LaVern Dilweg

LaVern Dilweg
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 8th district
In office January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945
Preceded by	Joshua L. Johns
Succeeded by	John W. Byrnes
Personal details
Born	(1903-11-01)November 1, 1903 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	January 2, 1968(1968-01-02) (aged 64) St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Eleanor Coleman ​ (m. 1927)​
Children	3, including Gary
Relatives	Anthony Dilweg (grandson)
Alma mater	Marquette University Marquette University Law School
American football player American football career
No. 70
Position:	End
Personal information
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:	Washington (WI)
College:	Marquette
Career history
Milwaukee Badgers (1926) Green Bay Packers (1927–1934)
Career highlights and awards
3× NFL champion (1929, 1930, 1931) All-Decade Teams NFL's 1920s All-Decade Team Sporting News 1920s All-Decade Team Football Digest 1920's All-Decade Team Football Chronicle 1920's All-Decade Team PFRA 1920s All-Decade Team Sunday Mayhem 1920's All-Decade Second-team All-Pros 7× Green Bay Press-Gazette 5× First-team 2× Second-team 5× First-team All-Pro (1927–31) 3× Second-team All-Pro (1926, 1932–33) Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 107 Receptions: 23 Touchdowns: 12 Stats at Pro Football Reference

LaVern Ralph "Lavvie" Dilweg (November 1, 1903 – January 2, 1968) was an American professional football player, attorney, and U.S. Congressman from Wisconsin.^[1][2][3][4]

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Dilweg attended its public schools and graduated from Washington High School. He enrolled at Marquette University in Milwaukee and played college football for the Golden Avalanche under head coach Frank Murray. A three-sport college athlete, he played center on the basketball team and was a shot putter on the track team.^[5] Dilweg was an All-American end, and played in the first East–West Shrine Game in San Francisco in late 1925.^[6][7] The Golden Avalanche had a record of 28–4–1 during Dilweg's four years.^[8]

After two undergraduate years at Marquette, Dilweg had enrolled in the MU law school, and was admitted to the Wisconsin Bar in 1927.^[9] While in law school in 1926, he played professionally for the Milwaukee Badgers, an NFL team in its fifth year that folded before the end of the season.^[10] While practicing law in Green Bay, he continued to play pro football, he signed with the Green Bay Packers in August 1927^[11] and played through the 1934 season, with football in the morning and afternoons at the law office.^[10] Dilweg was recognized as one of the best ends in the NFL during the late 1920s and early 1930s and the Packers won three consecutive NFL championships in 1929, 1930, and 1931. Dilweg was a football official in the Big Ten Conference until his move to Washington, D.C. in early 1943.^[12]

Dilweg played in 107 games (out of a possible total of 113) while starting 72 of them. Records are incomplete, but they show Dilweg having 12 touchdowns with 23 receptions on 443 yards. Considered the best all-around end in pro football prior to Don Hutson, Dilweg was named to the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team, and is only one of two players on the list not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was named consensus All-Pro for five consecutive years, with four of those years being unanimous All-Pro. In 2005, he was named to the Professional Football Researchers Association Hall of Very Good in the association's second HOVG class^[13] and his candidacy for induction into the Professional Football Hall of Fame is one of four candidacies that the PFRA officially supports. In 1970, he was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.^[14]

During World War II, Dilweg was elected to Congress in 1942 as a Democrat from the 8th district. He announced his candidacy in late July, less than four months before the election,^[12] and defeated incumbent Joshua Johns. He served in the 78th United States Congress (January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945), but was not re-elected in 1944, defeated by John Byrnes, who went on to serve 28 years in the seat. Dilweg resumed the practice of law in Green Bay and Washington, and was confirmed as a member of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission in 1961, appointed by President Kennedy.

Ill for several months after surgery, Dilweg was on vacation with his wife in Florida in early 1968 when he died in St. Petersburg, where they had been visiting friends.^[3][4][15] His death came just two days after the famous Ice Bowl game at Green Bay on New Year's Eve. Dilweg is interred at the Fort Howard Cemetery in Green Bay.

Dilweg's wife, Eleanor Coleman Dilweg (1906–1978) was an Olympic swimmer from Milwaukee and a former world record holder.^[16][17] They met at Marquette, married in 1927, and had three sons.^[4] Son Gary (b. 1937) graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the U.S. Marines, and later in the Wisconsin legislature as a Republican from Green Bay.^[18][19][20]

Grandson Anthony Dilweg was an NFL quarterback from 1989 to 1991, with the Packers and Los Angeles Raiders. He played college football at Duke under head coach Steve Spurrier.

Dilweg was an initiated Freemason, Knight Templar and Shriner.^[21]

• United States Congress. "LaVern Dilweg (id: D000349)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Career statistics from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
• LaVern Dilweg at Find a Grave
• Marquette University, Raynor Memorial Libraries – digital archives – LaVern Dilweg