George Bednar: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|American-football player (1942–2007)}} |
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| position = [[Guard (gridiron football)|Guard]], [[tackle (gridiron football position)|tackle]] |
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|highschool=[[Holy Redeemer High School|Central Catholic (Kingston, Pa)]] |
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| high_school = Kingston (PA) Central Catholic |
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| ⚫ | '''George John Bednar''' was an American football player for [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football| |
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| ⚫ | '''George John Bednar''' (March 16, 1942 – December 6, 2007) was an American college football player for the [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|University of Notre Dame]], who later became as a business executive. He is most well known for his tenure as a marketing executive for McKesson Imports Company, where he was instrumental in popularizing the [[Harvey Wallbanger]] cocktail. |
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| ⚫ | He then attended the University of Notre Dame, where he played offensive guard and defensive tackle |
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1964 with a bachelor of arts in economics, and married before beginning his NFL career.<ref name=Long></ref> |
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| ⚫ | He then attended the [[University of Notre Dame]] in South Bend, Indiana, where he played offensive guard and defensive tackle for coach [[Joe Kuharich]]'s [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football]] team from 1960 to 1963. After completing his college career, Bednar played in the Blue-Grey All-Star Game and the College All-Star Game.<ref name="Long">{{cite news | last = Long| first = Sherry | title = Area Cocktail King, Football Star Bednar Dies| work = Wilkes-Barre (PA) Times-Leader | date = December 11, 2007 }}</ref> Bednar graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics, and married.<ref name=Long /> |
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==Executive career== |
==Executive career== |
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Bednar became the marketing/sales director for McKesson Imports Company.<ref name=Long /> Bednar marketed the Harvey Wallbanger cocktail in the early 1970s by suggesting bartenders on America's West Coast promote the cocktail.<ref name=Long /><ref>{{cite book |title=Timeless Vintage Drinks & Cocktails: Here's to You! |isbn=978-1493589043 |last=McCleat |first=W.T. |publisher=CreateSpace |year=2013 |page=110}}</ref> During this time, McKesson hired graphic artist Bill Young to develop a "Harvey Wallbanger" character to market the drink, which tends to negate the attribution of the drink and its name to bartender Donatao "Duke" Antone.<ref name="Simonson">{{cite news |author-link1=Robert Simonson |title=Searching for Harvey Wallbanger |first=Robert |last=Simonson |date=December 14, 2012 |work=Saveur Magazine |url=http://www.saveur.com/article/wine-and-drink/Harvey-Wallbanger |access-date=February 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220202004/http://www.saveur.com/article/Wine-and-Drink/Harvey-Wallbanger |archive-date=February 20, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Various authors have speculated that Bednar may have commissioned recipe for the drink itself from Antone, or developed it internally.<ref name=Simonson /> |
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Sales of Galliano quadrupled after Bednar |
The drink is composed of vodka, orange juice and [[Galliano (liqueur)|Galliano]] liqueur, then a product of McKesson Imports.<ref name="Obit">{{cite news | title = Obituary: George Bednar, 65, Was Successful Entrepreneur| work = News-Times (Danbury, CT) | date = December 12, 2007 |url=http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/George-Bednar-65-was-successful-entrepreneur-100037.php}}</ref> Sales of Galliano quadrupled after Bednar helped develop the Wallbanger character and tagline "Harvey Wallbanger is the name... And I can be made!"<ref name=Long /><ref name=Obit /> |
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Building on his success at McKesson, Bednar later became an entrepreneur. He founded International Marketing Group, Inc. in 1976 to provide marketing consulting services to the wine and spirits industry, and creating promotions for Bacardi, Stolichnaya, and Johnny Walker.<ref name=Obit |
Building on his success at McKesson, Bednar later became an entrepreneur. He founded International Marketing Group, Inc. in 1976 to provide marketing consulting services to the wine and spirits industry, and creating promotions for Bacardi, Stolichnaya, and Johnny Walker.<ref name=Obit /> |
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In the early |
In the early 1980s, Bednar and business partner Anthony Wright founded Promotion Systems, Inc. to provide promotion and marketing consulting services to broader companies, such as Johnson & Johnson, Playtex and Seagrams.<ref name=Obit /> In 2004, Bednar founded SunCalc, Ltd., which marketed sunlight measuring devices to home gardeners. |
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==Personal |
==Personal interests== |
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Bednar was a shooting sports enthusiast in later life. In 1981, |
Bednar was a shooting sports enthusiast in later life. In 1981, Bednar bought the Sandanona Shooting Preserve in Millbrook, New York, the oldest private shooting preserve in the United States. Bednar built a premier shooting school on the premises as well as a sporting clays course. A top-tier sporting clays competitor, Bednar also served on the board of directors of the Sporting Clays Association of America. |
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==Family life and death== |
