"Fitzke" redirects here. For a similar surname, see Fitzkee.

Paul Frederick Herman Fitzke (July 30, 1900 – June 30, 1950), also known as Bob Fitzke, was an American professional athlete, who played briefly as a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) during 1924 and as a wingback in the National Football League (NFL) in 1925. He later was a college football head coach at the University of Dubuque.

Biography

Fitzke was a three-sport athlete in college, competing in baseball and football for the University of Wyoming and later the University of Idaho; he also played basketball for Idaho.[1]

Baseball

Fitzke played college baseball at Wyoming, where he batted .372 in 1921; he later played for Idaho.[1] Fitzke went on to play minor league baseball for parts of 10 seasons during 1924–1943.[2] He pitched in 168 minor league games, compiling a 41–48 win–loss record.[2] He best season, statistically, was in 1926 with the Scranton Miners when he was 16–8 with a 2.74 earned run average (ERA).[2] Listed at 5 feet 11.5 inches (1.816 m) and 185 pounds (84 kg), he threw and batted right-handed.[3]

Line score from Fitzke's only major league appearance

Fitzke appeared in one major league game, with the 1924 Cleveland Indians.[3] On September 1, 1924, Fitzke pitched in relief in the first game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Browns.[4] He entered the game to pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning, with the Browns leading, 6–2.[4] In four innings of work, he faced 19 batters, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out one batter (Browns shortstop Norm McMillan).[4] Fitzke batted once during the game; he was called out on strikes in the sixth inning while facing Browns reliever Ray Kolp.[4] Fitzke was removed in the top of the eighth inning when Glenn Myatt entered the game as a pinch hitter.[4] Cleveland used pitcher Bub Kuhn to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning, taking the loss in what was also Kuhn's only major league appearance.[4] Fitzke's earned run average (ERA) for his one major league appearance was 4.50.

Football

Fitzke played college football for Wyoming in 1921, before transferring to Idaho where he played two seasons.[5] He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Frankford Yellow Jackets in 1925, appearing in 16 games (13 starts).[6] The NFL's website lists him as a wingback.[7] Fitzke later coached college football for the Dubuque Spartans in Iowa in 1937 and 1938,[1] and at Carbon College (now Utah State University Eastern) in Price, Utah, circa 1941.[1]

Personal life

Fitzke was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin,[3] and graduated from high school there.[1] After his sports career, he became a chiropractor in Sacramento, California.[1] He died of leukemia in Sacramento on June 30, 1950,[5] and was buried in Boise, Idaho.[3]

Sources are inconsistent about what Fitzke's full name was. Pro-Football-Reference.com and the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) list it as Paul Frederick Herman Fitzke.[6][1] Retrosheet lists it as Robert Paul Fitzke né Frederick Herman Fitzke.[3] The Associated Press news article about his death noted it was Paul Robert Fitzke.[5] On draft registration cards, which he signed, it was listed as Paul Frederick Fitzke in March 1942,[8] and as Paul Frederick Fietzke in September 1918.[9]

Head coaching record

College football
Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Dubuque Spartans (Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1937–1938)
1937 Dubuque 3–4–1 3–1–1 3rd
1938 Dubuque 5–1–2 4–1 4th
Dubuque: 8–5–3 7–2–1
Total: 8–5–3

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Rainey, Chris. "Bob Fitzke". SABR. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Paul Fitzke Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Paul Fitzke". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "St. Louis Browns 11, Cleveland Indians 8 (1)". Retrosheet. September 1, 1924. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "Ex-Vandal Star Taken By Death". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. July 1, 1950. p. 8. Retrieved January 25, 2018 – via Google News.
  6. ^ a b "Bob Fitzke NFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. June 30, 1950. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  7. ^ "Paul Fitzke". NFL.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  8. ^ "Draft Registration Card". Selective Service System. March 1942. Retrieved August 4, 2020 – via fold3.com.
  9. ^ "Draft Registration Card". Selective Service System. September 1918. Retrieved August 4, 2020 – via fold3.com.

Further reading

External links