Leroy Monsky

Who was Leroy Monsky?

Leroy G. Monsky, Sr. was an All-American football player. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Monsky was an All-State football player at Sidney Lanier High School. After high school, Monsky enrolled at the University of Alabama where he played on the Crimson Tide football teams from 1935–1937. He was selected as a consensus All-American in 1937 at the guard position. He was the captain of the 1937 Alabama football team that played in the 1938 Rose Bowl. Noted sports writer Grantland Rice said of Monsky: "Leroy Monsky, amazingly fast for his size and power, was outstanding on both offense and defense and was a key man in the Alabama attack which specializes in the use of the guards...led many a charge that put Alabama in front after a strenuous tussle. His fighting courage was the deciding factor in most of these games." Monsky was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1978. He died in New York in 1981. While in college he was a member of the Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity, Psi chapter at the University of Alabama.