Aug. 18, 2011
Greatest Athlete #1: `Big Ed' was Riverhead's humble Giant
Bronx, N.Y. -
Fordham University Athletic Hall of Famer Ed Danowski, FCRH '34, was honored as the Greatest Athlete in Area History by The Suffolk Times. Over the past three weeks, The Suffolk Times has been identifying the Top 20 Athletes from the area, culminating with today's posting of Danowski as number one.
Danowski starred on Fordham's football teams from 1930-33, leading the Rams to an overall record of 18-5-2 record during his three seasons, earning All-America honors in 1932 and 1933. He was the first Ram to win All-America accolades in back-to-back seasons.
Following graduation, Danowski gained his greatest fame as a player with the New York Giants, leading them to a pair of NFL titles as one of the NFL's best passers in an era when the passing game was just beginning to emerge as an offensive weapon.
Fordham dropped football during World War II and Danowski, who served in the Navy during the war, was chosen to help revive the sport in 1946 by becoming the Rams' head coach. His 1949 team won its first four games and finished with a 5-3 record; and his 1951 team won eight of nine games, losing only to Yale 21-14.
Danowski was inducted into the Fordham Athletic Hall of Fame in 1975 and into the Suffolk County Hall of Fame in 1991.
