Ted Petoskey
Encyclopedia
Frederick Lee "Ted" Petoskey (January 5, 1911 – November 30, 1996) was a three-sport athlete at the University of Michigan
, a Major League Baseball
player, a collegiate coach in three sports and an athletic director
.
At the University of Michigan
, Petoskey received eight varsity letter
s in three sports. In American football
, he was a two-time All-American
end
for the undefeated Michigan Wolverines football
teams that won back-to-back college football
National Championships in 1932 and 1933. He was also a guard and captain of Michigan's basketball
team in the 1933–34 season. As a baseball
player in 1934, Petoskey led the Big Ten Conference
with a .452 batting average
.
Petoskey played parts of the and Major League Baseball seasons as an outfielder
for the Cincinnati Reds
and played minor league baseball
until 1944. Petoskey also served in a variety of collegiate coaching positions, including head coach
of the University of South Carolina
's basketball team (1935–1940), athletic director and football coach at Wofford College
, and head baseball coach at the University of South Carolina (1940–42, 1948–56).
and attended nearby Saginaw Eastern High School. On October 22, 1926, Petoskey became the first receiver in Michigan High School Athletic Association
history to garner five receiving touchdown
s in a high school football game. As of August 2002, the record had not been surpassed. While playing for Saginaw
, Petoskey was an all-state end two years and an all-state fullback
another. He once played in a game with University of Michigan head coach Fielding H. Yost in the stands. Petoskey ran back the opening kickoff
for 87 yards and a touchdown
and after hearing that Yost was in the stands ran back another kickoff in the second half for 92 yards and a touchdown.
. While enrolled at Michigan, he earned eight varsity letter
s -- three in football, three in baseball
and two in basketball
.
in 1931, Petoskey was touted as "a second Bennie Oosterbaan
," and earned a spot on the United Press All-Big Ten Conference
second team.
In his junior year, Petoskey was one of the favorite pass
receivers for quarterback
Harry Newman
, who won the Douglas Fairbanks
trophy as the Most Valuable Player
in college football. Coach Harry Kipke shifted Petoskey to fullback
mid-way through the 1932 season
, and he scored two touchdowns in a 32–0 win over Illinois
. The United Press noted: "A running attack which featured Ted Petoskey, converted from an end to a fullback in the last week by Coach Harry Kipke dovetailed nicely with the Wolverine aerial play to produce the touchdowns. With Petoskey plunging the line and sweeping inside the ends for many sizeable gains, the Michigan eleven showed power through the line for the first time this season." An Associated Press
writer warned opponents to watch out for Petoskey: "It is about time for grid foeman to wake up when Ted Petoskey, end and fullback on the University of Michigan football team, gets to dreaming. Petoskey's dreams have a habit of coming true, and happily for Petoskey, most of his dreams are good ones."
Petoskey was selected as a first-team All-American in 1932 by the All-American Football Board, a second-team All-American by the New York Sun
, and a third-team All-American by the United Press. After the 1932 team
compiled a perfect 8–0 record (outscoring opponents 123–13) and won the national championship, the press credited the squad's "esprit de corps" as a key to their success. As an example of Wolverine teamwork, a United Press story pointed to a fumble in the Minnesota
game. "Michigan recovered, with both Ted Petoskey, end, and Charles Bernard
, center
, at the bottom of the heap. Bernard credited Petoskey. Petoskey said Bernard recovered."
, as Michigan won its second consecutive national championship, and Petoskey was again named an All-American. Although Petoskey was principally an end, Coach Kipke played Petoskey at fullback in some games in 1933. An October 1933 newspaper story reported on his versatility: "Ted Petoskey, Michigan's brilliant right end was moved into the backfield for last night's practice ... This is the second time Petoskey has figured in such a shift. Last fall he was converted into a fullback before the Illinois game and proved a capable ground gainer. Monday he was given a trial as a forward pass
er, and made an impressive showing." In his final game for the Michigan football team, Petoskey also kicked a 35-yard field goal
against Northwestern
, representing the final points scored for Michigan in its 1933 championship season.
After the 1933 season, Petoskey was chosen as a first-team All-American in the Central Press Association
poll of team captains, and for the second-team by Grantland Rice
. Petoskey also finished third in the voting for the Associated Press
1933 Big Ten Athlete of the Year award. In choosing Petoskey for his All-American team, football writer Lawrence Perry said: "Ted Petoskey of Michigan is one of the finest ends who ever played the game. A former halfback, he is superb as an end-around runner. He receives forward passes with great accuracy and when he catches the ball he is difficult to bring down."
