Fitzgerald, Joe

 

Joe Fitzgerald – (1972)

 

JOE FITZGERALD

Another of Lorain’s all-time great athletes whose talent missed national attention only because he never displayed it on the college level. A retired city fireman, he excelled in football, basketball, baseball, softball and remains today one of Lorain’s best bowlers. His football career consists of three years (1925-26-27) as a first string tackle at Lorain High School — he was All-Lake Erie League on the 1927 LEHI championship team — and as a semi-pro from 1928 thru 1934 with the Lorain Ex-Hys. He was a three-year letterman on the LHS basketball team, also winning all-league honors at center in 1927. In baseball and softball, “Fireman Joe” has the battered fingers that label him as “an old catcher.” When he wasn’t playing, he continued to umpire baseball and softball from 1928 thru 1958. In addition, he managed a Little League team five years. Among his bowling honors achieved over a long, illustrious career, he has a lifetime high three-game total of 768 (1934), was city double champion with the late Joe Carek in 1957, and has bowled in 19 ABC tournaments in which he lists 664 in the 1948 singles event and 1,811 in the 1942 all-events. His bowling career spans 47 years and he has served as secretary of the Rebman Recreation Classic League 19 years.