Frank Steketee
Encyclopedia
Frank W. Steketee was an All American
football
halfback
and fullback
who played with the University of Michigan
Wolverines
in 1918
, 1920
, and 1921
. As a freshman in 1918, he was the team's only All-American
, scored three touchdowns and kicked three extra points in his first game, and led the Wolverines to an undefeated national championship
season. He was regarded as one of the best kickers in football at the time and reportedly once kicked a 100-yard punt.
. He was the son of prominent Grand Rapids businessman Jacob Steketee. Steketee was a star athlete at Grand Rapids Central High School.
.
Though he was a skilled runner and "line-plunger," Steketee was principally known for his punting and place kicking. There are press accounts of Steketee once having kicked a record 100-yard punt. According to one account: “I remember The Saturday Evening Post
doing a writeup on U. of M. It told how Frank Steketee stood behind his own goal posts and made a punt which was picked up by the opposing team behind their goal posts.” “As a result of his prodigious field goals, Stek is given credit for Michigan victories over Syracuse, Illinois and Minnesota.”
. For the season, the Wolverines outscored their opponents 96–6.
In the opening game against Case Institute of Technology
, Steketee entered the game as a substitute and made an impressive debut. In a 33–0 victory, Steketee accounted for 21 points, “making three of the five touchdowns and kicking three out of five attempts at goal.”
In the third game of the season, Steketee’s performance was even more impressive. Michigan defeated Syracuse
, 15–0, on a field inches deep in mud, with rain falling throughout the game. Steketee scored all 15 points in the game, kicking three field goals and scoring a touchdown. The Syracuse Herald
reported: “One man stood out in the Michigan triumph, Steketee of Grand Rapids. He made the entire 15 points scored by his team and otherwise mussed up perfect good intentions on the part of the visitors.” In the fourth quarter, Steketee also intercepted a pass from Ackley and ran 20 yards for a touchdown to complete the scoring.
The final game of the 1918 season pitted the undefeated Wolverines against the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes. In a 14–0 victory, Steketee again had a hand in all 14 points scored. The game was scoreless in the fourth quarter when Steketee kicked a 73-yard punt that pinned Ohio State at its two-yard line. Ohio State attempted to punt out of its end zone, but Michigan’s Angus Goetz broke through and blocked the punt which was recovered for a touchdown. Steketee also threw a touchdown pass to end Robert Dunne from Ohio State’s 12-yard line in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring.
In addition to being Michigan’s only All-American in 1918, Steketee was also the only member of Michigan's undefeated 1918 team to receive a "gold football" from Coach Fielding H. Yost. He was the first player in school history to be named an All-American in his freshman year. The freshman rule had been relaxed in 1918 because of World War I
.
in 1919 and missed the 1919 season
. Without Steketee in the lineup, the Wolverines record dropped to 3–4 in 1919, as they gave up 102 points, 96 points more than they had allowed in 1918.
In July 1920, The New York Times
reported on Steketee's return, noting that Michigan supporters were “greatly rejoiced by the announcement from the office of the Registrar of the University that Frank Steketee, the famous 1918 All-American fullback, will be eligible for the 1920 eleven.” The paper also opined that, had Steketee been eligible in 1919, “the season’s long succession of defeats might have been averted.”
As the season got underway, newspapers asked the question: “Is Michigan Coming Back?” One wire service account noted: "Frank Steketee, a member of the 1918 team, and who was given the position of fullback on Walter Camp’s All-American eleven, will be back on the line-plunging job this year. Steketee is as good a booter as they come, and he promises to be one of the national gridiron stars again this year."
With Steketee back in the lineup, the Wolverines improved to 5–2 in 1920, outscoring opponents 121–21.
In the 1920 Illinois
game, Michigan lost, 7–6, as a 50-yard place kick by Steketee with a few minutes left missed "by a few inches."
The season’s other loss came to Ohio State
, 14–7. However, an Ohio newspaper account noted that, despite the loss, “Steketee was the offensive star for the Wolverines, his 26-yard gain around right end in the first quarter being the most spectacular run of the game.” Another account reported: “Several spectacular gains by Steketee for Michigan featured the third period.”
Though no Wolverine player made the All-American team in 1920, Steketee was selected as first-team All "Big Ten
" by Chicago
experts.
Pre-season accounts noted: "In Frank Steketee, Michigan has one of the best distance punters in the conference."
After losing to Ohio State
, 14–0, Michigan rebounded the following week to defeat Illinois, 3–0, on a “placement kick” by Steketee. The New York Times reported that Steketee was “the outstanding figure of the Michigan offense.” Steketee scored the game’s only points on a kick from the 15-yard line near the end of the first half. Later in the game, Steketee “broke up the match” when he intercepted a long pass, and later “broke through and blocked Anderson’s attempted place kick.”
Steketee’s final game in a Michigan uniform came against rival Minnesota in the battle for the Little Brown Jug. Michigan beat Minnesota, 38–0, as Steketee scored a touchdown after Michigan’s Frank Cappon fumbled the ball at the Minnesota four-yard line, the ball rolled across the goal-line and Steketee pounced on it. Steketee also had a long run in the fourth quarter to set up Michigan’s final score.
, swimming
and golf
teams. His grandson, Michigan Court of Appeals
Judge David H. Sawyer, said: “He was one of these athletes who did everything. They say he was an accomplished gymnast, too, but they didn’t have gymnastics
at Michigan back then.”
and other Michigan teammates, at the funeral of Bernard Kirk in Ypsilanti, Michigan
. Kirk had been Michigan’s starting left end and died in an automobile accident on December 17, 1922. The funeral was also attended by Michigan Governor Alex Groesbeck
, U-M President Marion LeRoy Burton
, and the coaches of the Western Conference football teams.
. He worked as an account examiner for the finance division of Michigan Department of Highways from January 1945 until his death in December 1951.
On the day after Christmas in 1951, Steketee was stricken by a heart attack and collapsed at his desk in the state highway department headquarters. He died three hours later at Lansing's St. Lawrence Hospital. He was survived by his widow, Emma, and a son Frank W. Steketee, Jr.
Steketee was inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
halfback
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
and fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
who played with the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
in 1918
1918 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1918 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1918 college football season. The team's head football coach was Fielding H. Yost in his 18th season with the program. The 1918 team played in a season shortened by World War I travel restrictions and the 1918...
, 1920
1920 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1920 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1920 college football season. The team's head coach was Fielding H. Yost...
, and 1921
1918 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1918 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1918 college football season. The team's head football coach was Fielding H. Yost in his 18th season with the program. The 1918 team played in a season shortened by World War I travel restrictions and the 1918...
. As a freshman in 1918, he was the team's only All-American
1918 College Football All-America Team
The 1918 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations for the 1918 college football season.-Key:* WC = Walter Camp...
, scored three touchdowns and kicked three extra points in his first game, and led the Wolverines to an undefeated national championship
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
season. He was regarded as one of the best kickers in football at the time and reportedly once kicked a 100-yard punt.
High school
Steketee was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MichiganGrand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
. He was the son of prominent Grand Rapids businessman Jacob Steketee. Steketee was a star athlete at Grand Rapids Central High School.
College football All-American at Michigan
After graduating from high school, Steketee attended the University of Michigan, where he became known as "Stek." He played halfback and fullback for Fielding H. Yost's Michigan Wolverines football teams in 1918, 1920, and 1921, missing the 1919 season due to military service during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Though he was a skilled runner and "line-plunger," Steketee was principally known for his punting and place kicking. There are press accounts of Steketee once having kicked a record 100-yard punt. According to one account: “I remember The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
doing a writeup on U. of M. It told how Frank Steketee stood behind his own goal posts and made a punt which was picked up by the opposing team behind their goal posts.” “As a result of his prodigious field goals, Stek is given credit for Michigan victories over Syracuse, Illinois and Minnesota.”
Michigan’s undefeated 1918 season
As a freshman in 1918, Steketee was named an All-American. In a season shortened to five games due to the deadly 1918 flu pandemic and war-related travel restrictions, the Wolverines were 5–0 and national champions. They shut out four of their opponents, including a 14–0 shutout over Ohio State1918 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1918 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1918-1919. The Buckeyes compiled a 3–3 record, yet outscored opponents 134-41.-Schedule:-References:Win/Loss statistics*...
. For the season, the Wolverines outscored their opponents 96–6.
In the opening game against Case Institute of Technology
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
, Steketee entered the game as a substitute and made an impressive debut. In a 33–0 victory, Steketee accounted for 21 points, “making three of the five touchdowns and kicking three out of five attempts at goal.”
In the third game of the season, Steketee’s performance was even more impressive. Michigan defeated Syracuse
Syracuse Orange football
The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...
, 15–0, on a field inches deep in mud, with rain falling throughout the game. Steketee scored all 15 points in the game, kicking three field goals and scoring a touchdown. The Syracuse Herald
Syracuse Herald-Journal
The Syracuse Herald-Journal was an evening newspaper in Syracuse, New York, with roots going back to 1839 when it was named the Western State Journal. The final issue — volume 124, number 37,500 — was published on September 29, 2001...
reported: “One man stood out in the Michigan triumph, Steketee of Grand Rapids. He made the entire 15 points scored by his team and otherwise mussed up perfect good intentions on the part of the visitors.” In the fourth quarter, Steketee also intercepted a pass from Ackley and ran 20 yards for a touchdown to complete the scoring.
The final game of the 1918 season pitted the undefeated Wolverines against the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes. In a 14–0 victory, Steketee again had a hand in all 14 points scored. The game was scoreless in the fourth quarter when Steketee kicked a 73-yard punt that pinned Ohio State at its two-yard line. Ohio State attempted to punt out of its end zone, but Michigan’s Angus Goetz broke through and blocked the punt which was recovered for a touchdown. Steketee also threw a touchdown pass to end Robert Dunne from Ohio State’s 12-yard line in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring.
