(born
July 15 ,
1935 in
Gary, Indiana ), is a former
Football player, professional wrestler, and
Actor who is best known for playing with the
National Football League 's
Detroit Lions from
1958 -
1962 and
1964 -
1971 . In addition, he starred on the
ABC Sitcom ''
Webster '', alongside real-life wife
Susan Clark , as the titular character's adoptive father.
Alex Karras is the son of Dr. George Karras, a Greek immigrant who graduated from
Chicago and got his medical degree in Canada. There, George Karras met and married a Canadian woman, Alex's mother. George Karras opened a medical practice in Gary, Indiana, but he died when Alex was 13 years old. By that time, Alex Karras had learned to play football in a parking lot near his home, and he blossomed into a four-time Indiana all-state selection at Gary Emerson High School.
His older brothers,
Lou and
Ted , had played at
Purdue but later Ted transferred to
Indiana . Because of this, Alex said, "Indiana had the inside track" on recruiting him, but shortly after he graduated high school, several coaches from the
University Of Iowa took Karras up to
Spencer, Iowa , and convinced him to sign with the Hawkeyes. The coaches had taken Karras to secluded Spencer to keep him away from rival recruiters.
Karras struggled his first few years at Iowa, both with homesickness and with his coach,
Forest Evashevski . Alex probably would have left Iowa had he not befriended a Greek theater owner, as well as fellow players
Cal Jones and
Bob Commings . Karras' sophomore year with Iowa in 1955 got off to a rocky start when he showed up for practice twenty pounds overweight. Karras was also hampered that season by a cracked ankle bone. After being disappointed at not getting to play in the season finale, Karras threw a shoe at Evaskevski and quit the team. Karras did not earn a football letter for the 1955 season.
Karras went to summer classes and whipped his body and grades into shape. He rejoined the football team, but a strained relationship resurfaced. Evashevski promised to start Alex Karras in the 1956 season opener against Indiana, when Alex would square off against his brother, Ted. But Evy played Karras off of the bench instead, and Karras quit the team again. This time, he agreed to rejoin the team only after making Evashevski promise he would not talk to Karras. Iowa took the lead in the 1956
Big Ten title race with a 7-0 victory over
Minnesota . The Hawkeyes then clinched the
Big Ten title and Iowa's first ever
Rose Bowl berth by defeating
Ohio State , 6-0. Karras sealed the game with a quarterback sack on the game's final play.
Iowa's final regular season game in 1956 was against
Notre Dame , which Iowa won, 48-8. Karras called it his most satisfying college win, saying, "The Karrases have always had a rivalry with Notre Dame. The school was just 60 miles down the road from our home and we wanted to beat 'em at anything."
Karras' Register Hall of Fame Bio However, after the game, Karras got into a physical battle with Evashevski.
Karras did not enjoy his trip to the Rose Bowl, either. "Pasadena was the most boring town I’ve ever been in," said Karras. "Menopause Manor. I remember one guy on the team got a date. It was me, and she was 67 years old. I guess you could call that a highlight."
Gridiron Glory: 1956 Despite his bad date, Karras helped the Hawkeyes win the 1957
Rose Bowl over Oregon State, 35-19. He was a first team
All-America n in 1956.
Karras spent the summer of 1957 with an American track team of Greek descent. He participated in the shot put, throwing a respectable 52 feet. In his senior season, Alex Karras was the most dominant lineman in the nation, winning the
1957 Outland Trophy . He also placed second in the voting for the
Heisman Trophy , the highest finish ever for a tackle. In addition, Karras was a
Consensus First Team All-American in 1957.
Hawkeye teammate
Randy Duncan said,
Karras has not returned to Iowa since his playing days. He once remarked,
Karras' Register Hall of Fame Bio
Alex Karras was drafted in the first round by the
Detroit Lions in 1958. However, before his NFL career got underway, he signed a contract as a
Professional Wrestler on
December 13 ,
1957 , earning
$25,000 during the six-month off-season. Eight days later, he officially signed with the Lions, spurning an offer from the
Canadian Football League 's
Winnipeg Blue Bombers .
