Ed Frutig
Encyclopedia
Edward C. Frutig was an American football
end who played for the University of Michigan
Wolverines
from 1938-1940. He was selected as a first-team All-American
in 1940 by William Randolph Hearst
's International News Service
. A teammate of Heisman Trophy
winner Tom Harmon
for three years at Michigan, he was Harmon's main receiver. Frutig played professional football with the Green Bay Packers
(1941, 1945) and Detroit Lions
(1945–1946) of the National Football League
.
, the son of a River Rouge councilman.
for a Detroit
newspaper.
As a sophomore in 1938, he was part of coach Fritz Crisler
's first Michigan football team. This was the year that Crisler introduced the Winged Helmet
at Michigan. He was “just another varsity candidate as a sophomore” in 1938 but before the season was over, he was “the best end” on the team. “That’s real development,” said Fielding H. Yost. Going into the 1938 season, Michigan had not scored a touchdown against Ohio State in four years. On November 19, 1938, the drought ended as Michigan beat the Buckeyes, 18-0. In the fourth quarter, Frutig caught two passes from Tom Harmon
, one a 22-yard pass to the 18-yard line and then a five-yard pass for a touchdown.
. Yost said, “He's got the grace and the speed. And the tips of his fingers appear coated with glue.” Frutig was also described as “a sweet defensive player.”
In the Big Ten
opener against Iowa
, Frutig caught a 27-yard pass from Tom Harmon
and was pushed out of bounds at the two-yard line to set up Michigan's first touchdown in a 27-7 win. However, he suffered a twisted knee in the Iowa game and did not play against Chicago
. He came back in the Minnesota
game but was injured again, with a dislocated ankle tendon, and did not play the rest of the season.
. The 1940 season was the year Tom Harmon
won the Heisman Trophy
and Frutig's accomplishments were largely overshadowed. In Michigan's eight games, Frutig had 12 receptions for 181 yards (over 15 yards per catch) and three touchdown
s. He also blocked five punts and won a reputation as a superior defensive player.
As the 1940 season was about to start, Yost said that Frutig was the best pass catcher he had seen in ten years, though he admitted Frutig was "not the best wingman" in other areas of play.
In the season opener against the California Bears
, Michigan won, 41-0, and Frutig blocked one of Reinhard’s punts, setting up Harmon's fifth touchdown. In the second period against Illinois
, Frutig caught a Harmon pass at the 25-yard line and ran untouched across the goal line. On the next possession, Illinois drove the ball to the Michigan 12-yard line, but Frutig intercepted a Pfeffer pass to end the threat.
Against Pennsylvania
, Frutig made a “leaping catch on the goal line” for a touchdown on a pass from Harmon, as the Wolverines won, 14-0. Frutig played all 60 minutes against Penn and said afterward he could have played 60 minutes more. “Of course,” Frutig added, “I'd need that boy Al Wistert
right by me if I had to play much more than the regulation time.”
The season's only loss came to Minnesota in a close 7-6 game. Frutig nearly won the game for Michigan as he blocked a George Franck
punt, which Reuben Kelto
recovered on the Minnesota three-yard line. But Minnesota intercepted Harmon's pass in the end zone, and Michigan lost by one point. Harmon had also missed a point after touchdown
kick earlier in the game. Despite the loss, one columnist said of Frutig's performance against Michigan: “The best end I saw all year I saw in this game. That was Frutig of Michigan and that goes for offense and defense. He ruined about six coming in there trying to block those Gopher punts. He did block one.”
Against Northwestern
, Frutig blocked a punt from the end zone to set up Harmon's 30th touchdown of the season. In his final game in the Michigan uniform, a 40-0 win over Ohio State
, Frutig caught his third touchdown pass of the season.
Aside from his pass receiving and defense, Frutig won praise as a punt blocker. In Michigan's eight games in 1940, Frutig “personally blocked five punts, all of them at a crucial moments.” Oddly, despite numerous accounts referencing his punt blocking exploits, Frutig is not listed among NCAA Division I players to have blocked as many as three punts in a season.
