Emile Fritz

Emile Fritz
Date of birthFebruary 1920
Date of deathSeptember 14, 2015(2015-09-14) (aged 95)
Place of deathWoodstown, New Jersey, U.S.
Career information
Position(s)Guard
US collegeMaryland
Vanderbilt
NFL draft1947 / round: 13 / pick: 115
Drafted byChicago 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]

  1. ^ Old Liners Will Struggle For Second League Win (PDF), The Flat Hat, Volume XXXV, College of William & Mary, October 31, 1945, retrieved December 28, 2008.
  2. ^ Knox Ramsey Wins Berth on AP Team, The Flat Hat, College of William & Mary, December 10, 1946, retrieved December 28, 2008.
  3. ^ Chicago Bears Draft History Archived 2008-12-31 at the Wayback Machine, Database Football, retrieved 28 December 2008.
  4. ^ Terps in the Pros[permanent dead link] (PDF), 2000 Maryland Football Media Guide, University of Maryland Terrapins official website, 2000, retrieved 22 December 2008.
  5. ^ Text from Page 35, Reveille, University of Maryland Yearbook, Class of 1947, 1947, retrieved 28 December 2008.
  6. ^ "EMILE FREDERICK FRITZ Jr. Obituary (2015) South Jersey Times".