Eddie Michaels (née Mikolajewski) was born June 11, 1914 in
Wilmington, Delaware. He attended
Salesianum School, a Catholic boys' school in Wilmington before attending
Villanova University. He was selected in the second round of the
1936 NFL draft. Originally selected by the
Chicago Bears, following the
1936 season he moved to the
Washington Redskins for
1937, where he was part of the
1937 NFL Championship team, playing primarily in a reserve role. He also played for the
Wilmington Clippers from 1938 to 1942, and 1947. From 1948 to 1950 he played in Canada for the
Ottawa Rough Riders. Michaels also played on the "
Steagles", a merged team consisting of the Eagles and
Pittsburgh Steelers in
1943. The team was the result of a league-wide manning shortage brought on by
World War II. Many of the "Steagles" players were labeled
4-F's, those deemed physically unfit due to ailments such as
ulcers,
flat feet and even partial blindness. Michaels was labeled a 4F because he was nearly deaf. Michaels died in Wilmington on January 21, 1976. He was inducted into the
Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame later in the year of his death. ==References==