Earl Witte
No. 23
Position:Back
Personal information
Born:(1906-12-12)December 12, 1906
St. Peter, Minnesota
Died:November 1, 1991(1991-11-01) (aged 84)
St. Peter, Minnesota
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:188 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High school:St. Peter (MN)
College:Gustavus Adolphus (1926–1930, 1933)
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts:8
Rushing yards:22
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Earl John Witte, sometimes spelled Witty (December 12, 1906 – November 1, 1991) was an American football back. He played college football for the Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties and later was a member of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He also played with the Phantom Athletic Club, the Carlsons and the Ewalds, in local ranks, as well as had a brief stint with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Early life and football career

Witte was born on December 12, 1906, in St. Peter, Minnesota.[1] He attended St. Peter High School and is one of only three of their alumni to ever make it to the NFL.[2] As a senior in 1925, he averaged over 12 yards-per-carry and ran for 1,719 yards in eight games.[3] He was described as "one of the sensations of the southern Minnesota high schools."[4] Witte also played several other sports at St. Peter.[5] He entered Gustavus Adolphus College in 1926.[3]

Witte was on the freshman football team his first year and also played guard for their basketball squad.[6][7] He made the varsity and saw significant playing time at fullback in 1927; he led the conference in scoring with seven touchdowns and helped Gustavus Adolphus win the circuit title, for which he was selected first-team all-conference.[8] He was also selected second-team all-state.[9] Halsey Hall of The Minneapolis Journal, in selecting Witte second-team all-state, noted that he was a "touchdown maker de luxe and the defensive genius of the Gustie backs. Witt[e] ... could be on the first team without anybody feeling hurt about it."[9]

Witte also played for the 1927–28 Gustavus Adolphus basketball team and helped them win the state championship, additionally being selected to the all-state basketball team.[10][11] He was ruled ineligible to play in the 1928 football season.[12] He was able to return for the 1929 season and became one of the top players for the team; through games played by October 23, he was 15 points ahead for the conference scoring lead with 39, and it was reported by The Minneapolis Star that "his hard-hitting thrusts when scoring yardage is needed [and is] mainly responsible for the Gusties' return to state college gridiron prominence."[13] He finished the season having scored 52 points–48 off eight touchdowns and four off extra points–which tied the all-time conference scoring record.[14] He was named second-team all-state for his performance.[15] He also continued playing basketball and earned a second all-state selection.[11]

Witte was able to return for his fifth year in 1930 and earned first-team all-state as well as first-team all-conference honors.[16][17] It was noted in an article from The Minneapolis Journal that, "[a]t fullback is Earl Witt[e], the Kid from Gustavus who ranted and raved and dashed around a football field. The kid was afire in a football game and, if he was stopped for the first half, he came back like judgement day in the second. He was strong on the defensive and one of the sparks of the Gustie array."[17]

Witte began playing for the Phantom Athletic Club of the local Park Football League and began the season as their quarterback, later shifting to be their starting fullback; he was one of four players in the team's backfield known as the "Four Galloping Ghosts."[18][19][20] After the football season, he joined the American Legion basketball team in the Minneapolis AAU League and played the 1931–32 season with them.[21] In the 1932 football season, he played for a team known as the Carlsons before leaving late-season to join the Ewalds.[22][23]

Witte played the first two games of 1933 with the Ewalds but then made a decision to return to college for one final football season with Gustavus Adolphus.[24][25][26] He reportedly played "better than ever" that season and was named a first-team all-conference and all-state selection.[11][27][28][29] Afterwards, he re-joined the Ewalds and played the end of the year with them.[24]

In August 1934, Witte was signed by the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL).[30][31] He made the team and appeared in five of the Packers' 13 games, two as a starter, helping them compile a record of 7–6.[32] He played as a blocking back and defensive back and had a total of eight rush attempts for 22 yards, averaging 2.8 yards-per-carry while wearing the number 23.[33] After an exhibition game against the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Press-Gazette noted that he "wanted to prove that [Bronko] Nagurski and [Jack] Manders were not the only Minnesotans on the field last night, and he did it quite proficiently. One time when the Bronc busted through the Packer line on one of his bone-crushing plunges, Witte came up fast from the secondary and picked the Bronc right up in the air while he was driving forward and threw him on his back."[34] He also reportedly hit Gene Ronzani so hard that Ronzani "stopped, curled up and dropped to the ground as if he had hit a stone wall."[34]

Witte was sold along with Carl Jorgensen to the Philadelphia Eagles in May 1935.[35] He ultimately did not play for the Eagles.[33] He instead returned to the Ewalds football team that season and played the year with them.[36]

