The first member of three Tereshinski generations to play football at the University of Georgia has died, according to media reports. Joe Tereshinski was 89.
Tereshinski played tight end and defensive end on Bulldogs teams that won the national title in 1942 and SEC titles in both 1942 and 1946. He later played eight seasons with the NFL’s Washington Redskins.
Tereshinski, a Pennsylvania native, had returned in recent years to Athens, where he lived in an assisted-living home, the Athens Banner-Herald reported. He died Sunday morning.
Three other Tereshinskis would later wear Georgia jerseys.
Tereshinski’s sons, Wally and Joe Tereshinski Jr., both played for Georgia in the mid-1970s. Tereshinski Jr., the team’s current director of strength and conditioning, has been on staff since since 1982.
Grandson Joe Tereshinski III opened the 2006 season as the starting quarterback, but was injured in the second game of the season. Tereshinski III, now an assistant coach for UNC Charlotte, started two more games before being replaced by Matthew Stafford.
A private memorial is planned in the Washington D.C. area, the Athens paper reported.
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