Stephen Pritko (December 21, 1920 – June 6, 2015) was an American professional football player and coach. He played professionally as an end for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the New York Giants (1943), Cleveland / Los Angeles Rams (1944–1947), Boston Yanks (1948), New York Bulldogs (1949), and Green Bay Packers (1949–1950). Pritko served as the head football coach at Los Angeles City College (LACC) from 1955 to 1962.
Early life and education
Pritco was born December 21, 1920, in Northampton, Pennsylvania. He attended Northampton Area High School and then Villanova University. He was of Ukrainian descent. At Villanova, where he played as a right end, he was a Ukrainian All American, an award given by the Ukrainian Life magazine. [1]
NFL career
Pritco was selected by the Cleveland Rams in the 28th round the 1943 NFL draft. During his NFL career, he played for the New York Giants in 1943, the Cleveland and Los Angeles Rams from 1944 through 1947, the Boston Yanks in 1949, and the Green Bay Packers from 1949 until 1950.
Coaching career
Pritko was hired in 1952 as the head football coach at Mount Carmel High School in Los Angeles.[2] In 1955, he took on the same role at Los Angeles City College (LACC) and coached there through the 1962 season.[3]
Death
Pritko died June 6, 2015, in Gardena, California, at age 94.
Head coaching record
Junior college
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles City Cubs (Western State Conference) (1955–1962) | |||||||||
| 1955 | Los Angeles City | 5–4–1 | 3–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1956 | Los Angeles City | 4–5 | 1–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1957 | Los Angeles City | 7–2 | 4–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1958 | Los Angeles City | 4–5 | 2–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 1959 | Los Angeles City | 7–2 | 3–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1960 | Los Angeles City | 2–7 | 2–5 | T–5th | |||||
| 1961 | Los Angeles City | 4–4–1 | 3–3–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1962 | Los Angeles City | 3–3 | 3–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| Los Angeles City: | 36–32–2 | 21–26–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 36–32–2 | ||||||||
References
- ^ Slobogin, Dietric (December 1941). “Ukrainian Life, December 1941”. Ukrainian Life (December 1941): 11.
- ^ “Pritko New Carmel High Grid Coach”. Daily News. Los Angeles, California. March 15, 1952. p. 15. Retrieved May 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com
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- ^ “Boyer Set To Direct LACC Grid”. Citizen-News. Hollywood, California. December 11, 1962. p. B2. Retrieved May 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .