Freeman Fitzgerald

Last updated

Freeman Fitzgerald
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Position Guard
Personal information
Born:(1891-08-21)August 21, 1891
Gervais, Oregon
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight196 lb (89 kg)
Career history
College Notre Dame (1913–1915)
Career highlights and awards

Freeman Charles Fitzgerald (born August 21, 1891) was an American professional football player. He was six feet in height and weighed 195 pounds. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 1913 to 1915 and was selected as an All-American at the guard position in 1915. He later played professional football for the Massillon Tigers (1916), Youngstown Patricians (1917), and Rock Island Independents (1920–1921).

Contents

Early years

Fitzgerald was born in Gervais, Oregon, and raised in Aberdeen, Washington. He attended the Columbia University school, a Roman Catholic school that was part of what later became the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon. He was a three-sport star at Columbia. As a pitcher for Columbia's baseball team, he once struck out 19 batters from Vancouver High School, setting a Portland Interscholastic League single-game record. [1] [2] In 1911, he signed a professional baseball contract with a team in Spokane, but he refused to report, opting to attend the University of Notre Dame instead. [1] In football, Fitzgerald was the starting fullback for the 1911 Columbia football team that played in the Portland Interscholastic League. [1] Four players from the 1911 Columbia team went on to become starters for the Notre Dame football team; they were Fitzgerald, Bill Kelleher, Bill Cook, and Charles Finnegan. [1] Fitzgerald also played left forward for the 1910 Columbia basketball team that won the Portland Interscholastic League championship. [3] In September 1912, Fitzgerald left Oregon for Notre Dame University, "where he is going in for athletics as much as study." [4]

Athlete at Notre Dame

After high school, Fitzgerald enrolled at Notre Dame where he studied mechanical engineering and continued to be a multi-sport star. Though his greatest fame came as a football player, he also won varsity letters in football, baseball, and basketball. [5] Fitzgerald was among the first players in Notre Dame history to receive varsity letters in the three sports. [2]

As a pitcher for the Notre Dame baseball team, Fitzgerald drew the attention of big league scouts. His pitching performance suffered in 1913, and his setback was blamed on the overdevelopment of his shoulder muscles after a summer of "pulling 'lead line' on a seining skiff at the Sand Island seining grounds. [2] His pitching arm recovered in 1914, and he was offered "a fat contract" by the New York Yankees. However, Fitzgerald opted to continue with his education at Notre Dame. [6]

For the summer of 1914, Fitzgerald did not return to the Pacific fishing grounds, instead accepting a job as a lifeguard at Cedar Point on Lake Erie: "What Sand Island at the mouth of Columbia River is to athletes of the Oregon, Cedar Point has long been to the athletes of Notre Dame. Every year between 15 and 20 go there, where working short hours they keep in good condition by swimming and boating, and are in splendid shape to hit into hard football practice in the early Fall." [7]

In football, Fitzgerald played guard for Notre Dame from 1913 to 1915 and was a teammate of Knute Rockne on the 1913 football team. He was selected as the captain of Notre Dame's 1915 football team that compiled a 7–1 record – the sole loss a 20–19 defeat to Nebraska. He was selected as a first-team All-American in 1915 by Eastern sports authority Parke H. Davis and as a second-team All-American by International News Service sports editor Frank G. Menke.

Fitzgerald also excelled academically. He was also one of two Notre Dame athletes to receive the school's jewel in 1915 for highest scholastic standing. [5] In the Notre Dame yearbook for the Class of 1916, the following tribute was paid to Fitzgerald:

"Fitzgerald is a big Oregonian — big in body, in mind, and in heart. During the last four years, he has been one of the most prominent and popular men at Notre Dame. As captain of the great 1915 football team, he won the recognition which his athletic ability deserved — a place on the all-American. His ability to shoot goals from the field and the foul line have made his presence on the basketball team invaluable. After four years of success in meeting the difficulties of the mathematics classes and the other troubles of the engineers, he has succumbed (according to rumor) to the charms of one of the fair ones in the neighboring city." [8]

Professional football and coaching

After graduating from Notre Dame, Fitzgerald played several seasons of professional football. He played for the Massillon Tigers in 1916, where he rejoined his Notre Dame teammate Knute Rockne. [9] [10] The 1916 Massillon Tigers finished in second place behind Jim Thorpe's Canton Bulldogs. [10] In 1917, the Youngstown Patricians (a team affiliated with the Patrician Club at Youngstown's St. Patrick's Parish) sought to win the professional football championship and signed five All-Americans, including Fitzgerald, Tommy Hughitt, Tom Gormley, Bart Macomber, Bill Kelleher, and Gil Ward. [11]

In 1918, Fitzgerald's professional football career was interrupted by military service after the United States entered World War I. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant and assigned as an aviation instructor at Brooks Field in San Antonio, Texas. [12]

After the war, Fitzgerald signed with the Rock Island Independents of the American Professional Football Association (predecessor to the NFL). He played Rock Island in the 1920 and 1921 seasons. [13] From 1922 through 1927, Fitzgerald was the line coach at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. [14] He was one of twelve teammates of Rockne from the 1914 football team who were selected for the honor guard at Rockne's funeral in 1931. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knute Rockne</span> American football player and coach (1888–1931)

Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach at the University of Notre Dame. Leading Notre Dame for 13 seasons, Rockne accumulated over 100 wins and three national championships.