Frutig was a first-team All-American pick by Hearst Publications' International News Service
and football writer Maxwell Stiles. Frutig was selected as a third-team All-American by UP, AP and Central Press Association
.
Frutig, Harmon and Forest Evashevski
teamed up one last time in the 16th annual East-West Shrine Charity Football Game
in San Francisco
on New Year's Day 1941. Evashevski and Frutig scored the East's only touchdowns, with Frutig scoring on a 21-yard pass from Harmon into the end zone. Frutig leaped high to grab Harmon's pass “while boxed in between two West defense men.”
in the third round of the 1941 NFL Draft
, and played for the team in 1941. However, when the United States entered World War II
, Frutig enlisted in the United States Navy
where he earned his wings as a pilot. While serving in the Navy, Frutig was named to the All-Navy All-American football team in 1942. He also played for the Navy's Corpus Christi Flyers team that compiled a 4-3 record playing against southwest college teams. He also played for the Navy's Corpus Christi Flyers team that compiled a 4-3 record playing against southwest college teams. In 1942, he was transferred from Corpus Christi to the naval air base at Grosse Ile, Michigan
where he served as an instructor.
. Former teammate Forest Evashevski
was the head coach who recruited Frutig to Washington State. Frutig was credited with developing Ed Barker
, Washington State's end who broke two Coast Conference
pass-catching records in 1951. He resigned in December 1951 to take a job with an advertising firm in East Lansing, Michigan
and went on to become successful in the advertising business. In 1967, Frutig and Bob Westfall
were the leaders of the Alumni for Evy Committee, organized to bring Evashevski to Michigan as both head football coach and athletic director. Instead, Bo Schembechler
and Don Canham
were hired to the jobs.
Frutig's daughter, Suzy Bales, has published 13 books about gardening, including "The Garden in Winter" published in 2007.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
end who played for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
from 1938-1940. He was selected as a first-team All-American
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
in 1940 by William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
's International News Service
International News Service
International News Service was a U.S.-based news agency founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.Established two years after the Scripps family founded the United Press Association, INS scrapped among the newswires...
. A teammate of Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Tom Harmon
Tom Harmon
Thomas Dudley Harmon was a star player in American college football, a sports broadcaster, and patriarch of a family of American actors...
for three years at Michigan, he was Harmon's main receiver. Frutig played professional football with the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
(1941, 1945) and Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
(1945–1946) of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Early years
Frutig was born and raised in River Rouge, MichiganRiver Rouge, Michigan
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,917 people, 3,640 households, and 2,504 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,713.9 per square mile . There were 4,080 housing units at an average density of 1,528.0 per square mile...
, the son of a River Rouge councilman.
1938 season
Frutig attended the University of Michigan from 1937-1941. He came to Michigan with very little football reputation and is reported to have “barely made the freshman squad” in 1937. Frutig put himself through college by covering Ann ArborAnn Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
for a Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
newspaper.
As a sophomore in 1938, he was part of coach Fritz Crisler
Fritz Crisler
Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler was an American football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of...
's first Michigan football team. This was the year that Crisler introduced the Winged Helmet
at Michigan. He was “just another varsity candidate as a sophomore” in 1938 but before the season was over, he was “the best end” on the team. “That’s real development,” said Fielding H. Yost. Going into the 1938 season, Michigan had not scored a touchdown against Ohio State in four years. On November 19, 1938, the drought ended as Michigan beat the Buckeyes, 18-0. In the fourth quarter, Frutig caught two passes from Tom Harmon
Tom Harmon
Thomas Dudley Harmon was a star player in American college football, a sports broadcaster, and patriarch of a family of American actors...
, one a 22-yard pass to the 18-yard line and then a five-yard pass for a touchdown.
1939 season
As the 1939 season got underway, former Michigan head coach Fielding H. Yost called Frutig the greatest Michigan pass receiver since Bennie OosterbaanBennie Oosterbaan
Benjamin Gaylord "Bennie" Oosterbaan was a three-time first team All-American football end for the Michigan Wolverines football team, two-time All-American basketball player for the basketball team and an All-Big Ten Conference baseball player for the baseball team...
