Ralph Fritz

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1917–2002)}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Ralph Fritz

| image = Ralph Fritz.jpg

| number = 63

| position = Guard

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1917|11|23|mf=y}}

| birth_place = New Kensington, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2002|2|4|1917|11|23}}

| death_place = Miami, Florida, U.S.

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 9

| weight_lb = 202

| high_school = Valley
(New Kensington, Pennsylvania)
The Kiski School
(Saltsburg, Pennsylvania)

| college = Michigan

| draftyear = 1941

| draftround = 10

| draftpick = 82

| pastteams =

• Philadelphia Eagles ({{NFL Year|1941}})

| highlights =

• First-team All-Big Ten (1940)

| statlabel1 = Games played

| statvalue1 = 10

| statlabel2 = Games started

| statvalue2 = 1

| pfr = FritRa20

}}

Ralph C. Fritz (November 23, 1917 – February 4, 2002) was an American football player and coach. A native of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, Fritz attended The Kiski School before enrolling at the University of Michigan. He played guard for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1939 to 1940.{{cite web|title=1939 Football Team|publisher=University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library|url=https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1939fbt.htm}}{{cite web|title=1940 Football Team|publisher=University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library|url=https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1940fbt.htm}} In 1940, he was chosen by conference coaches as a first-team player on the Associated Press All-Big Ten Conference team.{{cite news|title=Harmon and Evashevski Repeat on AP's All-Big Ten: Michigan Stars Named for Third Year in a Row|author=Earl Hilligan|newspaper=St. Petersburg Times (AP story)|date=November 24, 1940|page=12|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19401125&id=-jRPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Y00DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7034,7963950}} Fritz later played professional football for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1941.{{cite news|title=Ralph Fritz profile|publisher=pro-football-reference.com|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FritRa20.htm}} He was drafted in the tenth round of the 1941 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.{{Cite web |title=1941 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1941/draft.htm |access-date=March 31, 2023 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} Fritz was one of the more than 1,000 NFL personnel who served in the military during World War II.{{cite news|title=FOOTBALL AND AMERICA: WW II Honor Roll|publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/history/general/war/worldwar2/honor_roll.aspx}} Starting in 1949, Fritz worked as a high school football coach in Wauchula, Florida.{{cite news|title=Sailors Choice In Grid Opener With Wauchula|newspaper=Sarasota Herald-Tribune|date=September 30, 1949|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19490930&id=_5ccAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qWQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4125,2762269}}{{cite news|title=Sarasota Opens Divisional Defense at Wauchula Tonight|newspaper=Sarasota Herald-Tribune|date=November 7, 1952|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19521107&id=55gcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=x2QEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4558,998579}} In 1954, Fritz was hired as the athletic director and football coach at Lake Wales High School in Lake Wales, Florida.{{cite news|title=untitled|newspaper=Lakeland Ledger|date=May 13, 1989|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19890513&id=U8UwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EvwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3719,7764992}} Fritz died in 2002 at age 84 while living in Miami, Florida.{{cite web|title=Social Security Death Index|publisher=Roots Web|url=http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/}}