Frank FitzGerald
refer to caption
Fitzgerald in 1921
Personal information
Born:August 22, 1896
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Died:July 23, 1961 (aged 64)
Detroit, Michigan
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school:Holyoke (MA)
College:University of Detroit
Position:Halfback
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Games:7

John Francis FitzGerald (August 22, 1896[1] – July 23, 1961), sometimes referred to as France Fitzgerald, was an American football player and judge.

Born in Massachusetts, he attended Holyoke High School.[2] He played college football as a halfback, playing on both offense and defense, at the University of Detroit during the 1917, 1919, 1920, and 1921 seasons.[2][3][4]

His education was interrupted during World War I with service in the United States Army.[2][5] He played professional football as a halfback for the Toledo Maroons in the National Football League (NFL). He appeared in seven NFL games, six as a starter, during the 1923 season.[6]

He studied law at the University of Detroit, worked for a time as a probation officer, and served as a Wayne County Circuit Court Commissioner for several years.[5] He became active in politics and ran for the United States Senate in 1940, losing to incumbent Senator Arthur Vandenberg.[5] In 1943, he ran for Mayor of Detroit, receiving more votes in the primary than the incumbent Mayor Edward Jeffries, but then losing to Jeffries in the general election.[5]

He was elected as a judge of the Wayne County Circuit Court in 1947 and served in that capacity until his death in July 1961.[5][7]

References

  1. ↑ Some records reflect the same date of birth but list the year of birth as 1897.
  2. 1 2 3 "Francis Fitzgerald". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  3. ↑ "U. of D. Gridders Pick Fitzgerald To Pilot Eleven: Holyoke Boy Selected at Banquet Tendered Team by Alumni". Detroit Free Press. December 5, 1917. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Crack Half back With The U. of D. Squad In Its Hunt For Grid Laurels". Detroit Free Press. November 7, 1921. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Judge FitzGerald Dead at 62". Detroit Free Press. July 24, 1961. pp. 1, 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "France Fitzgerald". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Burial Services Held For Judge FitzGerald". Detroit Free Press. July 27, 1961. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.