Coach Kipke credited the play of halfback, Herman Everhardus, and his ends for the undefeated season: "Our ends, Ward and Petoskey, were near perfection." The 1934 University of Michigan yearbook, called the Michiganensian, described Petoskey's contributions as follows: "After three years of Varsity football, Petoskey is recognized as one of Michigan's greatest all-time ends. At the end of his junior year, he was chosen All American, and recognized as one of the greatest defense players in the country. He was alert, followed every play, and opponents found it almost impossible to gain around his end." In 1955, Kipke rated Petoskey as one of the six best players he ever coached: "If I had to name the best player I ever coached, it would have to be among Harry Newman
, Francis Wistert
, Otto Pommerening
, Ted Petoskey and Maynard Morrison
."
When the Associated Press picked Petoskey as only a second-team All-American in 1933, ten-year-old Mary Lee Grossman from Saginaw, Michigan
protested in a letter to AP sports editor, Alan Gould, that he had "chosen wrong" in leaving Petoskey and Whitey Wistert
off the first-team. To avoid any appearance of bias, the Saginaw native noted: "You may think I am a friend of these boys but I do not know either of them. I hope you change your mind." Gould responded to Miss Grossman in his column: "You may be right, Mary Lee, but it's too late now to change our mind."
of the 1933-34 Wolverines basketball team. For the versatile Petoskey, baseball was his best sport. In May 1933, the Wolverines baseball team swept the Ohio State Buckeyes
, as All-American football players Whitey Wistert
pitched a complete game
, and Petoskey hit an inside-the-park home run
. Petoskey led the Big Ten Conference in batting in 1934, with 19 hits
in 42 at bat
s for a .452 batting average
.
both signed with the Cincinnati Reds
, reporting to the team in early June 1934. Petoskey made his major league debut on September 9, 1934, and Wistert made his debut two days later. Petoskey played in six games in 1934, where he went hitless and struck out
five times in seven at bats. On the last day of the 1934 regular season, Petoskey was a strikeout victim of Dizzy Dean
in the ninth inning of Dean's 30th win of the year. When the baseball season ended, Petoskey and Wistert both returned to Ann Arbor, Michigan
in early October, where they were given coaching assignments helping Ray Fisher
teach fundamentals and offering personal tutoring to the freshman
football team.
Petoskey returned to the Reds in 1935, but after spring training he was assigned to the minor leagues. He played for the Wilmington Pirates in the Piedmont League
for most of the 1935 season, where he was hitting .426 to lead the league in early June. The Reds called up Petoskey in June, and one newspaper noted that when he was called up, Petoskey was "batting above the .400 mark, leading the (Piedmont) league in home runs, runs driven in and practically everything else." He was two-for-five with a stolen base and a .400 batting average in four games for the 1935 Reds, but he played his last game for the Reds on June 20, 1935.
Petoskey played for the Durham Bulls
in the Piedmont League in 1936, where he was hitting .428 in late May. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1937, where he was leading the International League
in base hits in mid-June. He continued to play with the Leafs in 1938 and 1939, before being sold to the Toledo Mud Hens
in July 1939. He was released by Toledo in March 1940.
basketball team from 1935-1940. In five seasons as the Gamecocks' head coach, the team had a record of 36–67.
as a player to take a full-time position as the head baseball coach
at South Carolina, a position he held from 1940–1942.
In August 1942, Petoskey was hired by Wofford College
as its head football coach and director of physical education. At the time, Petoskey had been playing for the Columbia Reds in the Sally League. Petoskey remained at Wofford through 1947, taking time off at times to revive his baseball career. In 1944, Petoskey was a player and manager for the Birmingham Barons
of the Southern Association
in 1944. In 1945, he left Wofford for the summer to play for the Buffalo Bisons
in the International League. He returned to Wofford after World War II. Wofford had suspended its football and basketball programs in 1943 and 1944, but Petoskey announced that the school would bring both programs back in the 1945–1946 school year. He also served as coach of the Wofford football team.
and his bringing the team home hungry after a tough loss to Duke
. In what team members remembered as the "hunger game," an angry Coach Petoskey told the players to "get on the bus," and the team rode from Durham, North Carolina
to Columbia, South Carolina
(236 miles) without having eaten.
