bon Jovi), and an NFL analyst on ESPN. He is considered the best in the business at breaking down game film. He is also part-owner of the Holiday Inn-Philadelphia Stadium hotel, which is across the street from Citizens Bank Park.
In 1979, he and Pisarcik received medals from Pope John Paul II on the occasion of his visit to Philadelphia. Like the Pope, both men had Polish ancestry.
External links
- http://www.ronjaworski.com
- [More Career Stats]
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