. Yost said, “He's got the grace and the speed. And the tips of his fingers appear coated with glue.” Frutig was also described as “a sweet defensive player.”
In the Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
opener against Iowa
Iowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
, Frutig caught a 27-yard pass from Tom Harmon
Tom Harmon
Thomas Dudley Harmon was a star player in American college football, a sports broadcaster, and patriarch of a family of American actors...
and was pushed out of bounds at the two-yard line to set up Michigan's first touchdown in a 27-7 win. However, he suffered a twisted knee in the Iowa game and did not play against Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. He came back in the Minnesota
Minnesota Golden Gophers football
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...
game but was injured again, with a dislocated ankle tendon, and did not play the rest of the season.
1940 season
Frutig finally put together a complete season as a senior in 1940. Michigan started all eight games at end for the 1940 Wolverines team that went 7-1 and finished the season ranked No. 3 in the AP poll. The only loss was a 7-6 defeat to MinnesotaMinnesota Golden Gophers football
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...
. The 1940 season was the year Tom Harmon
Tom Harmon
Thomas Dudley Harmon was a star player in American college football, a sports broadcaster, and patriarch of a family of American actors...
won the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
and Frutig's accomplishments were largely overshadowed. In Michigan's eight games, Frutig had 12 receptions for 181 yards (over 15 yards per catch) and three touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s. He also blocked five punts and won a reputation as a superior defensive player.
As the 1940 season was about to start, Yost said that Frutig was the best pass catcher he had seen in ten years, though he admitted Frutig was "not the best wingman" in other areas of play.
In the season opener against the California Bears
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
, Michigan won, 41-0, and Frutig blocked one of Reinhard’s punts, setting up Harmon's fifth touchdown. In the second period against Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...
, Frutig caught a Harmon pass at the 25-yard line and ran untouched across the goal line. On the next possession, Illinois drove the ball to the Michigan 12-yard line, but Frutig intercepted a Pfeffer pass to end the threat.
Against Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, Frutig made a “leaping catch on the goal line” for a touchdown on a pass from Harmon, as the Wolverines won, 14-0. Frutig played all 60 minutes against Penn and said afterward he could have played 60 minutes more. “Of course,” Frutig added, “I'd need that boy Al Wistert
Al Wistert
Albert Alexander "Ox" Wistert is a former All-Pro American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played his entire nine-year NFL career for the Eagles and became their team captain. He was named to play in the NFL's first Pro Bowl as an Eagle...
right by me if I had to play much more than the regulation time.”
The season's only loss came to Minnesota in a close 7-6 game. Frutig nearly won the game for Michigan as he blocked a George Franck
George Franck
George Henning "Sonny" Franck was an American football halfback in the National Football League for the New York Giants. He was born in Davenport, Iowa and lived in Rock Island, Illinois. He played college football at the University of Minnesota and was drafted in the first round of the 1941 NFL...
punt, which Reuben Kelto
Reuben Kelto
Reuben W. Kelto was an American football player. He played at the tackle position for the University of Michigan from 1939 to 1941. He was chosen as the Most Valuable Player on the 1941 Michigan Wolverines football team.Kelto was born in 1919 in Bessemer, Michigan, the son of Emil and Lilly...
recovered on the Minnesota three-yard line. But Minnesota intercepted Harmon's pass in the end zone, and Michigan lost by one point. Harmon had also missed a point after touchdown
Extra Point
Extra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio that covers generic sports-related topical news and opinion. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
kick earlier in the game. Despite the loss, one columnist said of Frutig's performance against Michigan: “The best end I saw all year I saw in this game. That was Frutig of Michigan and that goes for offense and defense. He ruined about six coming in there trying to block those Gopher punts. He did block one.”
Against Northwestern
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
, Frutig blocked a punt from the end zone to set up Harmon's 30th touchdown of the season. In his final game in the Michigan uniform, a 40-0 win over Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
, Frutig caught his third touchdown pass of the season.
Aside from his pass receiving and defense, Frutig won praise as a punt blocker. In Michigan's eight games in 1940, Frutig “personally blocked five punts, all of them at a crucial moments.” Oddly, despite numerous accounts referencing his punt blocking exploits, Frutig is not listed among NCAA Division I players to have blocked as many as three punts in a season.
