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Vic Obeck

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Vic Obeck
No. 35, 75
Vic Obeck giving a lecture in Montreal, 1948
Born:(1917-03-28)March 28, 1917
Philadelphia
Died:April 21, 1979(1979-04-21) (aged 62)
New York City
Career information
Position(s)Guard/Tackle
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight225 lb (102 kg)
CollegeSpringfield College
High schoolAudubon
(Audubon, New Jersey)
Career history
As administrator
1947–1955McGill (Athletic director)
1955–1956Montreal Alouettes (General manager)
1957–1966NYU (Athletic director)
1966Brooklyn Dodgers (Executive VP)
1968Westchester Bulls (Vice president)
As coach
1941Akron (Assistant coach)
1947–1953McGill (Head coach)
As player
1945Chicago Cardinals
1946Brooklyn Dodgers

Victor Francis Joseph Obeck (March 28, 1917 – April 21, 1979) was an American gridiron football player, coach, and executive.

Obeck played high school football at Audubon High School, where his team won the New Jersey state championship.[1] He played tackle at Springfield College from 1938 to 1940. He served as an assistant football coach at the University of Akron for one season before joining the United States Navy.[2] Following his discharge, he played for the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League and Brooklyn Dodgers of the All-America Football Conference.[3]

In 1947, Obeck was named head football coach and athletic director at McGill University. He stepped down as head football coach in 1953 and left the school entirely in 1955 to become the general manager of the Montreal Alouettes.[4] He posted a 23–22–2 record at McGill and a 20–6 record with the Alouettes. The Alouettes appeared in the Grey Cup during both of Obeck's seasons as GM.

While in Montreal, Obeck hosted The Vic Obeck Show also known as Vic Obeck's Parade of Sports, a television show dedicated to sports with an emphasis on football.[5]

Obeck returned to the United States in 1957 to become the athletic director at New York University.[6] Obeck left NYU in 1966 and later that year became the Executive Vice President of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the Continental Football League.[7] The team disbanded after one season and in 1968 he joined front office staff of the Atlantic Coast Football League's Westchester Bulls.[8] In 1964, he wrote and published a book on isometric exercise called How to Exercise Without Moving A Muscle.

While at NYU, Obeck served as a college and high school basketball color commentator for WPIX; calling games alongside future Basketball Hall of Famer Marty Glickman.[9]

Obeck returned to Canada in 1969, working public relations for a security agency and establishing youth football camps.[10][11] He also served as a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee and was a publicist during the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.[12] Obeck died on April 21, 1979, in New York City. In 2009, he was inducted to the McGill Sports Hall of Fame.[13]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Dean, Robert. Popularity Of Football Owes Much to Vic Obeck: McGill Coach Unofficial Ambassador of Good-Will for Fall Pastime, The Canadian Register, October 2, 1948. Accessed February 26, 2011. "When Vic was of high school age, his family moved to New Jersey, where he starred on the Audubon High School eleven, New Jersey high school champions."
  2. ^ "Obeck in Navy". Christian Science Monitor. March 12, 1942.
  3. ^ Vic Obeck, Pro-Football-Reference.com. Accessed February 26, 2011.
  4. ^ "Vic Obeck Swings Over From McGill". Canadian Press. December 9, 1954. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  5. ^ "NamesPro.ca | Register with Confidence".
  6. ^ "Vic Obeck Named". Christian Science Monitor. April 26, 1957.
  7. ^ "Obeck Joins Brooklyn Club's Executive Staff". The Hartford Courant. August 24, 1966.
  8. ^ "Football Post to Obeck". New York Times. May 23, 1968.
  9. ^ "Spotlight: Hall of Fame Profile: Vic Obeck". www.mcgill.ca. Archived from the original on August 3, 2009.
  10. ^ Marv Moss (August 7, 1969). "Vic Obeck back". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  11. ^ Dink Caroll (June 8, 1971). "Als aware homebred talen key to successful operation". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  12. ^ Michael Gibbons (December 30, 1975). "Olympic Games--summer excitement in Montreal". Christian Science Monitor.
  13. ^ "Spotlight: Hall of Fame Profile: Vic Obeck". www.mcgill.ca. Archived from the original on August 3, 2009.
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