Jack Karwales

John Joseph Karwales (June 22, 1920 – December 31, 2004) was an American football player. He played at the end and tackle positions for the University of Michigan in 1941 and 1942. Following four years of service in the United States Army Air Forces during and after World War II, he played professional football for the Chicago Bears in 1946 and for the Chicago Cardinals in 1947.

Early life Karwales was the son of Felix Karwales Sr., and Mary (née Shemky) Karwales. He was born in 1920 on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois, and attended Harrison Technical High School in Chicago. Karwales had been expected to play for the 1940 team, but a knee injury sidelined him for the season. He played for the 1941 Michigan team that finished 6–1–1 and ranked No. 5 in the final AP poll,

World War II In 1943, Karwales entered the United States Army Air Forces where he served for almost four years during an after World War II. He served in the Pacific theater, He joined the Bears in August 1946 for their summer training camp in Collegeville, Indiana. According to some sources, Karwales played at the end position for the 1946 Chicago Bears team that won the NFL championship. Other sources do not list Karwales among the regular season roster of the 1946 Bears. A Chicago Daily Tribune article from September 1947 reported that Karwales had played with the Akron Bears in 1946.

Karwales signed with the Chicago Cardinals on October 1, 1947. He played for the 1947 Cardinals team that compiled a 9–3–0 record and finished 1st in NFL West Division.

Later years and family Karwales was hampered as a football player by bad knees and retired as a football player in 1948.

Karwales was married to Virginia Kailer. They had two daughters, Cathy O'Hara and Jill Fink. His brother, Felix Karwales Jr., was a rookie pitcher for the Cleveland Indians in 1940 before being inducted into the U.S. Army. Felix was injured in action in Germany in February 1945 and died in October 1949.

Karwales became a co-owner of the Kailer-Youngquist Oldsmobile dealership in Chicago. He later owned an Oldsmobile dealership named Karwales Olds, inc. located in Wheaton, IL.

Karwales was a resident of Evanston, Illinois for approximately 50 years. He retired in 1983, and his wife died in January 1993.

Karwales died on December 31, 2004, at the Bethany Retirement Community in Chicago. His funeral mass was held at St. Catherine Laboure Catholic Church in Glenview, Illinois.