Emile Fritz Explained

Emile Fritz
Position1:Guard
Birth Date:February 1920
Death Place:Woodstown, New Jersey, U.S.
College:Maryland
Vanderbilt
Nfldraftedyear:1947
Nfldraftedround:13
Nfldraftedpick:115
Nfldraftedteam:Chicago Bears

Emile Frederick Fritz Jr. (February 1920 – September 14, 2015) was an American football player. Fritz was selected in the thirteenth round of the 1947 NFL draft.

In the late 1930s, Fritz attended Vanderbilt University, where he played on the football team as a guard.

A World War II veteran, he enlisted in the Army Air Force shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and served as a B-17 mechanic. He served overseas in the United States military before enrolling again in college, this time at the University of Maryland. At Maryland in 1945, Fritz played under head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, who had been an assistant coach for Fritz at Vanderbilt before the war.[1]

In 1946, the Associated Press named Fritz an honorable mention All-American.[2]

Fritz was selected in the thirteenth round of the 1947 NFL draft (115th overall) by the Chicago Bears.[3] [4]

At Maryland, Fritz was a member of the Delta Phi chapter of the Sigma Nu fraternity.[5]

Fritz died on September 14, 2015, at the age of 95, in Woodstown, New Jersey.[6]

Notes and References

  1. http://www.swem.wm.edu/beta/flathat/issues/fh19451031.pdf Old Liners Will Struggle For Second League Win
  2. http://www.swem.wm.edu/beta/flathat/issues/fh19461210.pdf Knox Ramsey Wins Berth on AP Team
  3. http://databasefootball.com/draft/draftteam.htm?tm=CHI&lg=nfl Chicago Bears Draft History
  4. http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/pros.PDF Terps in the Pros
  5. http://www.e-yearbook.com/yearbooks/University_Maryland_Reveille_Yearbook/1947/Page_35.html Text from Page 35
  6. Web site: EMILE FREDERICK FRITZ Jr. Obituary (2015) South Jersey Times.