NU star also played for Lombardi in Green Bay
Andy Cvercko holds a distinction in Northwestern University lore: He was the first player to be named an All-American and Academic All-American in the same year.
Mr. Cvercko accomplished that feat in 1958. Two years later he was playing under legendary coach Vince Lombardi on the Western Division Champion Green Bay Packers, before being traded the next year to the Dallas Cowboys.
Ultimately, Mr. Cvercko played four years as a tackle in the NFL, including the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins, before he retired to return to his academic training as an engineer.
Mr. Cvercko passed away on Dec. 3, just two days before his former teammate and friend, Don Meredith. Mr. Cvercko was 73.
Northwestern officials acknowledged Mr. Cvercko's accomplishments as a Wildcat who played on both sides of the ball, when they inducted him into the NU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.
His daughters say Mr. Cvercko took great pride in his Northwestern years and that it was especially gratifying to be inducted into the Hall of Fame the same year as his brother, Jack.
Mr. Cvercko built a career as an electronic engineer at Motorola, and he researched nuclear magnetic resonance at Argonne National Laboratories. But he never forgot his playing days.
He liked to tell stories from his professional career, his daughters say, and especially playing under Lombardi.
“My dad was very fond of Lombardi,” says Margaret Cvercko of Oak Park. “He thought of him as sort of a grandfather, but he still feared him. Here these guys were all over 6 feet, and Lombardi was so small, but they were all terrified of him.”
Mr. Cvercko remained in contact with Paul Hornung, the NFL's leading scorer at the time he played on the Packers, and he also spoke fondly of their quarterback, Bart Starr and middle linebacker, Ray Nitschke.
Still, football took its toll. Family members credit his dramatic health decline to his football career. He was diagnosed with dementia last year, but he also spent the last several years as a quadriplegic, the result, they said of neck and spinal injuries suffered during his career.
“We fought long and hard to get support for him from the NFL, which they did for the last few years,” Margaret Cvercko said. “But mostly we want the fans to know about the sacrifice that these guys made to play professional football, of the impact it had on the rest of their lives, and on their families.”
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking his friends and co-workers to support Dignity After Football, whose mission is to give a voice to the “thousands of disabled and under-pensioned former players.”
“We are supportive of Gridiron Greats, and all the efforts of people like Mike Ditka,” Margaret Cvercko says, “but we chose (Dignity After Football) because of its emphasis on education and prevention, particularly among high school players, where it starts.”
Besides his daughter, Mr. Cvercko is survived by three other children, Catherine (Donald) Mrofeza of Rolling Meadows, Charles of Seattle and Susan (David) Eastwood of Denver, as well as eight grandchildren.
Visitation will begin at 4 p.m. Monday before an 8 p.m. funeral service, at Meadows Funeral Home, 3615 Kirchoff Road in Rolling Meadows.