John Ghindia
John Verle Ghindia (October 12, 1925 – March 16, 2012) was an American football player, high school coach, educator, and municipal recreation director. Ghindia played college football at the University of Michigan from 1946 to 1949. He was the starting quarterback for the 1949 Michigan Wolverines football team that compiled a 6-2-1 record, tied for the Big Ten Conference championship, and finished the season ranked No. 7 in the final AP Poll. He also appeared in one game at the fullback position for the undefeated 1948 Michigan team that was recognized as the national champion in the final AP Poll. Ghindia later served as a high school math teacher and coach at Wyandotte Saint Patrick's in Wyandotte and Ecorse High School in Michigan. At St Pat's, John coached football, basketball and baseball for 7 years, winning numerous Catholic League titles, and never losing to arch-rival Wyandotte Our Lady of Mt Carmel. At Ecorse High, in 1967, he coached the varsity hockey team (as a last-minute emergency replacement) to a state runner-up in his only year. Ghindia was the tennis coach from 1964 to 1985, and led his teams to numerous conference and state regional championships, compiling a record of 251-82. He was inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame, Michigan Catholic Coaches Hall of Fame and the Michigan Tennis Hall of Fame. He also served as director of the Ecorse Recreation Department. Early years Ghindia was born in Niles, Ohio, in 1925. His father, John N. Ghindia, was a Romanian immigrant who came to the United States in 1915 and worked in a steel mill. As a youth, Ghindia moved with his family to Ecorse, Michigan. Ghindia attended Ecorse High School there he competed in football, basketball, baseball and rowing. At age 17, he was the player-coach on the Ecorse basketball team that played in the 1942 Class "B" state championship game. As a senior, he was a member of the "eights crew that won the 1943 National High School Championship and North American Rowing Eights Open Championship. After graduating from high school in 1943, Ghindia enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps. He was in the military from 1943 to 1945, attained the rank of a second lieutenant, and served as a bombardier on a B-24 heavy bomber. University of Michigan After being discharged from the military, Ghindia enrolled at the University of Michigan. He played college football at Michigan from 1946 to 1949 under head coaches Fritz Crisler and Bennie Oosterbaan. Ghindia was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity at Michigan. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan in 1950 and a Masters of Science degree in 1962. 1946 to 1948 seasons As a freshman in 1946, Ghindia was a reserve on Fritz Crisler's football team and played on Michigan's "B" team. As a sophomore, he was a reserve player on the undefeated 1947 Michigan Wolverines football team. As a junior in 1948, Ghindia started the first game of the