Later life and death

After retiring from football, Witte served for the State of Minnesota public welfare department for 30 years until retiring in 1971.[11] He also served in the United States Navy during World War II for three years.[11] He died on November 1, 1991, in St. Peter, Minnesota, at the age of 84.[37]

References

  1. ↑ "Earl Witte". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  2. ↑ "St. Peter (St. Peter, MN) Alumni Pro Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "St. Peter Football Star Will Enter Gustavus". Star Tribune. December 13, 1925. p. 34. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ↑ "State College Gridders Will Assemble Next Week". Star Tribune. September 4, 1927. p. 32. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ↑ Hall, Halsey (September 9, 1926). "Many Veterans Greet New Gustavus Grid Coaches". The Minneapolis Journal. p. 25. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ↑ "Gustavus Will Defend Grid Title With Practically New Team". The Minneapolis Journal. August 28, 1927. p. 51. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ↑ "Gustavus Adolphus Quint Wins From Minneapolis Five". The Minneapolis Journal. December 4, 1926. p. 8. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ↑ "Coaches Pick Stars On All-State College Conference Team". The Minneapolis Journal. November 27, 1927. p. 43. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. 1 2 Hall, Halsey (November 27, 1927). "All Schools Place on Journal All-State Conference Team". The Minneapolis Journal. p. 43. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  10. ↑ "Meet The Gusties, New State Basketball Champs". The Minneapolis Journal. March 4, 1928. p. 33. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "Earl Witte (1978) - Hall of Fame". Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  12. ↑ "State Colleges Lose Promising Grid Prospects". St. Cloud Times. Associated Press. August 30, 1928. p. 10. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  13. ↑ "Early Witty Sports 15 Point Lead in Scoring". The Minneapolis Star. October 23, 1929. p. 14. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  14. ↑ "Scoring Mark Tied by Gustavus Star". Star Tribune. November 7, 1929. p. 24. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  15. ↑ "All-State College Teams". Star Tribune. November 24, 1929. p. 29. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  16. ↑ "Four Colleges Represented On Coaches' All-Conference Team". St. Cloud Times. Associated Press. November 25, 1930. p. 14. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  17. 1 2 Hall, Halsey (November 23, 1930). "Four Schools Make Journal All-State Team". The Minneapolis Journal. p. 32. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  18. ↑ "The Phantoms' Four 'Galloping Ghosts'". The Minneapolis Star. October 10, 1931. p. 9. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  19. ↑ "Phantoms to Play Almli's Ironwood Eleven October 30". Star Tribune. October 14, 1931. p. 16. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  20. ↑ "Phantoms, Ironwood, Clash at St. Thomas". The Minneapolis Star. October 30, 1931. p. 32. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  21. ↑ "A.A.U. Floor League Begins Play Tonight". The Minneapolis Star. December 15, 1931. p. 14. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  22. ↑ "Frawley, Once Gusty Star, Joins Carlsons". The Minneapolis Star. September 24, 1932. p. 7. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  23. ↑ "Earl Witte Joins Ewald Team Today". The Minneapolis Journal. November 6, 1932. p. 13. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  24. 1 2 "Witty Joins Ewalds For Tilt With All-Star Team". The Minneapolis Star. November 29, 1933. p. 12. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  25. ↑ "Eight Games Tonight and Tomorrow Give State Colleges Running Start". The Minneapolis Star. September 29, 1933. p. 20. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  26. ↑ Hall, Halsey (September 28, 1933). "Kid Witty Returns to Gusties; Cadets See Victory at Fargo". The Minneapolis Journal. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  27. ↑ "Sport Shorts". The Winona Daily News. November 8, 1933. p. 11. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  28. ↑ Larson, Cal (November 23, 1933). "Seven Schools Land All-State Loop Berths". Star Tribune. Associated Press. p. 19. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  29. ↑ Hall, Halsey (November 26, 1933). "Seven Schools Place Men on Journal All-Star Conference Team". The Minneapolis Journal. p. 11. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  30. ↑ "Gantenbein, Grove Sign Contracts To Play With Packers". Green Bay Press-Gazette. August 21, 1934. p. 17. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  31. ↑ "Witte to Green Bay, Johnson With Ewalds". Star Tribune. September 13, 1934. p. 23. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  32. ↑ "1934 Green Bay Packers (NFL)". Pro Football Archives. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  33. 1 2 "Earl Witte Stats". Pro Football Archives. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  34. 1 2 "Sidelights". Green Bay Press-Gazette. October 18, 1934. p. 14. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  35. ↑ "Two Packers Go To Eagles". Green Bay Press-Gazette. May 22, 1935. p. 19. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  36. ↑ "Four City and Ewald Elevens Clash in Opening Tilt Today". Star Tribune. September 15, 1935. p. 23. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  37. ↑ "Sampras, Forget in Final". Green Bay Press-Gazette. November 3, 1991. p. 32. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon


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