Fred Schacht
Encyclopedia
Frederick E. Schacht, M.D., (c. 1875 – December 1, 1906) was an American college football
coach, player, and medical doctor. He served as the head coach at the University of Kentucky
from 1904 to 1905. Kentucky amassed a 15–4–1 record during his tenure.
during the Spanish–American War and served with the 13th Minnesota Volunteers
. He then attended the University of Minnesota
, and was initiated as a member of the Nu Sigma Nu fraternity on March 9, 1901. He played on the football team
as a tackle
in 1903, and the 216-pound Schacht was reportedly "a terror on offense." He starred in Minnesota's 1903 victory over Wisconsin
, but gained his greatest acclaim for his role in that season's game against Michigan
. Schacht broke three ribs shortly before the game, but refused to go to the hospital and showed up beforehand with his body "encased in a steel harness." Despite the broken ribs, he carried the ball three times for 40-, 50- and 60-yard gains after the kickoff
. The contest ended in a tie, which made it the first game Michigan had not won in three years, and Schacht was "hailed throughout the west as the greatest tackle of a decade." After the season, he was named to several All-America teams
: Caspar Whitney
's first team, Walter Camp
's second team, and Fielding H. Yost's second team. Schacht received a Doctor of Medicine
degree from Minnesota in 1903.
, and worked at the City Hospital
in Minneapolis. From 1904 to 1905, he served as the head football coach at the University of Kentucky
. During the first year of his tenure, a controversy erupted before the Thanksgiving Day game against bitter cross-town rival Transylvania University
. Kentucky protested the eligibility of several Transylvania players, which prompted Professor A. P. Fairhurst of the opponent's athletic committee to pen an article in the Lexington Herald
titled "Shut Up and Play Ball". In it, he sarcastically wrote that Transylvania would allow Kentucky to draw players "from the four quarters of the earth and from the fifth quarter if you can find it gather them from all the tribes and kindred of the earth ... Hottentots
, Flat-head Indians
, Patagonians, Native Australians
, Esquimaux
, New York
ers, Danvillians
, Cincinnatians, Hoodoos, Burgoo
s, Whatnot
s, Topnots
... the more the merrier". The next day, the Herald published an article from the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Association titled "Protests Erased From Slate—Game Will Be Played" in which it declared the Transylvania players eligible. Kentucky won the game easily, 21–4.
Kentucky struggled the following season, and was shutout, 82–0, by Saint Louis. Controversy arose prior to the Thanksgiving rivalry against Transylvania when Kentucky again protested the eligibility of some opposing players. This time, however, neither school could come to an agreement, and the game was cancelled altogether. Transylvania scheduled Ohio Wesleyan instead, while Kentucky held elections for the next year's team captains and disbanded for the season. Kentucky amassed a 15–4–1 record during his tenure.
. In 1905, he opened a drug store
in Burlington, Washington
. After several months of illness, Schacht died at the Providence Hospital
in Seattle on December 1, 1906 at the age of 31. It was the opinion of the attending physicican that overtraining
during his football career was responsible for a weakened heart that resulted in his death. Another account states that he died from Bright's disease
. Minnesota's football coach Dr. Henry L. Williams
denied suggestions that the death was the result of overtraining.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
coach, player, and medical doctor. He served as the head coach at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
from 1904 to 1905. Kentucky amassed a 15–4–1 record during his tenure.
Early life and college
A native of Minneapolis, Schacht joined the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during the Spanish–American War and served with the 13th Minnesota Volunteers
Minnesota National Guard
The Minnesota National Guard is composed of approximately 14,000 soldiers of the Minnesota Army National Guard and Airmen of the Minnesota Air National Guard, serving in 63 communities across the state. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal...
. He then attended the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, and was initiated as a member of the Nu Sigma Nu fraternity on March 9, 1901. He played on the football team
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...
as a tackle
Tackle (American football)
Tackle is a playing position in American and Canadian football. Historically, in the one-platoon system a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions....
in 1903, and the 216-pound Schacht was reportedly "a terror on offense." He starred in Minnesota's 1903 victory over Wisconsin
Wisconsin Badgers football
The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...
, but gained his greatest acclaim for his role in that season's game against Michigan
1903 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1903 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1903 college football season. The team's head football coach was Fielding H. Yost...
. Schacht broke three ribs shortly before the game, but refused to go to the hospital and showed up beforehand with his body "encased in a steel harness." Despite the broken ribs, he carried the ball three times for 40-, 50- and 60-yard gains after the kickoff
Kickoff (American football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...
. The contest ended in a tie, which made it the first game Michigan had not won in three years, and Schacht was "hailed throughout the west as the greatest tackle of a decade." After the season, he was named to several All-America teams
1903 College Football All-America Team
The 1903 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that chose College Football All-America Teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams included Collier's Weekly selected by Walter Camp.-Key:...
: Caspar Whitney
Caspar Whitney
Caspar William Whitney was an American author, editor, explorer, and war correspondent. He originated the concept of the All-American team in college football in 1889 when he worked for Harper's Magazine....
