Fred H. Becker (November 6, 1895 – July 18, 1918) was a

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

player for the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

. He was a first team All-American in 1916, the first Hawkeye in any sport to earn first team All-American honors. He died at age 22 fighting in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Playing career

Fred Becker graduated from Waterloo East High School in 1914. From there, Becker went on to play football for the University of Iowa. In his only season as a sophomore in 1916, Becker was a standout on the Iowa squad. In Iowa's 19-16 victory over Iowa State, he became the first known Hawkeye to block two opposing punts.

Walter Eckersall Walter Herbert "Eckie" Eckersall (June 17, 1883 – March 24, 1930) was an American college football player, official, and sportswriter for the ''Chicago Tribune''. He played for the Maroons of the University of Chicago, and was elected to the C ...

of the

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

named Becker a first team All-American. He was the first Hawkeye in any sport to achieve such a high honor. Eckersall wrote, "No matter where he was placed, his work was a feature. He was strong and powerful and quick to size up the attack of his opponents. He seldom failed to open holes for the backs and was on top of the play all year."

Military service and honors

Becker's football achievements would end after only one season. Within a month after the United States entered

, Becker enlisted. After completing accelerated training he was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army. Due to officer shortages in the Marines he was assigned to the 18th Company, 2nd Battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment (aka 2/5), 4th Marine Brigade. He sailed for France in September 1917. After a short training period he was in the front line in the Verdun area for a couple months. Later he was wounded by artillery in the opening stages of the

Battle of Belleau Wood The Battle of Belleau Wood (1–26 June 1918) occurred during the German spring offensive in World War I, near the Marne River in France. The battle was fought between the U.S. 2nd (under the command of Major General Omar Bundy) and 3rd Divisi ...

on June 3, 1918. After a month of recuperation he was reassigned to the 55th Company as commander of the lead platoon under new company commander 2nd Lt. Elliot D. Cooke. On July 18, 1918, Becker was killed in action during the

Battle of Soissons (1918) The Battle of Soissons (1918) (also known as the Battle of the Soissonnais and of the Ourcq (french: Bataille du Soissoinais et de L'Ourcq)) was a battle fought on the Western Front during World War I. Waged from 18 to 22 July 1918 betwee ...

. During the battle he went forward of his men and attacked machine gun nests, one of which he destroyed by himself saving many men of his unit. Soon after while leading his platoon, he was killed by an artillery shell that also wounded his friend Elliot D. Cooke, who was standing right next to him. For his courage and valor in battle he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

, America's second highest wartime honor,

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

, and France awarded him the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

, their highest honor. Becker's story was forgotten for decades until Mike Chapman, author and historian from Waterloo, began doing research in 2008. He wrote an article on Becker for the Iowa-Purdue Football program of Nov. 15, 2008, and that sparked a great deal of interest around the state. Nearly a year later, in 2009, Becker was inducted into the

University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame The University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame is a sports history museum located in the Roy G. Karro Building in Iowa City, Iowa, U.S. The museum pays tribute to the most legendary and influential Iowa Hawkeye sports heroes. Opened in October 2002 ...

. Since no living relatives could be found, Chapman was invited to accept the honor on behalf of Fred Becker, at halftime of the Iowa-Northern Iowa football game on Sept. 5, 2009. Several months later, East Waterloo High School inducted Becker into its athletic hall of fame, with Chapman once again accepting on his behalf. Becker's living relatives, his sister Hilda Poettinger's grandchildren live outside the Philadelphia PA area. Fred Becker appeared on the cover of the October 2009 issue of the ''Iowa History Journal'', which carried a long story. He is also featured in the 2010 book entitled Triumph and Tragedy: The Inspiring Stories of Football Legends Fred Becker, Jack Trice, Nile Kinnick and Johnny Bright. On January 10, the Board of Education of the Waterloo school district voted unanimously to name its newest school Fred Becker Elementary.Fred Becker Elementary is newest Waterloo school
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Becker, Fred Iowa Hawkeyes football players 1895 births 1918 deaths American football tackles American military personnel killed in World War I Sportspeople from Waterloo, Iowa Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I United States Marine Corps officers United States Army officers Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Military personnel from Iowa