1. John Frederick Maulbetsch was an All-American football halfback at Adrian College in 1911 and for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1914 to 1916.
32 Facts About John Maulbetsch
1. 2.
John Maulbetsch is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
3.
John Maulbetsch became known as the "Human Bullet" because of his unusual low, line-plunging style of play, and was known as the "Featherweight Fullback" because of his light weight and small size.
4.
John Maulbetsch was selected by Walter Camp to his All-American team.
5.
In 1915, John Maulbetsch underwent surgery for appendicitis and did not perform to the same level as he had in 1914.
6.
John Maulbetsch made a comeback as a senior in 1916 and was again one of the leading players in college football.
7.
Between 1917 and 1920, John Maulbetsch was the head football coach at Phillips University.
8.
John Maulbetsch quickly turned Phillips into one of the top programs in the southwest, as his teams beat Oklahoma and Texas and lost only one game in the 1918 and 1919 seasons.
9.
John Maulbetsch has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and the University of Michigan awards the John F Maulbetsch Award each year to a freshman football player based on desire, character, and capacity for leadership and future success both on and off the football field.
10.
John Maulbetsch was born and grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
11.
John Maulbetsch attended Ann Arbor High School where he led the football team to consecutive state championships in 1908 and 1909.
12.
John Maulbetsch did not play for the varsity team until the fall of 1914 when he was 24 years old.
13.
John Maulbetsch weighs 155 pounds, is built low, has a powerful pair of shoulders and his dashes are characterized by lightning speed.
14.
John Maulbetsch has a corkscrew style of dashing, and even when tackled squarely has such a sturdy pair of legs that his assailant is usually carried back several yards.
15.
John Maulbetsch's actions were too mystifying for the spectators to figure out.
16.
Much of the attention on John Maulbetsch focused on his diminutive size and unique running style.
17.
John Maulbetsch's sister revealed that Maulbetsch had a fondness for home cooking and received permission from the team trainer to eat at his family's Ann Arbor home.
18.
John Maulbetsch spent his afternoons swimming and running sprints up and down the beach.
19.
On one trip, a giant coal passer claimed to be the strongest man in the world, and John Maulbetsch agreed to a wrestling match on the boat.
20.
In January 1917 newspapers reported that John Maulbetsch had signed a contract to play professional football for Detroit Tigers owner, Frank Navin.
21.
In June 1917, John Maulbetsch announced that he had accepted a position as the football coach at Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma.
22.
John Maulbetsch landed his first big recruit before leaving Ann Arbor.
23.
John Maulbetsch's next find was future Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Owen, who later spent 23 years with the New York Giants.
24.
John Maulbetsch was satisfied, and Owen had a spot on the team.
25.
John Maulbetsch arranged a game against the Texas Longhorns in 1919, the first meeting between the schools.
26.
In January 1921, John Maulbetsch was hired as the head coach at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
27.
John Maulbetsch arranged a game in Ann Arbor against his alma mater to start the 1926 season.
28.
In July 1929, John Maulbetsch was hired by Marshall College in Huntington, West Virginia to become head coach in charge of football and track.
29.
John Maulbetsch died of cancer in 1950 at his home in Ann Arbor.
30.
John Maulbetsch was survived by his widow, Ida, a son John Maulbetsch, and a daughter Barbara.
31.
John Maulbetsch had been married to Ida since May 27,1917.
32.
John Maulbetsch was inducted posthumously into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973.