Tribal Warfare
02-22-2011, 02:23 AM
Former Chief Ed Podolak is stable after car accident (http://www.kansascity.com/2011/02/21/2672733/former-chief-ed-podolak-is-stable.html)
Former Chiefs running back Ed Podolak, a longtime Iowa football commentator, suffered serious injuries after being struck by a car early Sunday morning in Scottsdale, Ariz.
He was in stable condition at a Scottsdale hospital Monday afternoon, according to Podolak’s daughter, Laura.
She made a statement to the Des Moines Register with details and said that police indicated that alcohol was not a factor.
Podolak, an Iowa announcer for 30 years, was in Arizona attending a friend’s wedding. The extent of his injuries wasn’t immediately known. He was struck while walking across the street from the hotel in which he was staying.
“My initial reaction was one of shock and reiteration of how quickly one’s life can change,” Iowa radio announcer Gary Dolphin said Monday night.
Former Iowa broadcaster Jim Zabel, who lives in Scottsdale, didn’t know of the accident until Monday.
“Eddie Podolak is a guy that has nine lives,” Zabel told The Register, “and he’s already survived three to four of them that I know of, including the NFL.
“If anybody can survive something like this, it’s Ed.”
Podolak played for the Chiefs during 1969-77 and was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 1989.
He’s the Chiefs’ fourth all-time leading rusher with 4,451 yards and ranks fifth with 34 touchdowns.
On Christmas Day 1971 — the last Chiefs game in Municipal Stadium — Podolak turned in one of the best all-round performances in pro football history when he amassed an NFL single-game postseason record 350 yards in a double-overtime playoff loss to Miami. He had 85 rushing yards, 110 receiving yards and 155 yards on returns.
Laura Podolak added in her statement: “The Podolak family appreciates your concern, but requests privacy while Mr. Podolak continues to recover from his injuries.”
Reached later Monday, Laura Podolak told the Register that her father was “stable and alert. My dad is in good spirits and is continuing his recovery.”
Former Chiefs running back Ed Podolak, a longtime Iowa football commentator, suffered serious injuries after being struck by a car early Sunday morning in Scottsdale, Ariz.
He was in stable condition at a Scottsdale hospital Monday afternoon, according to Podolak’s daughter, Laura.
She made a statement to the Des Moines Register with details and said that police indicated that alcohol was not a factor.
Podolak, an Iowa announcer for 30 years, was in Arizona attending a friend’s wedding. The extent of his injuries wasn’t immediately known. He was struck while walking across the street from the hotel in which he was staying.
“My initial reaction was one of shock and reiteration of how quickly one’s life can change,” Iowa radio announcer Gary Dolphin said Monday night.
Former Iowa broadcaster Jim Zabel, who lives in Scottsdale, didn’t know of the accident until Monday.
“Eddie Podolak is a guy that has nine lives,” Zabel told The Register, “and he’s already survived three to four of them that I know of, including the NFL.
“If anybody can survive something like this, it’s Ed.”
Podolak played for the Chiefs during 1969-77 and was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 1989.
He’s the Chiefs’ fourth all-time leading rusher with 4,451 yards and ranks fifth with 34 touchdowns.
On Christmas Day 1971 — the last Chiefs game in Municipal Stadium — Podolak turned in one of the best all-round performances in pro football history when he amassed an NFL single-game postseason record 350 yards in a double-overtime playoff loss to Miami. He had 85 rushing yards, 110 receiving yards and 155 yards on returns.
Laura Podolak added in her statement: “The Podolak family appreciates your concern, but requests privacy while Mr. Podolak continues to recover from his injuries.”
Reached later Monday, Laura Podolak told the Register that her father was “stable and alert. My dad is in good spirits and is continuing his recovery.”