The Akron Pros were a professional football team that played in Akron, Ohio from 1908 to 1926. The team originated in 1908 as a semi-pro team named the Akron Indians, but later became Akron Pros in 1920 as the team set out to become a charter member of the American Professional Football Association. Fritz Pollard, the first black head coach in the NFL, co-coached the Akron Pros in 1921. Paul Robeson played for the team in 1921 as well. He was among the earliest stars of professional football before football became segregated from 1934 to 1946. In 1926, the name was changed back to the Akron Indians, after the earlier semi-pro team. Due to financial problems, the team suspended operations in 1927 and surrendered its franchise the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amos Alonzo Stagg</span> American athlete and coach (1862–1965)

Amos Alonzo Stagg was an American athlete and college coach in multiple sports, primarily American football. He served as the head football coach at the International YMCA Training School (1890–1891), the University of Chicago (1892–1932), and the College of the Pacific (1933–1946), compiling a career college football record of 314–199–35 (.605). His undefeated Chicago Maroons teams of 1905 and 1913 were recognized as national champions. He was also the head basketball coach for one season at Chicago (1920–1921), and the Maroons' head baseball coach for twenty seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fielding H. Yost</span> American football player, coach, and administrator (1871–1946)

Fielding Harris Yost was an American college football player, coach and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at: Ohio Wesleyan University, the University of Nebraska, the University of Kansas, Stanford University, San Jose State University, and the University of Michigan, compiling a coaching career record of 198–35–12. During his 25 seasons as the head football coach at Ann Arbor, Yost's Michigan Wolverines won six national championships, captured ten Big Ten Conference titles, and amassed a record of 165–29–10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Stuhldreher</span> American football player, coach, and administrator (1901–1965)

Harry Augustus Stuhldreher was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played quarterback at University of Notre Dame from 1922 to 1924, where he was a three-time All-American and member of the legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield. After graduating from Notre Dame, Stuhldreher played professional football briefly with the Brooklyn Horsemen/Lions in 1926. He served as the head football coach at Villanova College—now known as Villanova University—from 1925 to 1935 and at the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1936 to 1948, compiling a career college football record of 110–87–15. Stuhldreher was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward J. Hogan</span>

Edward J. Hogan was a track and field standout at the University of Notre Dame in the early 1920s, under legendary coach Knute Rockne. He placed in numerous track and field events and reportedly trained for the 1924 Olympics. Hogan's photograph is featured on Notre Dame's sports "Wall of Honor".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gus Dorais</span> American football player, coach, and administrator (1891–1954)

Charles Emile "Gus" Dorais was an American football player, coach, and athletic administrator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youngstown Patricians</span> Defunct sports team

The Youngstown Patricians were a semi-professional football team based in Youngstown, Ohio. In the 1910s, the team briefly held the professional football championship and established itself as a fierce rival of more experienced clubs around the country, some of which later formed the core of the National Football League. The Patricians football team motto was "With Malice to None and a Square Deal to all."

John Francis Kilkenny was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bart Macomber</span> American football player (1894–1971)

Franklin Bart Macomber was an American football player. He played halfback and quarterback for the University of Illinois from 1914 to 1916 and helped the school to its first national football championship and consecutive undefeated seasons in 1914 and 1915. He later played professional football for the Canton Bulldogs and Youngstown Patricians. He was also the coach and owner of the Oakland Oaks in the Pacific Coast professional football league founded in 1926. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Peck (American football)</span> American football player (1891–1932)

Bob Peck was an American football player who most famously played center for the Pittsburgh Panthers, where he was a three-time All-American.

The Massillon Tigers were an early professional football team from Massillon, Ohio. Playing in the "Ohio League", the team was a rival to the pre-National Football League version of the Canton Bulldogs. The Tigers won Ohio League championships in 1903, 1904, 1905, and 1906, then merged to become "All-Massillons" to win another title in 1907. The team returned as the Tigers in 1915 but, with the reemergence of the Bulldogs, only won one more Ohio League title. Pro football was popularized in Ohio when the amateur Massillon Tigers hired four Pittsburgh pros to play in the season-ending game against Akron. At the same time, pro football declined in the Pittsburgh area, and the emphasis on the pro game moved west from Pennsylvania to Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Rehor</span> American football player (1893–1959)

Frederick Lee "Fritz" Rehor was an American football player. He played college football for Fielding H. Yost's Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1914 to 1916. He also played professional football and was a member of the 1917 professional football champion Massillon Tigers, coached by Knute Rockne. He later operated a drug store in Canton, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia Coliseum</span> Former gymnasium in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Columbia Coliseum, also known as Columbia Gymnasium, was a gymnasium on the campus of Columbia University in Portland, Oregon. It was designed in 1902 by Joseph Jacobberger to house sports that were traditionally played outdoors, like baseball and football. Constructed the following year it was the largest gymnasium in Oregon, and possibly the Pacific Northwest. Starting in 1905, Columbia Coliseum became the site of an annual statewide track and field event hosted by the university. It was last used in 1927 and has since been demolished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Brown (baseball, born 1876)</span> American-born Canadian baseball player, manager, and team owner

Robert Paul Brown was an American-born Canadian professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. He was active in minor league baseball in various capacities from 1900 through 1953, appearing in over 600 games as player and managing for at least 14 seasons. He was a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and served in the U.S. military during the Spanish–American War.

