Edward Steven Konopasek (born April 12, 1964) is a former American football offensive tackle. A replacement player during the 1987 National Football League (NFL) strike, he played three games for the Green Bay Packers. He played college football for the Ball State Cardinals.
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| Position: | Tackle | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | April 12, 1964 Gary, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 289 lb (131 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Griffith (IN) | ||||||
| College: | Ball State (1982–1986) | ||||||
| Undrafted: | 1987 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Early life and education
editKonopasek was born on April 12, 1964, in Gary, Indiana.[1] He attended Griffith High School in Griffith, Indiana, and is their only alumnus to play in the NFL.[2] He played football and basketball at Griffith, being a lineman in the former while a center in the latter.[3][4] In football, he was a three-year starter and played two-ways for his last two seasons, leading the team in tackles and posting 10 sacks as a senior while being named first-team all-state on defense.[4] He helped the team compile a record of 11–1 in his last year and was invited to the North–South All-Star Game.[5]
Konopasek began attending Ball State University after his graduation from Griffith in 1982 and was a member of the scout team that year.[6][7] He joined fellow Griffith graduate Mike Willis at Ball State, and both studied computer science there.[8] He began his collegiate career as a defensive tackle and lettered in 1983 while playing every game.[9][10][11] He repeated as a letterman in 1984 while switching to offensive tackle, being a full-time starter and again appearing in every game while being named honorable mention academic all-conference.[5][10][11][12]
Konopasek was named co-team captain and continued as a full-time starter in the 1985 season, starting all 11 games and extending his streak to 33 consecutive games played.[10][11] He was selected first-team academic all-conference after the year.[10] He was again co-team captain as a senior in 1986 but missed playing time due to an offseason foot injury.[5] He finished his senior year with six games played and was named for the second time first-team academic all-conference with a 3.097 grade point average (GPA).[13] He was also given the Ball State football academic award.[14]
Professional career
editAfter going unselected in the 1987 NFL draft, Konopasek was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent.[1][15] He was released on August 17 but was later brought back to the team as a replacement player during the NFL Players Association strike.[16][17] He made his NFL debut in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings and started all three strike games at tackle for the Packers before being released at the end of the strike.[1][15][18]
Personal life
editKonopasek's brother Ken played college football as a wide receiver for the William Penn Statesmen.[19]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Ed Konopasek Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ "Griffith (Griffith, IN) Alumni Pro Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ "Griffith Panthers". The Times. November 20, 1981. p. 42. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "The Times' 1981 All-Star Football Team". The Times. November 29, 1981. p. 75. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c McNeil, Danny (September 13, 1986). "Konopasek waiting in wings". The Times. p. 8. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ball State Sports". The Star Press. November 17, 1982. p. 15. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "BSU's Lymon Is National Leader". The Star Press. September 22, 1982. p. 13. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ McNeil, Danny (September 24, 1985). "Konopasek, Willis remain optimistic". The Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ed Konopasek Stats". Pro Football Archives. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "BSU's Ed Konopasek out with foot injury". Muncie Evening Press. August 12, 1986. p. 14. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Three seniors voted Cardinal co-captains". Muncie Evening Press. September 3, 1985. p. 10. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "BSU Athletes Get Academic Honor". The Star Press. November 29, 1984. p. 18. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Packers Cut Ex-Cardinal". The Star Press. August 18, 1987. p. 18. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Konopasek signs with Pack". The Times. May 2, 1987. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Ed Konopasek Transactions". Pro Football Archives. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ "Sports Deals". Tyrone Daily Herald. August 18, 1987. p. 5. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Benson, Randy (September 22, 1987). "3 Ex-BSU Players Sign NFL Contracts". The Star Press. p. 15, 17. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ed Konopasek Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ McNeil, Danny (October 28, 1986). "Highland's Helmer, Crowel to battle". The Times. p. 19. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
