John Ghindia

John Verle Ghindia (October 12, 1925 – March 16, 2012) was an American football player, high school coach, educator, and municipal recreation director.

Ghindia went straight from the Army Air Corp to playing college football at the University of Michigan from 1946 to 1949 under legendary head coaches Fritz Crisler and Bennie Oosterbaan. He was the starting quarterback for the 1949 Michigan Wolverines football team that compiled a 6-2-1 record, tied for the Big Ten Conference championship, and finished the season ranked No. 7 in the final AP Poll. He also appeared in one game at the fullback position in 1948 campaign, before a knee injury ended his season. Ghindia was a member of the undefeated 1947 and 1948 teams, both crowned national champions. The 1947 team is considered one of college football's all-time greats after beating USC 49–0 in the 1948 Rose Bowl. In 1946–1949, Michigan won the Big Ten Football Championship three (3) times.

After earning his bachelors and masters degrees in mathematics, Ghindia served as a high school math teacher and coach at Wyandotte Saint Patrick's, Lincoln Park High School, and Ecorse High School in Michigan. At St Pat's, John coached football, basketball and baseball for 7 years, winning numerous Catholic League titles, and never losing to arch-rival Wyandotte Our Lady of Mt Carmel. At Ecorse High, in 1967, he coached the varsity hockey team (as a last-minute emergency replacement) to a State Runner-up in his only year. Ghindia was the tennis coach from 1964 to 1985, and led his teams to numerous conference and state regional championships, compiling a record of 251-82. He was inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame, Michigan Catholic Coaches Hall of Fame, and the Michigan Tennis Hall of Fame. He also served as director of the Ecorse Recreation Department.