Another time against Furman University
, the Gamecocks blew an 11–2 lead in the 8th inning to lose 12–11. On the bus, Petoskey had "that look," and the driver figured the team would receive a tongue-lashing. "He said, 'I don't want to hear a word out of you guys, and that goes for you, too, Bussie.'"
Baseball Coaching Record at South Carolina
, as a baseball scout for the Georgia
, North Carolina
, South Carolina
and eastern Tennessee
territory. As a Yankees' scout, he signed Duke
catcher Steve Crihfield to a contract. And in 1959, when the Yankees moved spring training for their farm system to Columbia, South Carolina
, Petoskey was responsible for the logistics and preparing Capital City Park. He served in the mid-1960s as the director of recreation for the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Petoskey died in Elgin, South Carolina
at age 85 in 1996.
His son Ted Petoskey, Jr., followed his father playing end in American football. Ted, Jr., was chosen to play end for the South Carolina high school team in the 1959 Shrine Bowl
against the North Carolina team, and was named South Carolina high school AAA Lineman of the Year. He went on to play end for the Clemson Tigers football
team from 1962–1964.
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...
, a Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player, a collegiate coach in three sports and an athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
.
At 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...
, Petoskey received eight varsity letter
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
s in three sports. In American 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...
, he was a two-time All-American
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...
end
End (football)
An end in American football is a player who lines up at either end of the line of scrimmage. Rules state that a legal offensive formation must always consist of seven players on the line of scrimmage. An end who lines up close to the offensive line is known as a tight end, while one who lines up...
for the undefeated Michigan Wolverines football
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...
teams that won back-to-back college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
National Championships in 1932 and 1933. He was also a guard and captain of Michigan's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team in the 1933–34 season. As a baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player in 1934, Petoskey led the Big Ten Conference
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...
with a .452 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.
Petoskey played parts of the and Major League Baseball seasons as an outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
and played minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
until 1944. Petoskey also served in a variety of collegiate coaching positions, including head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
's basketball team (1935–1940), athletic director and football coach at Wofford College
Wofford College
Established in 1854 and related to the United Methodist Church, Wofford College is an independent, Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts college of 1,525 students located in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. The historic campus is recognized as a national arboretum and features “The...
, and head baseball coach at the University of South Carolina (1940–42, 1948–56).
High school athlete
Petoskey was raised in St. Charles, MichiganSt. Charles, Michigan
St. Charles is a village in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The village is located in the northwest corner of St. Charles Township with portions of the village located within Brant Township and Swan Creek Township...
and attended nearby Saginaw Eastern High School. On October 22, 1926, Petoskey became the first receiver in Michigan High School Athletic Association
Michigan High School Athletic Association
-About:The Michigan High School Athletic Association is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing...
history to garner five receiving touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s in a high school football game. As of August 2002, the record had not been surpassed. While playing for Saginaw
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
, Petoskey was an all-state end two years and an all-state 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...
another. He once played in a game with University of Michigan head coach Fielding H. Yost in the stands. Petoskey ran back the opening kickoff
Kickoff (American football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...
for 87 yards and a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
and after hearing that Yost was in the stands ran back another kickoff in the second half for 92 yards and a touchdown.
University of Michigan athlete
Petoskey was a three-sport player for the Michigan WolverinesMichigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
. While enrolled at Michigan, he earned eight varsity letter
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
s -- three in football, three in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and two in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
.
1931 and 1932 football seasons
In Petoskey's three years as a varsity football player, the Wolverines had a combined record of 23–1–2 and won two national championships. As a sophomoreSophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
in 1931, Petoskey was touted as "a second Bennie Oosterbaan
Bennie Oosterbaan
Benjamin Gaylord "Bennie" Oosterbaan was a three-time first team All-American football end for the Michigan Wolverines football team, two-time All-American basketball player for the basketball team and an All-Big Ten Conference baseball player for the baseball team...
," and earned a spot on the United Press All-Big Ten Conference
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...
second team.
In his junior year, Petoskey was one of the favorite pass
Forward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
receivers for quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Harry Newman
Harry Newman
Harry Lawrence Newman was an American football quarterback who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines , the New York Giants , and the Brooklyn/Rochester Tigers .-College career:...
, who won the Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
trophy as the Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
in college football. Coach Harry Kipke shifted Petoskey to 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...
mid-way through the 1932 season
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...
, and he scored two touchdowns in a 32–0 win over 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...
