Ed Kolman

Ed Kolman

No. 29, 72
Position	Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born	(1915-10-21)October 21, 1915 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	July 31, 1985(1985-07-31) (aged 69) New Hyde Park, New York, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	232 lb (105 kg)
Career information
High school	Boys (Brooklyn) Stuyvesant (New York, New York)
College	Temple (1936-1939)
NFL draft	1940: 5th round, 37th overall pick
Career history
Playing
Chicago Bears (1940–1942, 1946–1947) New York Giants (1949)
Coaching
New York Giants (1950–1966) Line coach Westchester Bulls (1967-1968) Co-head coach Long Island Bulls (1969) Co-head coach
Awards and highlights
3× NFL champion (1940, 1941, 1946) Second-team All-Pro (1942) 3× Pro Bowl (1940-1942)
Career NFL statistics
Games played 66 Games started 33 Fumble recoveries 1 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Edward Victor Kolman (October 21, 1915 – July 31, 1985) was an American professional football player who played offensive tackle for six seasons with the Chicago Bears and New York Giants. He was selected with the thirty-seventh pick in the fifth round of the 1940 NFL draft. Kolman had a strong start to his professional playing career; however, it was interrupted by a combination of injuries & wartime efforts. He is best known for his key contributions during the Chicago Bear’s ‘Wonder Years’ & the New York Giants ‘Golden Years’, between 1945—1965.

Prior to his playing career, Ed was a lifeguard within his local Brooklyn community. During the winter, he played the violin around New York City for extra money. Once Ed’s father passed away, he was launched into the role of full-time provider for his immediate family. Since he was still a high-school student at the time of his father’s death, his financial circumstances influenced him to play football competitively for the scholarship opportunities. Within one year of playing organized football, he earned 10 Division 1 offers.

In 1935, Kolman committed to Temple University. At the time, Temple was lead by legendary Head Coach Glen ‘Pop’ Warner. While at Temple, Kolman lettered 3 of the 4 years. Ed earned the starting job as a sophomore. And by 1939, he captained the Temple Football Team. While starting for Temple, he was a 3-time, 1st Team All-American. After his collegiate playing career, he was inducted into both the Temple Athletics Hall of Fame & the NCAA Football Hall of Fame.

After graduating in 1939, Ed was drafted by the Chicago Bears. In 1940, the Bears were coached by NFL legend, George Stanley Halas Sr. As a rookie, Kolman helped Halas’s Chicago Bears win another National Championship. Because of his contributions during the championship season, Ed was voted 1st Team All-Pro. In his second season, Ed repeated this performance a second time — earning himself back-to-back All-Pro accolades & back-to-back National Championships. In his 3rd season, Kolman earned All Pro Accolades for a 3rd year in a row. Unfortunately, his perfect streak crumbled when the Chicago Bears lost to the Washington Redskins 14-6 in the 1942 National Championship.

By the start of his 4th season, Kolman’s football career was interrupted by World War II. He served in the Pacific War as a submariner for 4 years, from 1942 — 1946. In only 3 years of professional play, Kolman amassed 2 NFL Championships, 3 NFL Championship appearances, & 3 Pro Bowls. Due to a shortage of players during the WWII era, Kolman partially played in the 1942 NFL season before serving in the Pacific theater. Because of his fragmented regular season appearances in 1942, Ed earned 2nd Team All-Pro accolades. During his time in the Pacific, Ed ‘secretly’ played for Navy during the 1942-1945 Army-Navy games.

After Kolman’s retirement from the NFL, he pursued a professional coaching career. Kolman helped coach the New York Giants from 1950-1966 during their ‘Golden Era’. He served as their offensive line coach & draft scout. Ed started his coaching career alongside Vince Lombardi. Once Lombardi left for Green Bay, he offered Ed the Offensive Coordinator role, but he turned it down to stay near family. Ed finished his entire coaching career with New York. He helped them reach 2 National Championships. As an NFL coach, Ed amassed a 98-60-8 record.

Following his professional coaching career, Ed pursued a head coaching gig with the New York Bulls of the ACFL. At the time, the ACFL was a budding minor league organization. In the ACFL, Ed recorded a 20-15 record through 2 seasons.

Following his playing career, Ed settled down in New Hyde Park, Long Island with his wife, Adele. He had 2 children - Rick & Eddie Kolman. In 1973, his son, Rick Kolman, committed to Villanova as a preferred walk-on for basketball. Until an MCL tear derailed his football career, Rick planned on following his father’s footsteps by playing tight end for the University of Virginia. Ed’s grandson, Will Kolman, followed his footsteps & signed his 2019 National Letter of Intent with The Colgate Raiders. At the time of his signing, Colgate was ranked #8 in D1-aa. Will was an All-Central New England inside linebacker who helped revive the Deerfield Academy football program. During his time at Deerfield, he helped kickstart the ‘Barbato’ Dynasty, which still exists under Deerfield Head Coach Brian Barbato today. In 2015, Will joined the Deerfield team with a 3-5 record. By 2018, he led Deerfield to a 5-2 record & helped them earn a New England Championship spot. His performance helped Deerfield finish #1 in most 2018 Massachusetts Composite High School Rankings. His junior campaign ended with All-Central New England accolades. Today, Deerfield still remains a Top 20 powerhouse in the state of Massachusetts. Following Kolman’s early contributions, Deerfield has won 3 additional New England Championships — 2019, 2021, & 2023.

External links

• "Edward V. Kolman, 67, Dies; Played for the Chicago Bears". The New York Times. August 5, 1985. Retrieved March 12, 2010.