Ed starred on Fordham's football team from 1930-33. His Fordham teams had an 18-5-2 record during his three seasons.
 
He gained his greatest fame as a player with the New York Giants, leading them to a pair of NFL titles as one of the NFL's best passers in an era when the passing game was just beginning to emerge as an offensive weapon.
 
Fordham dropped football during World War II and Danowski, who served in the Navy during the war, was chosen to help revive the sport in 1946 becoming head coach. His 1949 team won its first four games and finished with a 5-3 record; and his 1951 team won eight of nine games, losing only to Yale 21-14.