On
January 7 ,
1963 , Karras' ownership in Detroit's Lindell AC Bar became a source of controversy when league officials urged him to sell his financial interests in the place because of reports of gambling and
Organized Crime influence. After first threatening to retire rather than give it up, Karras admitted placing bets on NFL games and was suspended by the league, along with
Green Bay Packers ' running back
Paul Hornung , for one season (
1963 ).
During his exile, Karras returned to resulted in Karras asking to be traded. However, the Lions settled the issue when they fired Wilson after the
1964 NFL Season .
After another season of controversy under new head coach
Harry Gilmer , Karras was rumored to be ready to play out his option and sign with the expansion
Miami Dolphins of the
American Football League under his former coach Wilson. Instead, Karras signed a seven-year contract with the Lions on
May 20 ,
1966 , with Wilson stating that Karras had used the threat of signing with Miami to garner the large deal with Detroit.
Despite the new contract, controversy remained, as Karras and Gilmer sparred in midseason, with the coach reportedly ready to release the veteran defensive tackle. As before, it would be the coach who would depart, with Karras' former teammate
Joe Schmidt taking over.
On
June 4 ,
1967 , Karras once again hinted that he would retire in order to work at a new business venture; but once training camp began, Karras was back with the Lions. During that preseason, he jokingly commented that he would walk back from Denver if the AFL
Broncos defeated the Lions. When that actually happened, Karras backtracked and flew home on the team plane.
in ''
Blazing Saddles ''.]]
In
1968 , Karras figured prominently in the film adaptation of
George Plimpton 's
Sport s
Book ''
Paper Lion '', playing himself. Three years later, Karras was under consideration for the part of Carlo Rizzi, the duplicitous brother-in-law of the Corleone family, in ''
The Godfather ''. The role was one of many acting opportunities that developed following his performance in ''Paper Lion''.
Following his release by the Lions in with one punch.
That same year, he was quickly brought in by ABC to replace
Fred Williamson as a commentator for the network's ''
Monday Night Football ''. He served three years in that role until leaving after the
1976 NFL Season , with his most memorable comment coming in his first game, when he joked that bald
Oakland Raiders ' lineman
Otis Sistrunk , who never attended college, was from "the
University Of Mars ." http://www.raiders.com/common/article.aspx?id=1766
Other later roles included as the sheriff (Porky's brother) in ''
Porky's '' and as western settler Hans Brumbaugh in ''
Centennial ''. He also played a bodyguard named "Squash" in the movie ''
Victor/Victoria '' In the 1980s, Karras had memorable success in the TV sitcom ''
Webster '', playing the adoptive father of the title character, in a role that showcased his softer side. His actual wife,
Susan Clark , played his fictional wife in the series; she also had a role in ''
Porky's '' but the two never appeared in the same scenes.He and Susan Clark were also in the CBS movie "Babe" (1975), playing George Zaharis to her Babe Didrickson
In conjunction with the 100 years of Hawkeye football celebration in
1989 , Iowa Hawkeye fans selected an all-time team. The squad featured eleven players on offense and defense, two kickers, and fifteen special mention players who received strong fan support. Alex Karras was voted to the team as a defensive lineman. Karras was elected to the
Iowa Sports Hall Of Fame in 1977 and the
College Football Hall Of Fame in 1991.
- He is the younger brother of Theodore Karras , who played guard with the Bears and Lions
- He is also the younger brother of Lou Karras , who played with the Redskins
- He is of Greek origin http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:zmKZnDHU8nEJ:www.greekshops.com/detail.aspx%3FProdID%3DgramvideoV1+Alex+Karras++Greek+American&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=19
- In 1977 he was cast in the lead of the TV movie ''Mad Bull''.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076345/
- He owns an Ice Cream Parlor called The Cow, located in Surfside, SC.
- Tales From The Iowa Sidelines, by Ron Maly (ISBN 1-58261-574-8)
- Greatest Moments In Iowa Hawkeyes Football History, by Mark Dukes & Gus Schrader (ISBN 1-57243-261-6)
- Evy and the Hawkeyes, by Brian Chapman and Mike Chapman (ISBN 0-88011-186-0)