<i>Grahamona</i>

Grahamona was a sternwheel steamboat built in 1912 for the Oregon City Transportation Company, commonly known as the Yellow Stack Line. Grahamona was specially designed to serve on the shallow waters of the upper Willamette River. It was one of the largest steamboats ever to operate on the upper Willamette. In 1920, Grahamona was sold and the name was changed to Northwestern. In 1939, the vessel was sold again, and transferred to Alaska for service on the Kuskokwim River.

<i>La Center</i> (sternwheeler)

La Center was a small stern-wheel steamboat that operated from 1912 to 1931, mostly on the Lewis and Lake rivers in southwest Washington, on a route to and from Portland, Oregon along the lower Columbia and lower Willamette rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constance Meyer</span>

Constance Cycil Meyer was an English American competitive diver who was the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) women's champion in 1915 and 1917. She was twice runner-up for the AAU diving title; first in 1916 to Aileen Allen and again in 1918 to Thelma Payne. Meyer lived in Portland, Oregon and was a member of the Multnomah Athletic Club under instructor Jack Cody. She also competed in bowling, golf, ice hockey, swimming, tennis and water polo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivian Marshall</span>

Vivian Augustus Marshall was an American diver, vaudeville performer and film actress. Born in California, Marshall's family moved to Oregon during her youth and she gained notoriety for her aquatic skills while a member of the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland and later performed public stunt dives from heights of 70 feet and above. She also performed a signature stunt called the "fire dive", in which she would douse her baiting suit in wood alcohol, light it with a match and perform a high dive into the water to extinguish the flames. Marshall worked for vaudeville producer Alexander Pantages and acted in motion pictures in Los Angeles, California. She was married to actor Otto Fries and they had two children, Sherwood Marshall and Ottilie Vivian.

William Andrew Kelleher was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio from 1915 to 1916, compiling a record of 5–13. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame and professionally for the Massillon Tigers and Youngstown Patricians of the Ohio League. A native of Ireland, Kelleher worked for 35 years as a Lorain Works, National Tube Division, a part of U.S. Steel. He died on November 27, 1961, at his home in Lorain, Ohio.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Former Columbia Men on Notre Dame's Team: Bill Kellaher Bill Cook Freeman Fitzgerald and Charles Finnegan Help Defeat Army Football Eleven 35 to 13". The Sunday Oregonian. December 7, 1913.
  2. 1 2 3 "2 Seek Triple Emblem: Portland Boys Aspire to Triple Sports Honors; Freeman Fitzgerald and Charles Finnegan, Formerly of Columbia, in Notre Dame Limelight". Morning Oregonian. March 15, 1914.
  3. ↑ "Columbia Five is Pennant Winner: Basketball Championship is Decided Affer Closely Contested Series". Morning Oregonian. February 27, 1910.
  4. ↑ "Football Outlook Bright". Morning Oregonian. September 3, 1912.
  5. 1 2 "Bachman and Fitzgerald Win Notre Dame Honors: Awarded Jewels for Highest Scholastic Standing Among the Athletes on Varsity Teams". Indianapolis Star. February 16, 1916.
  6. ↑ "Yankees Seek Portland Boy: Chance Wants Freeman Fitzgerald, Now at Notre Dame". Morning Oregonian. May 2, 1914.
  7. ↑ "7 Local Boys Get Jobs: Students at Notre Dame Will Earn 'Vacation Money'". Morning Oregonian. June 15, 1914.
  8. ↑ University of Notre Dame - Dome Yearbook. University of Notre Dame, p. 45. 1916.
  9. ↑ Murray A. Sperber (2002). Shake down the thunder: the creation of Notre Dame football, p. 59. Indiana University Press. ISBN   0-253-21568-4.
  10. 1 2 "The Super Bulldogs" (PDF). The Professional Football Researchers Assn. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2015.
  11. ↑ Vic Frolund. "The Story of the Patricians" (PDF). The Professional Football Researchers Assn. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 22, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Aberdeen Man Receives Commission". Morning Oregonian. September 23, 1918.
  13. ↑ "Freeman Fitzgerald". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  14. ↑ "Two Marquette Coaches Resign". Decatur Daily Review. January 13, 1928.
  15. ↑ "6 of Rockne's Boys Will Be Pall-Bearers: Funeral Services for Notre Dame Coach To Be Held This Afternoon". Titusville Herald. April 4, 1931.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.