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Johnny Unitas […]
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Ralph Tamm […]
While Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are not perhaps the first countries that come to mind when thinking about professional American football, there have been a handful of players from the Baltic region who played in the NFL. Coincidentally, the distribution of past players from these Baltic nations correspond with the number of amateur teams currently active: two Estonians, one Latvian, and three Lithuanians.
Two twenty-first century NFL players were born in Estonia: Micheal Roos (b. 1982) and Margus Hunt (b. 1987). To date, the only Latvian to play in the NFL was Vilnis Ezerins (b. 1944). The three Lithuanians to play in the NFL were Joe Zapustas (1907–2001), Bill Lajousky (1913–1973), and Arunas Vasys (1943–2024).
Joe Zapustas (E) 6’ 0’’, 198 lbs. Born: July 25, 1907 in Liepāja, Latvia. High School: South Boston, Massachusetts; St. Anselm’s Abbey School, Washington, DC. College: Fordham University, New York, NY. NFL: New York Giants (1933).
Bill Lajousky (G) 5’ 11’’, 200 lbs. Born: April 18, 1913 in Vilnius, Lithuania. High School: Classical High, Worcester, Massachusetts. College: Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. NFL: Pittsburgh Pirates (1936).
Arunas Vasys (LB) 6’ 2’’, 235 lbs. Born: August 18, 1943 in […], Lithuania. High School: Union Grove, Wisconsin. College: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana. NFL Draft: Philadelphia Eagles (1966, 16th round, 234th overall).
Vilnis Ezerins (RB) 6’ 2’’, 217 lbs. Born: April 22, 1944 in Riga, Latvia. High School: Union Grove, Wisconsin. College: University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, Wisconsin. NFL Draft: Los Angeles Rams (1966, 8th round, 112th overall).
Michael Roos (T) 6’ 7’’, 313 lbs. Born: October 5, 1982 in Tallinn, Estonia. High School: Mountain View High School, Vancouver, Washington. College: Eastern Washington University, Cheney, Washington. NFL Draft: Tennessee Titans (2005, 2nd round, 41st overall).
Margus Hunt (DE) 6’ 8’’, 295 lbs. Born: July 14, 1987 in Karksi-Nuia, Estonia. High School: Karksi-Nuia Gümnaasium, Karksi-Nuia, Estonia. College: Southern Methodist University, University Park, Texas. NFL Draft: Cincinnati Bengals (2013, 2nd round, 53rd overall).
