Fred Abel
{{Short description|American football player (1903–1980)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Fred Abel
| image = Fred Abel.jpg
| caption = Abel with the Washington Huskies
| position = Blocking back
| birth_date = {{birth date|1903|6|17}}
| birth_place = Lincoln, Kansas, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1980|8|2|1903|6|17}}
| death_place = Port Townsend, Washington, U.S.
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 10
| weight_lbs = 170
| high_school = Montesano (WA)
| college = Washington
| pastteams =
- Milwaukee Badgers ({{NFL Year|1926}})
| pfr = A/AbelFr20
}}
Fred Kenneth Abel (July 17, 1903 – August 2, 1980) was an American professional football blocking back who played one season with the Milwaukee Badgers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washington. As quarterback for the Huskies in the 1924 Rose Bowl, Abel threw a game-tying touchdown that settled the final score at 14–14.
Early life and college
Fred Kenneth Abel was born on July 17, 1903, in Lincoln, Kansas.{{cite web | url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/players/a/abel00050.html | title=Fred | publisher=Pro Football Archives | accessdate=23 January 2025}} He attended Montesano High School in Montesano, Washington.
Abel was a member of the Washington Huskies of the University of Washington from 1921 to 1923 and a two-year letterman from 1922 to 1923. As quarterback for the Huskies in the 1924 Rose Bowl, Abel threw a game-tying touchdown that settled the final score at 14–14.{{cite web | url=http://sportspressnw.com/2173113/2013/wayback-machine-washingtons-first-bowl-1924 | title=WAYBACK MACHINE: WASHINGTON'S FIRST ROSE BOWL | publisher=SportsPressNW.com | accessdate=February 9, 2019}}
Professional career
Abel signed with the Milwaukee Badgers of the National Football League in 1926. He played in three games, starting one, for the Badgers during the 1926 season before being released that year.{{cite web | url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AbelFr20.htm | title=Fred Abel | publisher=Pro Football Reference | accessdate=23 January 2025}}{{cite web | url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/transactions/a/abel00050.html | title=Fred Abel NFL Transactions | publisher=Pro Football Archives | accessdate=23 January 2025}}
Personal life
On January 6, 1924, in an article printed in the Tacoma Daily Ledger a few days after the Rose Bowl game, Abel denied that he was married to Dorothy Johnston, a 16-year-old high school girl.{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tacoma-daily-ledger/163757136/ | title=Fred Abel Denies He Is Married | work=The Tacoma Daily Ledger | date=January 6, 1924 | accessdate=23 January 2025 | pages=2A}} However, a few weeks later on January 22, the two were married.{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/seattle-union-record/163757232/ | title=Fred Abel, U Football Star, Weds | work=Seattle Union Record | date=January 23, 1924 | accessdate=23 January 2025}} In December 1924, Abel filed for annulment after claiming he had been coerced into the marriage.{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/seattle-union-record/163758035/ | title=Football Star's Wife Will Fight Annulment | work=Seattle Union Record | date=December 30, 1924 | accessdate=23 January 2025}} They had reportedly never lived together. The annulment suit was eventually denied in February 1926.{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tacoma-daily-ledger/163758117/ | title=Says Abel Took Her On Parties | work=The Tacoma Daily Ledger | date=February 17, 1926 | accessdate=23 January 2025 | pages=2}} Dorothy then filed for divorce, which was granted in April 1926.{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-klamath-news/163758249/ | title=Fountain Maid Divorces Hero | work=The Klamath News | date=April 25, 1926 | accessdate=23 January 2025}}
Abel attended the University of Michigan Law School. He died on August 2, 1980, in Port Townsend, Washington.