Avada Car Dealer News

Charter member, inducted in 1974 … 1932 Pearl River H.S. alumnus … first Rocklander to be enshrined in a professional Hall of Fame, gaining induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966 …during his eight-year career (1936-43) as a guard with the Chicago Bears, Fortmann was elected All-Pro six times … he helped lead the Bears to three National Football League titles and five divisional championships … at Pearl River, he starred in four sports, most notably football, in which he was an All-County halfback … he graduated valedictorian of his class … as an offensive lineman at Colgate University he earned All-East honors … in his senior season he was chosen to four postseason all-star games, including the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Game … he earned Phi Beta Kappa honors in a rigorous pre-med curriculum … Fortmann enrolled at Rush Medical School at the University of Chicago and played pro football to finance his medical education … became an accomplished surgeon, serving as the chief of staff at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank, Calif. … more than a thousand Rocklanders flocked to the Polo Grounds to honor Fortmann on “Danny Fortmann Night” in the late 1930s … he died in 1995.