Joe Ratica

Joe Ratica

Personal information
Born:	(1914-08-04)August 4, 1914 Denbo, Pennsylvania
Died:	1942 (aged 27–28)
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
College:	St. Vincent
Position:	Center / Linebacker
Undrafted:	1939
Career history
Brooklyn Dodgers (1939) Boston Bears (1940) Buffalo Indians (1941)
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-AFL honors (1940)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 7 Games started: 4 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Joseph H. Ratica (August 4, 1914 – 1942) was an American football center and linebacker for the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National Football League during their 1939 season. He was born in Pennsylvania, and attended St. Vincent College.^[1] On October 22, 1939, he played in the first NFL game to be broadcast live on television, against the Philadelphia Eagles.^[2]

References

1. Joe Ratica from NFL.com. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
2. Campbell, Jim (1981). "PRO FOOTBALL'S FIRST TV GAME -- 1939" (PDF). THE COFFIN CORNER. Football Digest. pp. Vol. 3, No. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 11, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2011.