John Vehmeier
| File:Fred Vehmeier.png | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 28, 1888 Rock City, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | July 13, 1970 (aged 81) Rockford, Illinois, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1909–1910 | Beloit |
| 1911 | Illinois (freshmen) |
| Position(s) | End |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1912 | North Dakota |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 1–4 |
Fred E. Vehmeier (July 28, 1888 – July 13, 1970) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of North Dakota in 1912, compiling a record of 1–4.[1]
Biography[edit]
Vehmeier was born July 28, 1888 in Rock City, Illinois.[2][3] He was a native of Dakota and attended high school in Dixon,[4] before playing college football at Beloit for two years.[5] He was a left end for Beloit, but repeatedly got injured, including one injury in a 1909 game that nearly required an amputation.[6] Several papers referred to him as a "star" athlete.[5][7] Vehmeier later played freshman football as a tackle[8] and baseball at the University of Illinois in 1911.[9] He was still attending Illinois by 1912.[10] Vehmeier was a well-known figure in local towns and cities.[5]
In October 1912, Vehmeier was named head football coach at the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks.[9][11] The Grand Forks Herald of October 5 stated that he was "one of the best football coaches in the United States," and described him as follows: "His name is not known in this part of the country, although he comes from back east, for he has coached and played with some of the best baseball and football teams that the University of Illinois ever turned out. Vehmeier arrived in Grand Forks last night. One-look at him and you will be convinced that he knows something about athletics. In build he is a regular bull moose, broad of shoulder, deep chested and husky limbed. Any candidate for the university football team who gets a bit sassy can count on a beating, if this new coach is the man he looks to be."[9]
When Vehmeier joined the team, they were said to have had a poor roster and many thought coaching them was "a hopeless task."[12] In the short time he had between his hiring and their first game, he was able to help develop a "strong team."[13][14] North Dakota lost their opener, against Hamline,[15] but were reported as getting "stronger each day" under Vehmeier's stiff practices.[16][17]
However, when North Dakota played their next game, they lost by 35 to Carleton, although a report from the Grand Forks Herald the next day stated that it was not Vehmeier's fault, writing "Ten million Vehmeier's could not have made North Dakota play Saturday. As many more Vehmeiers and a couple of bushels of Armstrongs could not have infused life into a dead body. The men who played against Carleton did not show the stuff that counts. With one or two exceptions they did not fight. They played an indifferent variety of football that sent chills down the spines of the boys who love their alma mater. Their attack was anaemic, weak and thin, and when they were guarding the yearned-for goal line, they were as feeble as a centenarian with the palsy."[18]
The North Dakota football team then went to play Macalester, and Vehmeier said in the Wausau Daily Herald that he expected a big improvement from the team compared to their game against Carleton.[19] They ended up losing the match, 19–6.[15] A news report said that, "If the football rules can be so amended that Coach Vehmeier may be permitted to walk up and down the side lines, driving the university team with vitriolic words, there would be no doubt that the pink and green warriors would emerge from the contest victorious. But the football rules committee does not like that kind of playing, and consequently Mr. Vehmeier will have to be content with dragging his body up and down the field, biting savagely at the end of a big, black cigar."[20]
Afterwards, UND returned home and played the North Dakota Agricultural Aggies, and won 3–0, in what ended up being their only win of the season as they finished soon after with a loss to South Dakota.[15] Despite finishing with a 1–4 record, Vehmeier's team was still named state champions due to defeating North Dakota Agricultural.[12] One newspaper wrote that he "deserves much credit for the way he coached his men."[12] He returned to Illinois after the season,[12] and did not return to coaching UND afterwards.[15]
Vehmeier was married to Bessie B. Leamon in November 1915.[21] He later served in World War I.[3] Vehmeier died in Rockford, Illinois, on July 13, 1970, at the age of 81.[22] In modern sources about the North Dakota football team, he is mistakenly referred to as John Vehmeier.[15]
Head coaching record[edit]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota Flickertails (Independent) (1912) | |||||||||
| 1912 | North Dakota | 1–4 | |||||||
| North Dakota: | 1–4 | ||||||||
| Total: | 1–4 | ||||||||
References[edit]
- ↑ "North Dakota Football Media Guide". North Dakota Fighting Hawks. 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ↑ Iowa Department of Public Health; Des Moines, Iowa; Series Title: Iowa Marriage Records, 1880–1922; Record Type: Marriage
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls. Imaged from Family History Library microfilm.
- ↑ "Untitled". The Daily Journal. March 4, 1908. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Fred Vehmeier To Coach U. Of N. D. Foot Ball Team". Freeport Journal-Standard. October 9, 1912. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Sad Accident In The Beloit Game: Vehmeier, Beloit End, May Lose His Leg As Result Of Accident". The Post-Crescent. November 15, 1909. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Untitled". The Devils Lake World. October 11, 1912. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Untitled". The Daily Illini. October 1, 1911. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Vehmeier Is New Coach At The University". Grand Forks Herald. October 5, 1912. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Pockets Picked of $200 on Car". Chicago Tribune. November 17, 1912. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Coach Vehemeier Here". The Daily Journal. November 29, 1912. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 "John Harris Is Elected Captain". Grand Forks Herald. November 13, 1912. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Grand Forks To Go To Hamline". The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican. October 12, 1912. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Owen, Tudor (October 11, 1912). "University Off To Meet Hamline". Grand Forks Herald. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 "2019 Football Media Guide" (PDF). North Dakota Fighting Hawks. 2019. p. 175.
- ↑ "University Team Is Picking Up". Grand Forks Herald. October 16, 1912. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Owen, Tudor (October 18, 1912). "Carleton Will Have No Snap". Grand Forks Herald. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Hank" (October 21, 1912). "Carleton Has No Trouble Beating Filckertail Team". Grand Forks Herald. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Expects Better Playing". Wausau Daily Herald. October 25, 1912. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Untitled". Grand Forks Herald. October 31, 1912. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Ancestry.com. Iowa, U.S., Select Marriages Index, 1758-1996 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
- ↑ Ancestry.com. Stephenson County, Illinois, U.S., Lena Park Cemetery Transcriptions, 1854-1983 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2021.
External links[edit]
- John Vehmeier at Find a GraveLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 23: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
This article "John Vehmeier" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:John Vehmeier. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- 1888 births
- 1973 deaths
- American football ends
- Beloit Buccaneers football players
- North Dakota Fighting Hawks football coaches
- University of Illinois alumni
- People from Dixon, Illinois
- People from Stephenson County, Illinois
- Coaches of American football from Illinois
- Players of American football from Illinois
