Alex Karras

Alex Karras was an American multi‑talented figure whose career spanned the gridiron, the wrestling ring, the broadcast booth and the silver screen. Born on July 15, 1935 in Gary, Indiana, he grew up as the son of Greek‑immigrant physician Dr. George Karras and Canadian‑born nurse Emmeline Wilson, and after his father’s death he turned the local parking lot into a makeshift football practice field with his brothers. His prodigious size and ferocity earned him a scholarship to the University of Iowa, where he overcame early academic and disciplinary struggles to become a consensus All‑American, win the Outland Trophy in 1957 and finish as the runner‑up for the Heisman, an extraordinary feat for a lineman. Drafted tenth overall by the Detroit Lions in 1958, Karras became one of the NFL’s most feared defensive tackles, earning four Pro Bowl selections, three First‑team All‑Pro honors and a place on the 1960s All‑Decade team, while missing only a single game in twelve seasons (the 1963 season when he was suspended for gambling). During that hiatus he returned to professional wrestling, adopting the moniker “Dick the Bruiser” and proving his versatility. After retiring from football he leveraged his larger‑than‑life personality into a successful acting career, most memorably portraying the hulking, philosophically inclined thug Mongo in Blazing Saddles (1974) and later playing George Papadopolis on the sitcom Webster alongside his wife, actress Susan Clark. Karras also worked as a sportscaster for Monday Night Football, authored the memoir Even Big Guys Cry, and even owned an ice‑cream parlor in South Carolina. His later years were marked by health battles, including dementia, heart disease, cancer and kidney failure, culminating in his death on October 10, 2012 in Los Angeles, but his legacy endures through his Hall of Fame inductions, his beloved film and TV roles, and the countless stories of a man who could dominate a defensive line and still deliver a comedic punchline.