's first team, Walter Camp
Walter Camp
Walter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
's second team, and Fielding H. Yost's second team. Schacht received a Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
degree from Minnesota in 1903.
University of Kentucky
After graduation, he moved to Fergus Falls, MinnesotaFergus Falls, Minnesota
Fergus Falls is a city in and the county seat of Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,138 at the 2010 census.-Today:...
, and worked at the City Hospital
Hennepin County Medical Center
Hennepin County Medical Center is a Level I trauma center based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the county seat of Hennepin County. The primary 422-bed facility is located on five city blocks across the street from the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, with satellite clinics in Minneapolis, Brooklyn...
in Minneapolis. From 1904 to 1905, he served as the head football coach at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
. During the first year of his tenure, a controversy erupted before the Thanksgiving Day game against bitter cross-town rival Transylvania University
Transylvania University
Transylvania University is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with the Christian Church . The school was founded in 1780. It offers 38 majors, and pre-professional degrees in engineering and accounting...
. Kentucky protested the eligibility of several Transylvania players, which prompted Professor A. P. Fairhurst of the opponent's athletic committee to pen an article in the Lexington Herald
Lexington Herald-Leader
The Lexington Herald-Leader is a newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and based in the U.S. city of Lexington, Kentucky. According to the 1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook, the Herald-Leaders paid circulation is the second largest in the Commonwealth of Kentucky...
titled "Shut Up and Play Ball". In it, he sarcastically wrote that Transylvania would allow Kentucky to draw players "from the four quarters of the earth and from the fifth quarter if you can find it gather them from all the tribes and kindred of the earth ... Hottentots
Khoikhoi
The Khoikhoi or Khoi, in standardised Khoekhoe/Nama orthography spelled Khoekhoe, are a historical division of the Khoisan ethnic group, the native people of southwestern Africa, closely related to the Bushmen . They had lived in southern Africa since the 5th century AD...
, Flat-head Indians
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation are the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai and Pend d'Oreilles Tribes. The Flatheads lived between the Cascade Mountains and Rocky Mountains. The Salish initially lived entirely east of the Continental Divide but established their...
, Patagonians, Native Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
, Esquimaux
Eskimo
Eskimos or Inuit–Yupik peoples are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia , across Alaska , Canada, and Greenland....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
ers, Danvillians
Danville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
, Cincinnatians, Hoodoos, Burgoo
Burgoo
Burgoo is a term used for many types of stew or porridge made from a mixture of ingredients.-North American usage:Burgoo is a spicy stew, similar to Irish or Mulligan stew, often served with cornbread or corn muffins....
s, Whatnot
What-not
A what-not is a piece of furniture derived from the French étagère, which was exceedingly popular in England in the first three-quarters of the 19th century. It usually consists of slender uprights or pillars, supporting a series of shelves for holding china, ornaments, trifles, or what not, hence...
s, Topnots
Sikha
The sikha or shikha is a Sanskrit word that refers to a long tuft, or lock of hair left on top or on the back of the shaven head of a male Orthodox Hindu...
... the more the merrier". The next day, the Herald published an article from the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Association titled "Protests Erased From Slate—Game Will Be Played" in which it declared the Transylvania players eligible. Kentucky won the game easily, 21–4.
Kentucky struggled the following season, and was shutout, 82–0, by Saint Louis. Controversy arose prior to the Thanksgiving rivalry against Transylvania when Kentucky again protested the eligibility of some opposing players. This time, however, neither school could come to an agreement, and the game was cancelled altogether. Transylvania scheduled Ohio Wesleyan instead, while Kentucky held elections for the next year's team captains and disbanded for the season. Kentucky amassed a 15–4–1 record during his tenure.
Later life
On November 26, 1904, he married Sophia Gloria née Weise in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. In 1905, he opened a drug store
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
in Burlington, Washington
Burlington, Washington
Burlington is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population is 8,388 as recorded by the 2010 census. It is included in the Mount Vernon–Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. After several months of illness, Schacht died at the Providence Hospital
Swedish Medical Center
Swedish Medical Center is a large nonprofit health care provider located in Seattle, Washington. It has three main hospital locations in Seattle and is also affiliated with many other suburban hospitals and clinics. As of 2009 it has 7000 employees and 2,300 credentialed physicians.-History:Swedish...
in Seattle on December 1, 1906 at the age of 31. It was the opinion of the attending physicican that overtraining
Overtraining
Overtraining is a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness...
during his football career was responsible for a weakened heart that resulted in his death. Another account states that he died from Bright's disease
Bright's disease
Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that would be described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. The term is no longer used, as diseases are now classified according to their more fully understood causes....
. Minnesota's football coach Dr. Henry L. Williams
Henry L. Williams
Dr. Henry Lane Williams was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the United States Military Academy in 1891 and the University of Minnesota from 1900 to 1921, compiling a career college football record of 141–34–12...
denied suggestions that the death was the result of overtraining.