Jack Zilly, Rams and Eagles End
December 20th, 2009 | Published in Player Deaths
Jack Zilly, who played offensive end and defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles, died on December 18. In college, Zilly played on Notre Dame’s national championship teams of 1943 and 1946. In the intervening two years, he served in World War II. Before his rookie season with the Rams, Zilly played in the 1947 College All-Star game, scoring a touchdown in the All-Stars’ win over the Chicago Bears. He played for the Rams from 1947 to 1951, finished his career with the Eagles in 1952, and went on to coach at Montana State and Notre Dame.
Zilly is pictured here on his 1951 Bowman football card. I always liked this action shot, with the grass flying up behind him and the ball entering the picture in the upper right. Zilly also appeared on a 1950 Bowman card, and his obituary in the Los Angeles Times has a nice action photo of him with the Rams.
