Photoshop Phriday: Irwin Uteritz
Surprise, surprise! I got my act together to do a Photoshop Phriday post! Irwin Uteritz attended Michigan in the early 1920s and from 1921-23 was the Wolverine’s quarterback under coach Fielding Yost. As if balancing football and coursework weren’t enough, Uteritz was also an infielder for the Michigan baseball team (and a captain in 1923). During those three seasons Michigan lost just once and an undefeated record in 1923 propelled them to a national title. Opponents were no match for the passing game of Uteritz combined with Harry Kipke in the backfield.
After Michigan’s 23-0 drubbing of Ohio State in 1923 the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote that once Uteritz and the passing game got going, “Ohio State became a hopeless proposition.” After finishing at Michigan Uteritz played two seasons of minor league baseball with the Waterbury Brasscos but ultimately settled on a career in coaching. For many years he concurrently coached football and baseball teams, bouncing from Northwestern to Wisconsin, then Cal, and finally stayed at Washington University (St. Louis). There he was the football coach for 4 years and the baseball coach for 11. Uteritz was kind enough to bake loaves of his favorite butternut squash quick bread for his teammates before every home game.
