ImageLong-time Rotarian Ed Lechner chatted with Gopher Coach Jerry Kill following Tuesday's Rotary meeting.

Ed played for the Gophers in 1939, 1940, 1941 and 1943 and helped lead the Gophers to two National Championships.   He was a 210-pound tackle who played on both sides of the ball.  Ed blocked for All-American halfbacks George Franck and Bruce Smith, who also won the Heisman Trophy in 1941.

In 1941 in a showdown against nationally ranked Northwestern, the Gophers trailed 7-2 in the second half.  Ed broke through the line and blocked a Northwestern punt giving the Gophers the ball in Northwestern territory.  His block helped Minnesota secure an 8-7 win and also helped preserve an undefeated season. 

Ed signed a professional contract with the New York Giants in 1942 and played six games before he decided to go back to Minnesota to continue his studies in dentistry and be near his wife. A new rule allowed Lechner to play for the Gophers in 1943 while he was in medical school and he served as a team captain.

Ed suffered a knee injury in the third game of the 1943 season and then retired from football so he could concentrate on his dentistry degree. Late in 1943, he was commissioned by president Franklin Delano Roosevelt to serve in the Navy on the USS VICKSBURG during World War II. Dr. Lechner proudly served his fellow seamen and also helped identify war casualties through dental records.