In addition to being Michigan’s only All-American in 1918, Steketee was also the only member of Michigan's undefeated 1918 team to receive a "gold football" from Coach Fielding H. Yost. He was the first player in school history to be named an All-American in his freshman year. The freshman rule had been relaxed in 1918 because of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
The 1920 season
Steketee served in the Naval ReserveUnited States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
in 1919 and missed the 1919 season
1919 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1919 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1919 college football season. The team's head coach was Fielding H. Yost. The Wolverines played their home games at Ferry Field.-Schedule:-Letter winners:...
. Without Steketee in the lineup, the Wolverines record dropped to 3–4 in 1919, as they gave up 102 points, 96 points more than they had allowed in 1918.
In July 1920, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported on Steketee's return, noting that Michigan supporters were “greatly rejoiced by the announcement from the office of the Registrar of the University that Frank Steketee, the famous 1918 All-American fullback, will be eligible for the 1920 eleven.” The paper also opined that, had Steketee been eligible in 1919, “the season’s long succession of defeats might have been averted.”
As the season got underway, newspapers asked the question: “Is Michigan Coming Back?” One wire service account noted: "Frank Steketee, a member of the 1918 team, and who was given the position of fullback on Walter Camp’s All-American eleven, will be back on the line-plunging job this year. Steketee is as good a booter as they come, and he promises to be one of the national gridiron stars again this year."
With Steketee back in the lineup, the Wolverines improved to 5–2 in 1920, outscoring opponents 121–21.
In the 1920 Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...
game, Michigan lost, 7–6, as a 50-yard place kick by Steketee with a few minutes left missed "by a few inches."
The season’s other loss came to Ohio State
1920 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1920 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1920-1921.They outscored opponents 150-20 in the regular season and beat Michigan, 14-7...
, 14–7. However, an Ohio newspaper account noted that, despite the loss, “Steketee was the offensive star for the Wolverines, his 26-yard gain around right end in the first quarter being the most spectacular run of the game.” Another account reported: “Several spectacular gains by Steketee for Michigan featured the third period.”
Though no Wolverine player made the All-American team in 1920, Steketee was selected as first-team All "Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
" by Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
experts.
1921 season
In 1921, the Wolverines improved to a 5–1–1 record and outscored their opponents 187–21.Pre-season accounts noted: "In Frank Steketee, Michigan has one of the best distance punters in the conference."
After losing to Ohio State
1921 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1921 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1921-1922. The Buckeyes compiled a 5–2 record while outscoring opponents 110-14. The 14 points allowed came in Ohio State's only losses....
, 14–0, Michigan rebounded the following week to defeat Illinois, 3–0, on a “placement kick” by Steketee. The New York Times reported that Steketee was “the outstanding figure of the Michigan offense.” Steketee scored the game’s only points on a kick from the 15-yard line near the end of the first half. Later in the game, Steketee “broke up the match” when he intercepted a long pass, and later “broke through and blocked Anderson’s attempted place kick.”
Steketee’s final game in a Michigan uniform came against rival Minnesota in the battle for the Little Brown Jug. Michigan beat Minnesota, 38–0, as Steketee scored a touchdown after Michigan’s Frank Cappon fumbled the ball at the Minnesota four-yard line, the ball rolled across the goal-line and Steketee pounced on it. Steketee also had a long run in the fourth quarter to set up Michigan’s final score.
Multi-sport star
Steketee was also a letter winner for the Wolverines’ hockeyHockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
teams. His grandson, Michigan Court of Appeals
Michigan Court of Appeals
The Michigan Court of Appeals is the intermediate-level appellate court of the state of Michigan. It was created by the Michigan Constitution of 1963, and commenced operations in 1965...
Judge David H. Sawyer, said: “He was one of these athletes who did everything. They say he was an accomplished gymnast, too, but they didn’t have gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
at Michigan back then.”
Bernard Kirk's death
In December 1922, Steketee was a pall-bearer along with Harry Kipke, Paul GoebelPaul G. Goebel
Paul Gordon Goebel was an American football end who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1920 to 1922. He was an All-American in 1921 and was the team's captain in 1922. He played professional football from 1923 to 1926 with the Columbus Tigers, Chicago Bears, and New York Yankees...
and other Michigan teammates, at the funeral of Bernard Kirk in Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
. Kirk had been Michigan’s starting left end and died in an automobile accident on December 17, 1922. The funeral was also attended by Michigan Governor Alex Groesbeck
Alex Groesbeck
Alexander Joseph Groesbeck was an American politician who served as Attorney General and the 30th Governor of the State of Michigan.-Early life:...
, U-M President Marion LeRoy Burton
Marion LeRoy Burton
Marion LeRoy Burton was the second president of Smith College, serving from 1910 to 1917. He left Smith to become president of the University of Minnesota from 1917 to 1920....
, and the coaches of the Western Conference football teams.
Later life
Steketee served as a medic in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He worked as an account examiner for the finance division of Michigan Department of Highways from January 1945 until his death in December 1951.
On the day after Christmas in 1951, Steketee was stricken by a heart attack and collapsed at his desk in the state highway department headquarters. He died three hours later at Lansing's St. Lawrence Hospital. He was survived by his widow, Emma, and a son Frank W. Steketee, Jr.
Steketee was inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.