Fritz, Don

 

Don Fritz – (1981)

 

DON FRITZ
Inducted April 29, 1981

Tall and talented, his exceptional abilities on the football field gained him All-Ohio honors at Lorain High and University of Cincinnati, and captured the attention of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Playing both on offense and defense, he earned three varsity letters at LHS during the 1947-48-49 seasons. At the conclusion of his senior year, he garnered All-Lake Erie League and All-Ohio honors. The lanky, glue-fingered end snared 25 passes for 452 yards and five touchdowns. Versatile as well as gifted, he also did the punting, and boomed one kick 76 yards from scrimmage.

It was on to Cincinnati, where after four years of college stardom he merited these words of praise from famed Bearcat head coach Sid Gillman: “Fritz was one of my best. He was tireless, playing both ways on our nationally-recognized squads of the early ’50s.”

In his sophomore season he performed at defensive halfback, intercepting five passes as UC led the nation with 33 thefts. The Bearcats collared the Mid-American Conference championship with an impressive 10-1 record. As a junior he switched to defensive end and intercepted four more passes, leading UC to an 8-1-1 mark and another Mid-Am crown.

The 1953 University of Cincinnati football program featured this sketch under “Bearcat Profiles”: “Don Fritz, 6’3″, 210-lb. Senior from Lorain, Co-Captain Elect, Unanimous choice for All-State defensive end, outstanding receiver and blocker, All-American material, being courted by the pros, rates among the greatest players in UC grid history.”

As Co-Captain of the 1953 squad, he picked off two more errant tosses for a career total of 11 interceptions, still a UC record. Named to the prestigious All-Ohio team, he played in the Blue-Gray Game held in Montgomery, Alabama. Later he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, performed in several pro exhibition games, then entered the U.S. Army where his Karlsruhe, Germany, grid eleven won the Army Conference title with a 7-1-1 record.

Mr. Fritz returned to the Steelers, surviving until the final cut when he departed along with an unknown quarterback named Johnny Unitas. A teacher and coach in the Lorain City school system since 1958, his first assignment was at Longfellow Jr. High where he guided the Longhorns to championships in football and basketball. Promoted to Admiral King High, he coached track, football and basketball. He served as an AK grid mentor for 17 seasons, seven as an Assistant and ten as Head Varsity Coach.