. The United Press noted: "A running attack which featured Ted Petoskey, converted from an end to a fullback in the last week by Coach Harry Kipke dovetailed nicely with the Wolverine aerial play to produce the touchdowns. With Petoskey plunging the line and sweeping inside the ends for many sizeable gains, the Michigan eleven showed power through the line for the first time this season." An Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
writer warned opponents to watch out for Petoskey: "It is about time for grid foeman to wake up when Ted Petoskey, end and fullback on the University of Michigan football team, gets to dreaming. Petoskey's dreams have a habit of coming true, and happily for Petoskey, most of his dreams are good ones."
Petoskey was selected as a first-team All-American in 1932 by the All-American Football Board, a second-team All-American by the New York Sun
New York Sun
The New York Sun was a weekday daily newspaper published in New York City from 2002 to 2008. When it debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of an otherwise unrelated earlier New York paper, The Sun , it became the first general-interest broadsheet newspaper to be started...
, and a third-team All-American by the United Press. After the 1932 team
1932 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1932 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1932 college football season. The team's head football coach was Harry Kipke...
compiled a perfect 8–0 record (outscoring opponents 123–13) and won the national championship, the press credited the squad's "esprit de corps" as a key to their success. As an example of Wolverine teamwork, a United Press story pointed to a fumble in the Minnesota
Minnesota Golden Gophers football
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...
game. "Michigan recovered, with both Ted Petoskey, end, and Charles Bernard
Chuck Bernard
Joseph Charles "Chuck" Bernard was a professional American football center who played for the Detroit Lions in 1934 and was a two-time All-American at the University of Michigan. He was born in Chicago, Illinois....
, center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
, at the bottom of the heap. Bernard credited Petoskey. Petoskey said Bernard recovered."
1933 football season
During his senior year, Petoskey started all eight games at left end for the 1933 Michigan Wolverines football team1933 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1933 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1933 college football season. The team's head football coach was Harry Kipke...
, as Michigan won its second consecutive national championship, and Petoskey was again named an All-American. Although Petoskey was principally an end, Coach Kipke played Petoskey at fullback in some games in 1933. An October 1933 newspaper story reported on his versatility: "Ted Petoskey, Michigan's brilliant right end was moved into the backfield for last night's practice ... This is the second time Petoskey has figured in such a shift. Last fall he was converted into a fullback before the Illinois game and proved a capable ground gainer. Monday he was given a trial as a forward pass
Forward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
er, and made an impressive showing." In his final game for the Michigan football team, Petoskey also kicked a 35-yard field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
against Northwestern
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
, representing the final points scored for Michigan in its 1933 championship season.
After the 1933 season, Petoskey was chosen as a first-team All-American in the Central Press Association
Central Press Association
The Central Press Association was an American newspaper syndication company based in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in business from 1910 to 1971. At its peak, the Central Press supplied features, columns, and photographs to more than 400 newspapers and 12 million daily readers.-History:Virgil Venice...
poll of team captains, and for the second-team by Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice was an early 20th century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio.-Biography:...
. Petoskey also finished third in the voting for the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
1933 Big Ten Athlete of the Year award. In choosing Petoskey for his All-American team, football writer Lawrence Perry said: "Ted Petoskey of Michigan is one of the finest ends who ever played the game. A former halfback, he is superb as an end-around runner. He receives forward passes with great accuracy and when he catches the ball he is difficult to bring down."
Coach Kipke credited the play of halfback, Herman Everhardus, and his ends for the undefeated season: "Our ends, Ward and Petoskey, were near perfection." The 1934 University of Michigan yearbook, called the Michiganensian, described Petoskey's contributions as follows: "After three years of Varsity football, Petoskey is recognized as one of Michigan's greatest all-time ends. At the end of his junior year, he was chosen All American, and recognized as one of the greatest defense players in the country. He was alert, followed every play, and opponents found it almost impossible to gain around his end." In 1955, Kipke rated Petoskey as one of the six best players he ever coached: "If I had to name the best player I ever coached, it would have to be among Harry Newman
Harry Newman
Harry Lawrence Newman was an American football quarterback who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines , the New York Giants , and the Brooklyn/Rochester Tigers .-College career:...
, Francis Wistert
Whitey Wistert
Francis Michael "Whitey" Wistert was an American football and baseball player. He played college football and college baseball at the University of Michigan...
