Born in La Grange, Texas on

August 31st 1935.

Died in Dauphin Island, Alabama in January 2002 at the age of 66

In Retirement:

John and Sarah spent as much time as they could at their beach house on Dauphine Island, Alabama. Family was always glad to come indulge in never ending seafood feasts and days filled with fishing, swimming and the occasional late night Wille Nelson record.. John had become the "Old Man By the Sea". With his super dark tan and sun bleached white hair he set crab pots and gill nets when the family would come to town to ensure they all returned home with large coolers full of fresh catch. The grandchildren were his biggest pride and joy. He measured everyone when they came to visit in the doorway to the sunroom. Four generations had their numbers posted as if they were weighing in for training camp. It did not matter if you were grown up or not you still got measured.

It should also be noted that he was an avid plant lover and had the lushest yard on the Dauphine Island West End. He grew tomatoes in the sand and loved to tell how the giant yuccas came from the front of Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. The landscapers dug them all out to put in something new. Being the guy that he was, he made small talk with a couple of the guys and ended up taking home a couple of bags of them. His got washed away in hurricane Katrina, but those yuccas live on in North Carolina because he gave a couple of babies to his oldest grandson. In fact everyone in his family can say that they have a plant that came directly from him. They were gifts, just as his wooden creations were. Something to remember him by.

There were many times in his life that Symank had to overcome adversity. Coming from a single parent home fresh out of the Great Depression, he acheived relative stardom. Just to be mentioned in the same breath as Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr, and Paul Hornung is an honor. To set an NFL record as a rookie was an honor. The thing about John was that he took just as much pride in leaving the garbage collectors an ice cold Coca-Cola every time they picked up his trash. He knew how hard people worked and respected all those who gave their 100%.

His Obituary:

John Symank was born in La Grange, Texas on August 31st 1935. Symank graduated from University of Florida. He had occupations including athlete, football coach, professional athlete, american footballer, football coach and safety. He lived in Texas. He died in Dauphin Island, Alabama in January 2002 aged 66 years and 5 months old.