Danny Abramowicz was relatively unknown as a football player at Xavier University in Cincinatti. Yet he was among the last drafted (number 17) by the expansion New Orleans Saints in 1967. He was cut, but insisted on staying at training camp because he never got the chance. The coaches liked that determined spunk and did give him another chance. He not only made the team, but became a star from 1967-1974. His best year was 1969, when he was the NFL's leading receiver, catching 73 passes for 1,015 yards and made All Pro.
Abramowicz was the first NFL player to catch passes in 100 consecutive games. He is number four in franchise history in receiving yards. Archie Manning, the father of Peyton and Eli, was his quarterback from 1971- 1974. Eventually he made several halls of fame: Louisiana, Saints, Sugar Bowl, Sports
Faith, National Polish, and Xavier University.
Later Danny became one of Mike Ditka's special teams coach from 1992-1996 for the Chicago Bears. In 1997 he was Mike Ditka's offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints.
During his time in New Orleans, Abramowicz fell into the high life and the drinking. He drifted spiritually and hit bottom as an alcoholic, but God brought him back. Since then he started a men's ministry, "Crossing the Goal". In 2004 he authored a book, “Spiritual Workout of a Former Saint”.
Since 2008 he has had a television program by that same name on the Catholic cable channel, EWTN. On the program he applies pro football and its jargon to help men grow spiritually and get into spiritual shape.
Danny Abramowicz gives talks all over the country at men's conferences. He was the main speaker for our Steubenville Men's Day of Renewal at St. John's Church in Bellaire, Ohio in 2012.
Danny is also active in serving on the Board of Directors of EWTN,
Crossing the Goal and the Donum Dei Foundation. Also, he serves in an
advisory capacity to the Board of Directors of National Fellowship of
Catholic Men and serves as a co-chair for Franciscan University of
Steubenville Capital Drive for Athletics.
Links to Articles & Videos on Danny Abramowicz
His website is crossingthegoal.com. You can find more detail on his life on my personal blog (#70,#75, & #76) at paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com and our Conference Blog (#2 - #19, 30, & 75) at diosteubmen.blogspot.com. You can obtain more details on his career at
http://diosteubmen.blogspot.com/2012/02/8-article interview-of-danny-abramowicz.html - an article interview of Danny Abramowicz in the Cleveland Plain Dealer January 31, 2010 issue just before the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts 31 - 17 in Super Bowl XLIV.
http://diosteubmen.blogspot.com/2012/03/19-two-hundred-men-attend-diocesan-mens.html - Summary of Danny Abramowicz's talks at the 2012 Steubenville Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal.
http://diosteubmen.blogspot.com/2013/01/danny-abramowicz-was-our-conference.html - "Why Men's Small Groups?"
http://diosteubmen.blogspot.com/2015/01/75-spiritual-workouts-game-plan-for.html - "Spiritual Workouts: A Game Plan for Spiritual Fitness.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Abramowicz - his bio.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AbraDa00.htm - his stats.http://www.neworleanssaints.com/news-and-events/article-deshazier/Where-are-they-now-Former-New-Orleans-Saints-receiver-Danny-Abramowicz/d67b6644-4c01-4021-a569-f050b10bb7cc - an article about Danny on the New Orleans Saints website.
http://www.lasportshall.com/inductees/football/danny-abramowicz/ - more insights on him.
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-mozilla-003&hsimp=yhs-003&hspart=mozilla&p=Danny+Abramowicz#id=1&vid=982dac541ba615e7f32278e2f9310e32&action=click - clips of Danny's playing days.
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-mozilla-003&hsimp=yhs-003&hspart=mozilla&p=Danny+Abramowicz#id=4&vid=7734ebaeebc99d0c32f79d6232e12a97&action=click - Interview of the Crossing the Goal team by Fr. Mitch Pacwa.
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-mozilla-003&hsimp=yhs-003&hspart=mozilla&p=Danny+Abramowicz#id=2&vid=fe7076efa7d68c24c3219d6245f1a98c&action=click - A Crossing the Goal TV Program: Marks of a True Christian.
He seemed to have it all: a beautiful family, a big house, and the celebrity that comes with being a star player in the National Football League. In the late 60s and early 70s, Danny Abramowicz was the toast of New Orleans, but as his Catholic faith faded into the background he felt alone and helpless against the temptations and expectations of fame.
This book is about the answer to that prayer. Danny Abramowicz gives an inside view of his life in the NFL alongside the reinvigoration of his Catholic Faith and the development of a prayerful relationship with Jesus Christ. Join him on his journey from “cultural Catholic” to EWTN television host and evangelizer of Catholic men across the country.
Even if you didn’t play and coach professional football with the likes of Archie Manning and Mike Ditka, you will find Danny’s down-to-earth telling of his story approachable and relatable. Most of all, Danny brings the hope of brotherhood in Christ to all men who have felt, or are now feeling, the despair of professional, personal, and spiritual failure.
Endorsements
 |
| Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput |
"Through personal anecdotes and practical spiritual lessons, Danny
Abramowicz lays out a road map for men to discover the greatness our
Lord desires for every one of us. This is an important book for any man
looking to grow in holiness."
In 2015 Archbishop Chaput organized the World Meeting of Families in Philadephia in which Pope Francis visited. We heard him speak several times and attended masses in which he was the main celebrant among many cardinals, archbishops, and bishops who concelebrated.
 |
| George Weigel, best selling author. |
"Our world desperately needs strong families led by men on fire for Christ and His Church. In Crossing the Goal,
Danny Abramowicz applies lessons learned from a lifetime of struggles
and successes - athletically and spiritually - to help men flourish in
their roles as husbands and fathers."
George Weigel frequently appears on the World Over program on EWTN television and is a prolific author. For a list of his books, go to https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/17341.George_Weigel.
 |
| Mike Ditka, Hall of Fame Tight End and Head Coach of the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints |
"When I first knew Danny Abramowicz, I never would have thought he would
someday write a book about bringing men to Christ. But that's exactly
why this book is so important. God has a plan for all of us; Crossing the Goal will help men find His plan for each of them."
I saw Mike Ditka play basketball in the late 1950s for the University of Pittsburgh against then Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University) where I was a Chemical Engineering student. In those days, it was not rare for an athlete to play two varsity sports in college. I was close enough at Carnegie Tech's small gym to see the great intensity on his face. That certainly helped him become a Hall of Fame tight end for the Chicago Bears.
 |
| Archie Manning, the franchise Quarterback of the New Orleans Saints 1971 - 1982 |
"Bram, as we called him, played the game of football with passion and
determination, and he has now carried those same qualities over to the
practice of his faith. In his book, Crossing the Goal, he introduces men to a spiritual fitness workout program that can transform their lives, as it did for him." He was Danny Abramowicz's quarterback from 1971-1974.
Archie Manning is the father of two great quarterbacks, future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos) and Eli Manning still playing for the New York Giants. Danny related in a conversation at a Men's Conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville that he bounced the two future pro quarterbacks off of his knees when they were still toddlers. I asked Danny: "How do you compare the Manning brothers as quarterbacks to their father? He replied: "Peyton and Eli were better quarterbacks, but Archie was the better athlete because having little protection from his offensive line, he had to scramble for dear life". With better protection, perhaps Archie would have had as good stats as his sons.
No comments:
Post a Comment