Andrew J. Kozar

Andrew J. Kozar, Sr., PhD, age 79, of Knoxville, died peacefully Friday Morning, April 29, 2010 at his home surrounded by his family. Andy was born to the late Frank M. and Barbara Bede Kozar in St. Michael, Pennsylvania, where he was reared and educated. He was a longtime member of Sacred Heart Cathedral. Dr. Andy Kozar was offered and accepted a football scholarship to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1948 where he started as fullback for three seasons and was named the Most Outstanding Back for the January 1951 Cotton Bowl. Andy earned All-SEC honors in 1952 and was a integral member of the 1951 National Championship Team. He graduated from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and was drafted by the Chicago Bears football team in 1953. Before he could report to the Bears he was called to active duty with the U.S. Army of that same year and served two years at Fort Benning, Georgia as the Infantry School Physical Training Instructor and later as Company Commander. Following his active duty commitment he returned to the Bears participating in the 1955 preseason before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, at which point he decided to end his football career for further academic pursuits. Dr. Kozar attended the University of Michigan on a Graduate Fellowship earning an MS and PhD after which he was employed on the Michigan faculty from 1962-66. He then returned to the University of Tennessee and served as Department Head from 1969-1975. Andy later accepted the position as Executive Assistant to President Ed Boling of the UT-wide Administration from 1975-1986. He was appointed University Professor in 1986 and returned to the Exercise Science Department. In this position his primary research interests included, History and Biography of Sport/Art and Exercise. Since his appointment as University Professor he has published in Aethlon (Journal of Sport Literature), Proceedings of the National Sports Medicine Conference, Sport in Art from American Museums, and The Thomas Wolfe Review, and other refereed journals. Andy was a Fellow in American College of Sports Medicine (1968) who has published in the areas of youth and adult fitness from 1963-1974 in a number of publications including the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness and The Research Quarterly. Falcon Press released his most recent book entitled Football as a War Game: The Annotated Journals of General R. R. Neyland in November 2002. Other book titles authored by him include Beginning Paddleball, Racquetball, and R. Tait McKenzie, The Sculptor of Athletes. Dr. Kozar was most recently inducted into Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 2005 and was awarded the All-American Legends Award by the All American Football Foundation in Memphis Tennessee in 2002. He was also inducted into Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 and elected to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1979. In 1978 he was honored with the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, being selected as one of five distinguished former student athletes, nationwide, who completed their athletic eligibility 25 years ago, based on athletic achievement in college, other collegiate activities, baccalaureate degree and career achievement. Dr. Kozar was Invited and played in the College All Star Game against Detroit Lions in 1953. Andy was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, Paul, Steve and Evan Kozar, and sister Barbara (Kozar) Workosky. Andy is survived by his wife, the former Marian V. Higgs of Toano, Virginia. She was a graduate student at UT when they met and married in Knoxville in 1954. They enjoyed 55 years of marriage together working and raising a family. Son and daughter in law, Andrew J. (A.J.) Kozar Jr. and wife, Jamie B. (Corona) Kozar; daughter and son in law, Mary Anne Kozar and husband John Wilkerson; daughter, Amy E. Kozar ; grandchildren, Andrew Louis Wilkerson and Maria Jenai Kozar; brother and sister in law, Frank and Marty Kozar of Salix, Pennsylvania; sister ans brother in law, Mary (Kozar) Dipko of Cleveland, Ohio. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made either to Andy Kozar's Graduate Research Scholarship Endowment Fund or the Sports Art Fund. Send donations to Dr. Dixie Thompson, 1914 Andy Holt Avenue, HTER Room 328, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996.

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Andrew J. Kozar

May 11, 1930 - April 29, 2010