Xavier University Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1981
- Class:
- 1967
Dan Abramowicz earned three letters in football and was a member of the Legion of Honor. Musketeer football fans became spoiled during the mid-1960's. Every time the football was launched from the arm of quarterback Carroll Williams, it was just assumed the ball would be caught. And more often than not, the ball fell into the hands of Dan Abramowicz.
Abramowicz wasn't blessed with great speed but his precise running of pass patterns and slick moves got him open. His sticky hands seemed to snag any ball that came his way.
His junior year he finished with 50 catches for 738 yards and eight touchdowns, helping Xavier to an 8-2 season. That year Xavier knocked off Miami of Ohio, 29-28, Cincinnati, 14-3, and Dayton, 10-0. The Musketeers were all but bowl bound until they dropped a 57-33 decision to Texas Western on the final day of the season despite a 53-yard touchdown reception by Abramowicz. At the conclusion of his junior year he was named to the All-Catholic All-America Team (The Brooklyn Tablet).
Completing the line on the sure-handed, 6-foot, 198-pound wide receiver, he caught 18 passes for 257 yards in his first varsity season, and grabbed 34 passes for 585 yards and three touchdowns his senior season despite facing double coverage.
Abramowicz holds the XU records for passes caught in a season (50 in 1965) and in a career (102), yards gained through passes caught in a career (1,470), as well as touchdown passes caught in a season (10Â in 1965) and in a career (13).
He graduated with a 3.0 grade point average in Economics and Education. Upon graduation, the Steubenville native was drafted by the NFL's New Orleans Saints. He played wide receiver with the Saints and the San Francisco 49ers until his retirement in 1974. He caught passes in 105 consecutive games, an NFL record which stood until 1982.