Frutig was a first-team All-American pick by Hearst Publications' International News Service
International News Service
International News Service was a U.S.-based news agency founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.Established two years after the Scripps family founded the United Press Association, INS scrapped among the newswires...
and football writer Maxwell Stiles. Frutig was selected as a third-team All-American by UP, AP and Central Press Association
Central Press Association
The Central Press Association was an American newspaper syndication company based in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in business from 1910 to 1971. At its peak, the Central Press supplied features, columns, and photographs to more than 400 newspapers and 12 million daily readers.-History:Virgil Venice...
.
Frutig, Harmon and Forest Evashevski
Forest Evashevski
Forest "Evy" Evashevski was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1938 to 1940 and with the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks in 1942...
teamed up one last time in the 16th annual East-West Shrine Charity Football Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
on New Year's Day 1941. Evashevski and Frutig scored the East's only touchdowns, with Frutig scoring on a 21-yard pass from Harmon into the end zone. Frutig leaped high to grab Harmon's pass “while boxed in between two West defense men.”
Professional football and military service
Frutig was selected by the Green Bay PackersGreen Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
in the third round of the 1941 NFL Draft
1941 NFL Draft
The 1941 National Football League Draft was held on December 10, 1940.Despite having three picks in the first round, only Norm Standlee ever played for the Chicago Bears.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
, and played for the team in 1941. However, when the United States entered World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Frutig enlisted in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
where he earned his wings as a pilot. While serving in the Navy, Frutig was named to the All-Navy All-American football team in 1942. He also played for the Navy's Corpus Christi Flyers team that compiled a 4-3 record playing against southwest college teams. He also played for the Navy's Corpus Christi Flyers team that compiled a 4-3 record playing against southwest college teams. In 1942, he was transferred from Corpus Christi to the naval air base at Grosse Ile, Michigan
Grosse Ile Township, Michigan
Grosse Ile Township is a general law township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The township is situated on several islands in the Detroit River, but the largest island is also referred to as simply Grosse Ile. The name comes from French Grosse Île, meaning "Big Island"...
where he served as an instructor.
Later years
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Frutig served as the end coach at Washington State CollegeWashington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
. Former teammate Forest Evashevski
Forest Evashevski
Forest "Evy" Evashevski was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1938 to 1940 and with the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks in 1942...
was the head coach who recruited Frutig to Washington State. Frutig was credited with developing Ed Barker
Ed Barker
Edward Ross Barker is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at Washington State University and was drafted in the first round of the 1953 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams....
, Washington State's end who broke two Coast Conference
Pacific Coast Conference
The Pacific Coast Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pacific-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, the older league had a completely different charter and was disbanded in 1959 due to a major crisis...
pass-catching records in 1951. He resigned in December 1951 to take a job with an advertising firm in East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...
and went on to become successful in the advertising business. In 1967, Frutig and Bob Westfall
Bob Westfall
Robert Barton "Bullet Bob" Westfall was an American football fullback who played for the University of Michigan and the Detroit Lions . He was a consensus first-team All-American in 1941 and a first-team All-Pro player in 1945...
were the leaders of the Alumni for Evy Committee, organized to bring Evashevski to Michigan as both head football coach and athletic director. Instead, Bo Schembechler
Bo Schembechler
Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler, Jr. was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1989, compiling a career record of 234–65–8...
and Don Canham
Don Canham
Donald Canham was a track and field athlete and coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the athletic director at the University of Michigan from 1968 to 1988. There, he became nationally renowned for his ability to market and sell products bearing the name or logo of the school...
were hired to the jobs.
Frutig's daughter, Suzy Bales, has published 13 books about gardening, including "The Garden in Winter" published in 2007.
Honors and accolades
- Selected a first-team All-American by the Hearst newspaper syndicate in 1940.
- Inducted into the University of Michigan Hall of Honor in 1988.
- In 2005, Frutig was selected as one of the 100 greatest Michigan football players of all time by the "Motown Sports Revival," ranking 87th on the all-time team.