As pointed out in this column previously, one can find a substantial number of Jews in sports, especially in management. But none of the tribe is more impressive to look at than Igor Olshansky, a 6-foot-6-inch tall, 309-pound defensive end for the San Diego Chargers.

Olshansky, 24, a native of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, is completing his third season for the Chargers who play the New England Patriots (owned by Jewish philanthropist Robert Kraft) in the semi-final game for the American Football Conference championship, Sunday, at 1:30 pm, PST. The winner advances to the conference championship the following week against the winner of Saturday’s contest between the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens. Two weeks later, the last team standing plays against the National Football Conference champion in Super Bowl XLI (41) at Dolphin's Stadium in South Florida.

A win Sunday, followed by another the following Sunday, would be the perfect antidote to an injury-marred season for Olshansky. He suffered his first knee injury on the first play of the first game of the season against the Oakland Raiders (owned by Jewish owner Al Davis). The pain kept him out of the next game, but he returned and played three consecutive games before missing two more with another leg problem. It wasn’t until the eighth game of the season, before he took his regular position at right defensive end in the Chargers’ 3-4 defense.

The 3-4 defense features three down linemen and four linebackers. The job of the linemen is to funnel the opponent’s runners into the middle and let the linebackers stop them in their tracks. Consequently, the down linemen don’t rack up a lot of tackles. This year, in the San Diego defensive scheme, one linebacker, Donnie Edwards, participated in 142 tackles, 34 more than all three starting down linemen together.

Olshansky is not used to anonymity. As far back as high school at St. Ignatius in San Francisco (interesting choice of high school for a Chabad-educated Jew) he was always a star. He was first-team all-league at St. Ignatius; San Francisco Examiner second-team all-metro, and honorable mention all-area by San Jose Mercury News. After the high school season concluded he scored a touchdown on 17-yard interception return in the California-Texas All-Star Game.

The honors kept piling up for him at Oregon. He made second-team All-Pac-10 as a junior, honorable mention as a sophomore, and was the recipient of the Joe Schaffeld Trophy as Ducks’ top defensive lineman after both his sophomore and junior seasons. He finished his truncated college career with 146 tackles and 11.5 sacks, all the while majoring in psychology.

At San Diego, the stars are the sensational running back LaDainian Tomlinson and third-year quarterback Philip Rivers, incidentally drafted by the Chargers after Olshansky.

Igor is not just big man. He is also considered one of the strongest football players in the National Football League. Three years ago at the rookie evaluation camp run by the NFL, Olshansky bench-pressed 225 pounds an amazing 43 times. That feat followed a University of Oregon team record 505-pound bench press during his on-campus pre-draft workout at the school.

Perhaps some of Olshansky’s strength rubbed off from his grandfather, Abraham Rubashevsky, who fought for the Red Army in World War II and was wounded 11 times, leaving his left hand disabled. Due in part to the influence of his grandfather, Igor still studies military history and martial arts.

The first player from the former Soviet Union to be drafted by an NFL team, he and his family immigrated to the United States when he was seven-years old, settling in San Francisco. The Olshansky’s spoke virtually no English when they arrived in the States, but the Jewish community in San Francisco embraced them and they quickly assimilated in their new home. For several years Igor attended the Chabad-run Hebrew Academy, where he developed a strong Jewish identity. He also stayed true to his family’s Russian heritage and speaks fluent Russian.

Initially Olshansky played basketball in high school. His dad, Yury, played basketball in the Russian Army and Igor followed in his footsteps. He did not play football until his junior year of high school, yet he was good enough to earn a scholarship in the Pac-10 at Oregon. After an outstanding career for the Ducks, he left school following his junior season, opting for the NFL draft.

Igor makes no bones about his Jewish heritage. He has many tattoos, including two of the Star of David. In May, Igor attended the Yom Ha’atzma’ut (Israel Independence Day) Festival at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center in La Jolla, CA. And last July, Igor married the former Liya Rubinshteyn. The couple lives in San Diego with their two dogs.

Sunday, the Chargers will need all of Olshansky’s strength, Tomlinson’s running ability, and Rivers passing artistry, to defeat the New England Patriots. They enter the game with an NFL best season’s record of 14 wins and 2 losses. Twelve years ago, the Chargers played in Super Bowl XXIX. They lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 49-26.

This Super Bowl at Dolphin's Stadium will tie New Orleans for hosting the most NFL championships with nine each.