Fred Provo
No. 80
Position:Halfback
Personal information
Born:(1922-04-17)April 17, 1922
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Died:June 6, 1999(1999-06-06) (aged 77)
Bothell, Washington, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school:Vancouver (Vancouver, Washington)
College:Washington (1941–1942, 1946–1947)
NFL Draft:1948 / Round: 14 / Pick: 121
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts:29
Rushing yards:90
Passing attempts:1
Pass completions:1
Passing yards:20
Punt returns:18
Player stats at NFL.com

Frederick Lewis Provo (April 17, 1922 – June 6, 1999) was an American football halfback who played one season in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers. He played college football for the Washington Huskies and was selected by the Packers in the 14th round of the 1948 NFL Draft.

Early life

Provo was born on April 17, 1922, in Seattle, Washington.[1] He attended Vancouver High School; he is one of only two of their alumni to play in the NFL.[2] At Vancouver, he was a member of their football, basketball and track and field teams.[3][4] In football in 1939, he led the Southwest Washington Conference with 51 points scored in seven games, averaging over a touchdown and a conversion per game.[5] As a senior in 1940, he was named All-Southwest Washington and was named the league's most valuable player, additionally being named the Vancouver High School and Vancouver athlete of the year.[6][7][8] Al Stump, journalist for The Columbian, wrote in selecting Provo athlete of the year: "[he is] such an obvious choice that the name could have gone unmentioned. Weigh all the candidates – the boys and the girls who did the most in and for Vancouver sports in 1940 – and you can't name anybody else."[7]

College career

Provo was recruited by several schools to play college football and ultimately committed to the University of Washington, where he majored in advertising.[9] He played a year with the Washington Huskies in 1942, lettering, before serving in World War II.[9][10]

During the war, Provo served for the United States Army as a paratrooper.[9] He served in the Battle of the Bulge, parachuted as part of the Normandy landings and was awarded two Purple Hearts after having been wounded in service.[9][11] According to Dan McGuire, journalist for The Honolulu Advertiser: "Provo ... parachuted into Normandy on D-Day and was hit by a burst of shrapnel. He was carried to an emergency station where doctors started to operate on him. The station was wiped out by a Nazi shell. Provo was blown into a mud hole 30 yards away. His right arm was half severed. When he regained consciousness he heard someone saying: 'We'll have to take it off.' Provo screamed: 'You're not going to take it off. You're going to sew it on. That's my arm. My arm. The one I pass with. Sew it on. Sew it on–I say!' Perhaps figuring he was done for anyway, the [doctors] granted his plea."[11]

Provo was able to recover and returned to Washington in 1946, where he played two more seasons.[10][11] He was their leading passer in 1946 and was also selected to the East–West Shrine Bowl that season.[9][12] A long touchdown scored by Provo helped the West upset the East in the bowl game.[13] He was awarded the Flaherty Inspirational Award at Washington.[9]

Professional career

Provo was selected in both the 21st round (138th overall) of the 1948 AAFC Draft by the Chicago Rockets and the 14th round (121st overall) of the 1948 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.[10] He opted to join the Packers, signing with them on April 10, 1948.[14] He made the team and appeared in either 9 or 10 games for the Packers in the 1948 season.[lower-alpha 1] He totaled 28 carries for 90 yards (a 3.1 average), four receptions for negative nine yards, completed one pass attempt for 20 yards and a touchdown, and returned a total of 28 combined punts and kickoffs for 413 yards.[1] He placed fifth in the NFL in punt returns with 18, was eighth with 208 punt return yards, was sixth with an 11.6 yard punt return average, placed sixth in combined returns and ninth overall in the league for return yardage.[1] He retired from football following his first year due to injuries, low salary, and to help his family.[9]

Later life

Provo worked as a salesman after his football career, selling marine equipment and athletic gear.[9] In 1973, he was inducted into the Clark County Athletic Hall of Fame and was also chosen to the all-time Vancouver football all-star squad as a first-team selection.[15][16] He died in Bothell, Washington, on June 6, 1999, at the age of 77, of leukemia.[9][10]

Notes

  1. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com and Pro Football Archives conflict.[1][10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Fred Provo Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Vancouver (Vancouver, WA) Alumni Pro Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  3. ↑ "District Meet Scrap Looms Tomorrow for 21 Trappers". The Columbian. May 16, 1941. p. 7. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ↑ "Yardsticked". The Columbian. November 22, 1940. p. 7. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ↑ "Provo Wins Points Title For Season". The Columbian. November 24, 1939. p. 7. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ↑ Stump, Al (November 21, 1940). "Five Trappers Named on Southwest All-star Eleven; Fred Provo Rated 'Most Valuable' Player in League". The Columbian. p. 7. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. 1 2 Stump, Al (December 31, 1940). "The Inside Angle". The Columbian. p. 5. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ↑ "Sixth Shields Blanket Award Goes to Provo". The Columbian. June 3, 1941. p. 7. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Beers, Carole (June 9, 1999). "Football Star, Wwii Veteran Fred Provo Lived For Family". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "Fred Provo Stats". Pro Football Archives. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 McGuire, Dan (November 14, 1947). "Chips From Diamond Head". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. 16. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  12. ↑ "West Picks Two Backs, Fills Out Squad For Classic". The Sacramento Bee. Associated Press. December 18, 1946. p. 19. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  13. ↑ "Provo Helps West to 13-9 Upset Win". The Seattle Star. United Press International. January 2, 1947. p. 9. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  14. ↑ "Fred Provo NFL Transactions". Pro Football Archives. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  15. ↑ Crombie, Al (February 3, 1976). "Dutch Shields in Hall of Fame". The Columbian. p. 12. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  16. ↑ Fisher, Ralph (December 31, 1973). "Inside angle". The Columbian. p. 8. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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