Another look: Thomas Yewcic

Before Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson made the two-sport star relevant during a period of the 1980s and 90s, Cambria County had one of its own.

Conemaugh native Thomas Yewcic dominated the local sports scene before making a major impact at Michigan State in football and baseball.

Thomas Yewcic played football and baseball at Michigan State.

The namesake of the football stadium at Conemaugh Valley, Yewcic was named Most Outstanding Player of the 1954 College World Series, and the Spartans didn't even make the championship game. He went on to sign with the Detroit Tigers and made his major league debut on Jun 27, 1957.

His stay in the big leagues lasted all of one game. A catcher, Yewcic had one career at-bat and abandoned the sport in 1959.

Lucky for him, he was pretty good at football.

A 27th-round selection of the Boston Patriots in 1954, Yewcic eventually joined the team in 1961 and he struck around for six seasons. Yewcic was used as a punter, quarterback, flanker and running back.

He passed for 12 touchdowns and 1,374 yards and rushed for 424 yards and four touchdowns, but made his most significant impact as a punter and he made the Patriots' All-1960s team.

Yewcic also holds a distinction with all-time great Tom Brady. They are the only players in Patriots history to have thrown a touchdown pass, rushed for a touchdown, caught a touchdown and punted.