Frank Speer

Frank Speer
Speer c. 1929
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – No. 48; 12; 17
PositionTackle
Class1930
Personal information
Born:(1907-05-27)May 27, 1907
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Died:June 10, 1938(1938-06-10) (aged 31)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career history
CollegeGeorgia Tech (1927-28; 1930)
Bowl games
Career highlights and awards

Frank R. Speer (May 27, 1907 – June 10, 1938) was a college football player and wrestler.[1]

College football

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Speer was an All-American tackle for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets of the Georgia Institute of Technology;[2] part of its national championship team of 1928. He first made the All-Southern team as a sophomore in 1927.[3] One writer in 1930 said Vance Maree and Frank Speer had the reputation as "the toughest pair of tackles in the south."[4] Speer is a member of the Georgia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame.[5]

Wrestling

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Speer once lost in a wrestling match with Bronko Nagurski due to a kneeing foul.[6] In another wrestling match, he caused former World Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey, who was officiating the contest, to knock him out.[7]

On June 1, 1938, Speer became ill but still participated in a wrestling match with Dorv Roche at Atlanta's Warren Arena.[8] Following the match, he developed a fever and was taken to a hospital, where he died June 10 of bronchial pneumonia.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Frank Speer, wrestler, dies of pneumonia". The Chicago Tribune. June 12, 1938. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  2. ^ Alan J. Gould (December 8, 1928). "Associated Press Gives Views on America's Best Gridders". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  3. ^ "Meet the Georgia Tech Varsity". Berkeley Daily Gazette. December 26, 1928.
  4. ^ Davis, Ralph (October 10, 1930). "Tech Leader Awaiting Test". The Pittsburgh Press.
  5. ^ "Georgia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  6. ^ "Speer of Georgia Tech Loses To The Big Nag". The Milwaukee Journal. April 17, 1934.
  7. ^ "Dempsey Knocks Out Tech Wrestling Star". The Miami News. October 9, 1934.
  8. ^ Wrestlingdata.com - Match Statistics for Frank Speer