, Otto Pommerening
Otto Pommerening
Otto P. Pommerening was an All-American football player for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1927-1928. He was a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan....
, Ted Petoskey and Maynard Morrison
Maynard Morrison
Maynard Morrison, a Canadian comedian, actor, director, and teacher from Sydney, Nova Scotia, has performed on tv, radio and in live venues across Canada. He is also an active teacher of performing arts at Sydney Academy in Sydney, Nova Scotia...
."
When the Associated Press picked Petoskey as only a second-team All-American in 1933, ten-year-old Mary Lee Grossman from Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
protested in a letter to AP sports editor, Alan Gould, that he had "chosen wrong" in leaving Petoskey and Whitey Wistert
Whitey Wistert
Francis Michael "Whitey" Wistert was an American football and baseball player. He played college football and college baseball at the University of Michigan...
off the first-team. To avoid any appearance of bias, the Saginaw native noted: "You may think I am a friend of these boys but I do not know either of them. I hope you change your mind." Gould responded to Miss Grossman in his column: "You may be right, Mary Lee, but it's too late now to change our mind."
Other sports
Petoskey was also the captainCaptain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
of the 1933-34 Wolverines basketball team. For the versatile Petoskey, baseball was his best sport. In May 1933, the Wolverines baseball team swept the Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of The Ohio State University, named after the state tree, the Buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports...
, as All-American football players Whitey Wistert
Whitey Wistert
Francis Michael "Whitey" Wistert was an American football and baseball player. He played college football and college baseball at the University of Michigan...
pitched a complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
, and Petoskey hit an inside-the-park home run
Inside-the-park home run
In baseball parlance, an inside-the-park home run, "leg home run", or "quadruple", is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of play.-Discussion:...
. Petoskey led the Big Ten Conference in batting in 1934, with 19 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
in 42 at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s for a .452 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.
Professional baseball
Immediately after graduating, Petoskey and Michigan teammate Whitey WistertWhitey Wistert
Francis Michael "Whitey" Wistert was an American football and baseball player. He played college football and college baseball at the University of Michigan...
both signed with the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, reporting to the team in early June 1934. Petoskey made his major league debut on September 9, 1934, and Wistert made his debut two days later. Petoskey played in six games in 1934, where he went hitless and struck out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
five times in seven at bats. On the last day of the 1934 regular season, Petoskey was a strikeout victim of Dizzy Dean
Dizzy Dean
Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the last National League pitcher to win 30 games in one season. Dean was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953....
in the ninth inning of Dean's 30th win of the year. When the baseball season ended, Petoskey and Wistert both returned to Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
in early October, where they were given coaching assignments helping Ray Fisher
Ray Fisher
Ray Lyle Fisher was an American professional baseball pitcher. He pitched all or part of ten seasons in Major League Baseball. His debut game took place on July 2, 1910. His final game took place on October 2, 1920...
teach fundamentals and offering personal tutoring to the freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
football team.
Petoskey returned to the Reds in 1935, but after spring training he was assigned to the minor leagues. He played for the Wilmington Pirates in the Piedmont League
Piedmont League
The Piedmont League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1920 through 1955. The league operated principally in the Piedmont plateau region in the eastern United States.- Former :...
for most of the 1935 season, where he was hitting .426 to lead the league in early June. The Reds called up Petoskey in June, and one newspaper noted that when he was called up, Petoskey was "batting above the .400 mark, leading the (Piedmont) league in home runs, runs driven in and practically everything else." He was two-for-five with a stolen base and a .400 batting average in four games for the 1935 Reds, but he played his last game for the Reds on June 20, 1935.
Petoskey played for the Durham Bulls
Durham Bulls
The Durham Bulls are a minor league baseball team that currently plays in the International League. The Bulls play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park located in the downtown area of Durham, North Carolina. Durham Bulls Athletic Park is often called the "DBAP" or "D-Bap". The Bulls are...
in the Piedmont League in 1936, where he was hitting .428 in late May. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1937, where he was leading the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
in base hits in mid-June. He continued to play with the Leafs in 1938 and 1939, before being sold to the Toledo Mud Hens
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based approximately 50 miles to the north of Toledo. The current team is one of several...
in July 1939. He was released by Toledo in March 1940.
Basketball coach at South Carolina
During the off-season from his summer job as a minor league baseball player, Petoskey coached the University of South CarolinaUniversity of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
basketball team from 1935-1940. In five seasons as the Gamecocks' head coach, the team had a record of 36–67.
