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 Bears ‘Wonder Years’ & the New York Giants ‘Golden Years’, between 1945—1965.

Prior to his playing career, Ed was a lifeguard within his local community. During the winter, he played the violin around New York City for extra money. Once his father passed away, Ed was launched into the role of full-time provider at 17 years old. Since he was still a high-school student at the time of his father’s death, his financial circumstances influenced him to play football for the scholarship opportunities. Eventually, his high school English teacher convinced him to join the high school team. Within one year of playing organized football, Ed earned 10 Division 1 Scholarship offers.

In 1935, Kolman committed to Temple University. At the time, Temple was led by legendary Head Coach Glen ‘Pop’ Warner. While at Temple, Kolman lettered 3 of the 4 years. In 1935, there was an NCAA rule that prevented true freshmen from playing. Ed sat out his freshman year, but watched the Owls team reach the Inaugural Sugar Bowl versus Tulane University. The Owls lost to Tulane 20-14. Ed earned the starting job his sophomore year. Between 1936-1939, Kolman was a 3-time 1st Team All American. By 1939, he captained the Temple Football Team. After his collegiate playing career, Ed 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 the 1940 NFL Draft. In 1940, the Bears were coached by NFL legend, George Stanley Halas Sr. As a rookie, Kolman helped Halas’s Chicago Bears win a National Championship. Because of his contributions during the Bears championship season, Ed was voted 1st Team All-Pro. In his second season, Ed repeated this performance a second time — earning back-to-back All-Pro accolades & winning back-to-back National Championships. In his 3rd season, Kolman earned 1st Team 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. In only 3 years of professional play, Kolman was a 3-time All Pro selection, 2 time NFL Champion, & made 3 NFL Championship appearances.

By the start of his 4th season, Kolman’s NFL career was interrupted by World War II. He served in the Pacific War as a submariner for 4 years, from 1942 — 1946. 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 in his 4th professional season. During his time in the Pacific, Ed ‘secretly’ played for Navy during the 1942-1945 Army-Navy games.

Once Kolman returned from WWII, it was hard for him to readjust back to his old career. From 1946-1947, Kolman played 2 more seasons for the Chicago Bears before requesting a trade to the New York Giants. He wanted to be closer to home. Once Ed joined the Giants, he played for 1 season before retiring as player. Following Kolman’s career, he was inducted into the Chicago Bears Hall of Fame.

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 on the East Coast. Ed spent his entire coaching career with the New York Giants. He helped them reach 2 National Championships, winning 1. 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 similar to the CFL, USFL, & XFL. As a head coach 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. Ed had 2 children - Rick & Eddie Kolman.

His son, Rick Kolman, briefly played basketball at Villanova. Ed’s grandson, Will Kolman, followed his footsteps & signed his 2019 National Letter of Intent with The Colgate Raider, #8 in FCS D1-AA national polls at the time. He was an All-Central New England & MassPreps All-State inside linebacker. Will was a key factor in reviving the Deerfield Academy football program — leading them to their second New England Bowl in history by 2018. Today, Deerfield remains a On3-Massey Top 20 team in Massachusetts & won 3 more 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.