LaVern Dilweg

LaVern Ralph "Lavvie" Dilweg (November 1, 1903 – January 2, 1968) was an American professional football player, attorney, and U.S. Congressman from Wisconsin.

Football Born and raised in Milwaukee, Dilweg attended its public schools and graduated from Washington High School. He enrolled at Marquette University in Milwaukee and played college football for the Golden Avalanche under head coach Frank Murray. A three-sport college athlete, he played center on the basketball team and was a shot putter on the track team. Dilweg was an All-American end, and played in the first East–West Shrine Game in San Francisco in late 1925. The Golden Avalanche had a record of 28–4–1 during Dilweg's four years.

After two undergraduate years at Marquette, Dilweg had enrolled in the MU law school, and was admitted to the Wisconsin Bar in 1927. While in law school in 1926, he played professionally for the Milwaukee Badgers, an NFL team in its fifth year that folded before the end of the season. While practicing law in Green Bay, he continued to play pro football, he signed with the Green Bay Packers in August 1927 and played through the 1934 season, with football in the morning and afternoons at the law office.

Dilweg played in 107 games (out of a possible total of 113) while starting 72 of them. Records are incomplete, but they show Dilweg having 12 touchdowns with 23 receptions on 443 yards. Considered the best all-around end in pro football prior to Don Hutson, Dilweg was named to the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team, and is only one of two players on the list not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was named consensus All-Pro for five consecutive years, with four of those years being unanimous All-Pro. In 2005, he was named to the Professional Football Researchers Association Hall of Very Good in the association's second HOVG class and his candidacy for induction into the Professional Football Hall of Fame is one of four candidacies that the PFRA officially supports. In 1970, he was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

Political career During World War II, Dilweg was elected to Congress in 1942 as a Democrat from the 8th district. He announced his candidacy in late July, less than four months before the election, His death came just two days after the famous Ice Bowl game at Green Bay on New Year's Eve. Dilweg is interred at the Fort Howard Cemetery in Green Bay.

Personal Dilweg's wife, Eleanor Coleman Dilweg (1906–1978) was an Olympic swimmer from Milwaukee and a former world record holder. They met at Marquette, married in 1927, and had three sons.

Grandson Anthony Dilweg was an NFL quarterback from 1989 to 1991, with the Packers and Los Angeles Raiders. He played college football at Duke under head coach Steve Spurrier.

Dilweg was an initiated Freemason, Knight Templar and Shriner.

Career statistics

NFL Legend Won the NFL Championship Led the league Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Receiving KickingScoring GP GS Rec Yds Y/R Lng TD R/G Y/G XPM IntTD AllTD 1926 MIL 9 9 0 0 0 0 1927 GNB 10 10 1 0 1 2 1928 GNB 12 12 0 0 0 0 1929 GNB 13 9 3 0 0 3 1930 GNB 12 10 2 0 1 3 1931 GNB14 10 4 1 0 4 1932 GNB14 4 5 83 16.6 0 .4 5.9 1 0 0 1933 GNB 11 6 13 225 17.3 0 1.2 20.5 0 0 0 1934 GNB 12 2 5 135 27.0 39 2 .4 11.3 0 0 2 Career 107 72 23 443 19.3 39 12 .6 12.0 2 2 14