American football player (1933–2015)
American football player
John Stavros Mellekas (June 14, 1933 – June 2, 2015) was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL).[1]
Mellekas played 4 years of football and basketball at Rogers High School in Newport and was named as an inaugural inductee into the Rogers High School hall of fame in January 2008[2] and then played college football at the University of Arizona.[3] He was a 4th round selection (47th overall pick) in the 1956 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears.[4] He played for the Bears (1956–1961),[5] the San Francisco 49ers (1962),[6] and the Philadelphia Eagles (1963).[7]
1961 Chicago Bears offensive line in action. "Bears Workout at Soldier Field for Armed Forces game Friday."
Following his career, he was employed by the Newport school department as a physical education teacher for 36 years, retiring in 1996. Mellekas died in his hometown of Newport, Rhode Island on June 2, 2015.[8] He was a Greek Orthodox Christian.[9][circular reference]
References
- ^ "John Mellekas". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
- ^ "Hall of fame inductees listed for Rogers High". The Providence Journal. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
- ^ "John Mellekas". databasefootball.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
- ^ "1956 NFL Player Draft". databasefootball.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
- ^ "Chicago Bears All-Time Roster". chicagobears.com. Archived from the original on November 16, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
- ^ "San Francisco 49ers All-Time Roster (I-M)". sf49ers.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
- ^ "Philadelphia Eagles All-Time Roster". philadelphiaeagles.com. Retrieved January 2, 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "John S. Mellekas (June 14, 1933 – June 2, 2015)". The Newport Buzz. Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- ^ List of Eastern Orthodox Christians#Athletes