==Family life and death== |
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In 1964, Bednar married his wife Francis. They had three children. At the time of his death from a prolonged illness in 2007, he had eight grandchildren.<ref name=Obit |
In 1964, Bednar married his wife Francis. They had three children. At the time of his death from a prolonged illness in 2007, he had eight grandchildren.<ref name=Obit /> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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{{Raiders1964DraftPicks}} |
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{{St. Louis Cardinals 1964 draft navbox}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bednar, George}} |
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[[Category:1942 births]] |
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[[Category:Players of American football from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania]] |
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[[Category:American football tackles]] |
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[[Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players]] |
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[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals (football) players]] |
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[[Category:People from Kingston, Pennsylvania]] |
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[[Category:2007 deaths]] |
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Latest revision as of 16:37, 4 August 2024
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | March 16, 1942 Kingston, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died: | December 6, 2007 (aged 65) Roxbury, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight: | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Kingston (PA) Central Catholic |
| College: | Notre Dame |
| Position: | Guard, tackle |
| NFL draft: | 1964 / round: 8 / pick: 104 |
| AFL draft: | 1964 / round: 3 / pick: 23 |
| Career history | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
George John Bednar (March 16, 1942 – December 6, 2007) was an American college football player for the University of Notre Dame, who later became as a business executive. He is most well known for his tenure as a marketing executive for McKesson Imports Company, where he was instrumental in popularizing the Harvey Wallbanger cocktail.
Early life and education
[edit]Bednar was born in Kingston, Pennsylvania, and attended Central Catholic High School in Kingston (now amalgamated with Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre). He graduated from Central Catholic in 1960, after achieving success as a high school football player.
He then attended the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, where he played offensive guard and defensive tackle for coach Joe Kuharich's Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team from 1960 to 1963. After completing his college career, Bednar played in the Blue-Grey All-Star Game and the College All-Star Game.[1] Bednar graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics, and married.[1]
NFL Draft
[edit]Bednar was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League in the eighth round of the 1964 NFL draft. Although he signed with Cardinals, he never played in a regular season NFL game.
Executive career
[edit]Bednar became the marketing/sales director for McKesson Imports Company.[1] Bednar marketed the Harvey Wallbanger cocktail in the early 1970s by suggesting bartenders on America's West Coast promote the cocktail.[1][2] During this time, McKesson hired graphic artist Bill Young to develop a "Harvey Wallbanger" character to market the drink, which tends to negate the attribution of the drink and its name to bartender Donatao "Duke" Antone.[3] Various authors have speculated that Bednar may have commissioned recipe for the drink itself from Antone, or developed it internally.[3]
The drink is composed of vodka, orange juice and Galliano liqueur, then a product of McKesson Imports.[4] Sales of Galliano quadrupled after Bednar helped develop the Wallbanger character and tagline "Harvey Wallbanger is the name... And I can be made!"[1][4]
Building on his success at McKesson, Bednar later became an entrepreneur. He founded International Marketing Group, Inc. in 1976 to provide marketing consulting services to the wine and spirits industry, and creating promotions for Bacardi, Stolichnaya, and Johnny Walker.[4]
In the early 1980s, Bednar and business partner Anthony Wright founded Promotion Systems, Inc. to provide promotion and marketing consulting services to broader companies, such as Johnson & Johnson, Playtex and Seagrams.[4] In 2004, Bednar founded SunCalc, Ltd., which marketed sunlight measuring devices to home gardeners.
Personal interests
[edit]Bednar was a shooting sports enthusiast in later life. In 1981, Bednar bought the Sandanona Shooting Preserve in Millbrook, New York, the oldest private shooting preserve in the United States. Bednar built a premier shooting school on the premises as well as a sporting clays course. A top-tier sporting clays competitor, Bednar also served on the board of directors of the Sporting Clays Association of America.
Family life and death
[edit]In 1964, Bednar married his wife Francis. They had three children. At the time of his death from a prolonged illness in 2007, he had eight grandchildren.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Long, Sherry (December 11, 2007). "Area Cocktail King, Football Star Bednar Dies". Wilkes-Barre (PA) Times-Leader.
- ^ McCleat, W.T. (2013). Timeless Vintage Drinks & Cocktails: Here's to You!. CreateSpace. p. 110. ISBN 978-1493589043.
- ^ a b Simonson, Robert (December 14, 2012). "Searching for Harvey Wallbanger". Saveur Magazine. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "Obituary: George Bednar, 65, Was Successful Entrepreneur". News-Times (Danbury, CT). December 12, 2007.