South Carolina and Wofford (1940–47)
Until 1940, Petoskey had been coaching in the offseason, while still playing baseball in the summers. In August 1940, he announced his retirementRetirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
as a player to take a full-time position as the head baseball coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
at South Carolina, a position he held from 1940–1942.
In August 1942, Petoskey was hired by Wofford College
Wofford College
Established in 1854 and related to the United Methodist Church, Wofford College is an independent, Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts college of 1,525 students located in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. The historic campus is recognized as a national arboretum and features “The...
as its head football coach and director of physical education. At the time, Petoskey had been playing for the Columbia Reds in the Sally League. Petoskey remained at Wofford through 1947, taking time off at times to revive his baseball career. In 1944, Petoskey was a player and manager for the Birmingham Barons
Birmingham Barons
The Birmingham Barons are a minor league baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox major-league club....
of the Southern Association
Southern Association
The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A , Class A1 and Class AA...
in 1944. In 1945, he left Wofford for the summer to play for the Buffalo Bisons
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...
in the International League. He returned to Wofford after World War II. Wofford had suspended its football and basketball programs in 1943 and 1944, but Petoskey announced that the school would bring both programs back in the 1945–1946 school year. He also served as coach of the Wofford football team.
Baseball coach at South Carolina (1948–56)
In 1948, Petoskey returned to the University of South Carolina where he was the head coach of the baseball team until 1956. He also served as an ends coach for the South Carolina football team. In twelve seasons as South Carolina's head baseball coach, Petoskey compiled a record of 113–120. Petoskey's baseball players remembered his love of playing pokerPoker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
and his bringing the team home hungry after a tough loss to Duke
Duke Blue Devils
Duke University's 26 varsity sports teams, known as the Blue Devils, compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The name comes from the French "les Diables Bleus" or "the Blue Devils," which was the nickname given during World War I to the Chasseurs Alpins, the French Alpine light infantry...
. In what team members remembered as the "hunger game," an angry Coach Petoskey told the players to "get on the bus," and the team rode from Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
to Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
(236 miles) without having eaten.
Another time against Furman University
Furman University
Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
, the Gamecocks blew an 11–2 lead in the 8th inning to lose 12–11. On the bus, Petoskey had "that look," and the driver figured the team would receive a tongue-lashing. "He said, 'I don't want to hear a word out of you guys, and that goes for you, too, Bussie.'"
Baseball Coaching Record at South Carolina
Later years
In December 1956, Petoskey announced he was leaving the University of South Carolina to work for the New York YankeesNew York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, as a baseball scout for the Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
and eastern Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
territory. As a Yankees' scout, he signed Duke
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
catcher Steve Crihfield to a contract. And in 1959, when the Yankees moved spring training for their farm system to Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, Petoskey was responsible for the logistics and preparing Capital City Park. He served in the mid-1960s as the director of recreation for the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Petoskey died in Elgin, South Carolina
Elgin, South Carolina
Elgin is the name of some places in the U.S. state of South Carolina:*Elgin, Kershaw County, South Carolina*Elgin, Lancaster County, South Carolina...
at age 85 in 1996.
His son Ted Petoskey, Jr., followed his father playing end in American football. Ted, Jr., was chosen to play end for the South Carolina high school team in the 1959 Shrine Bowl
Shrine Bowl
The Shrine Bowl was a former postseason college football bowl game. The first game was played on December 18, 1948, at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas between Hardin-Simmons University and Ouachita Baptist College....
against the North Carolina team, and was named South Carolina high school AAA Lineman of the Year. He went on to play end for the Clemson Tigers football
Clemson Tigers football
The Clemson Tigers football team is an American football team from Clemson University in South Carolina. It competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
team from 1962–1964.
See also
- 1932 Michigan Wolverines football team1932 Michigan Wolverines football teamThe 1932 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1932 college football season. The team's head football coach was Harry Kipke...
- 1933 Michigan Wolverines football team1933 Michigan Wolverines football teamThe 1933 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1933 college football season. The team's head football coach was Harry Kipke...
- List of Michigan Wolverines football All-Americans
- Cincinnati Reds all-time rosterCincinnati Reds all-time rosterThe following is a list of players, both past and current, who appeared at least in one game for the Cincinnati Reds National League franchise , also known previously as the Cincinnati Red Stockings and Cincinnati Redlegs .Players in Bold are members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.Players...