Frederick William Schule (September 27, 1879 – September 14, 1962) was an American

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete,

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player, athletic coach, teacher, bacteriologist, and engineer. He competed for the track and field teams at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

from 1900 to 1901 and at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1904. He was also a member of the undefeated

1903 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1903 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1903 college football season. The team's head football coach was Fielding H. Yost. The Wolverines played their home games at Regents Field. The 1903 team ...

that outscored its opponents 565 to 6. In 1904, Schule won the gold medal in the

110 meter hurdles The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is included in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metres hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hur ...

at the

1904 Summer Olympics The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended s ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. From 1905 to 1907, he was employed as the director of the gymnasium and coach of the football and basketball teams at the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fal ...

Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ; fla, label=Salish language, Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula Cou ...

. Schule also worked as a school teacher in Wausau and

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, and as an assayer and bacteriologist in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. He later worked as an engineer and superintendent for Westinghouse Lamp Company. In 2008, he was posthumously inducted into the University of Michigan Track & Field Hall of Fame.

Early years

Schule was born in

Preston, Iowa Preston is a city in Jackson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 949 at the time of the 2020 census. History Preston got its start in the year 1870, following construction of the railroad through that territory. Preston is named for ...

in 1879. His father, Frederick Schule, was an immigrant from Germany who was employed as a physician. His mother, Sophia Schule, was also an immigrant from Germany. He had four older sisters, Clara, Augusta, Henrietta, and Sophia. At the time of the 1880 United States Census, the family was living in Fairfield Township,

Jackson County, Iowa Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,485. The county seat is Maquoketa. History The county was formed on December 21, 1837, and named after US President Andrew Jackson. In ...

University of Wisconsin

Schule began his collegiate studies at the

, where he was a member of the track and field team from 1899 to 1900. In 1900, Schule won the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

championship in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

, becoming the first

Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisi ...

athlete to win a Big Ten championship in track and field. He repeated as Big Ten champion in the long jump in 1901 with a distance of 22 feet, 4-4/5 inches. Schule received a Bachelor of Science degree from the

in 1901 in bacteriology and chemistry. After receiving his degree, Schule worked as a bacteriologist for the Chicago Sanitary District for five months. He then returned to the University of Wisconsin for post graduate studies and as a fellow in bacteriology. From 1902 to 1903, he taught physics at a high school in

Wausau, Wisconsin Wausau ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city into east and west. The city's suburbs include Schofield, Weston, Mosinee, Maine, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter, and ...

. He was the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

(AAU) champion in hurdles in 1903.

University of Michigan

In the fall of 1903, Schule enrolled at the

where he studied chemistry. He received a master's degree from Michigan in 1904. While attending Michigan, Schule was also a member of the

coached by

Fielding H. Yost Fielding Harris Yost (; April 30, 1871 – August 20, 1946) was an American football player, coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at: Ohio Wesleyan University, the University of Nebraska, the University ...

. The 1903 football team compiled a record of 11-0-1 and outscored its opponents 565 to 6. In February 1904, Schule announced that he would also compete for the 1904

Michigan Wolverines men's track and field The Michigan Wolverines men's track and field team is the intercollegiate track and field program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I (NCAA), Division I of the National Collegiate A ...

team coached by

Keene Fitzpatrick Dennis Keene Fitzpatrick (December 25, 1864 – May 22, 1944) was an American track coach, athletic trainer, professor of physical training and gymnasium director for 42 years at Yale University (1890–1891, 1896–1898), the University of Mic ...

. At the annual Penn Relays Carnival held in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in April 1904, Schule "left the field behind in the 20-yardhurdle event, and won in the good time of 15 4/5 seconds." Schule also set a world record in the 75-yard hurdles while attending Michigan. Schule's record-setting time was 9-4/5 seconds at an indoor event in

on March 5, 1904. In June 1904, the University of Michigan's Athletic Board of Control ruled that Schule was no longer eligible to compete for the school in intercollegiate athletics, because he had already competed for four years. In 2008, Schule was posthumously inducted into the University of Michigan Track & Field Hall of Fame.

1904 Summer Olympics

Schule competed for the United States as a hurdler at the

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. He won the gold medal in the 110 meter hurdle event with a time of 16.0 seconds, beating fellow American

Thaddeus Shideler Thaddeus Rutter Shideler (October 17, 1883 – June 22, 1966) was an American hurdler who competed in the early twentieth century. He competed in athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal in the 110 meters hurdles. Fre ...

by two yards. Schule also competed in the 200 metre hurdles event and finished fifth. The 1904 Summer Olympics have been called the "Michigan Olympics" due to the fact that University of Michigan athletes (including Schule, shot putter

Ralph Rose Ralph Waldo Rose (March 17, 1885 – October 16, 1913) was an American track and field athlete. He was born in Healdsburg, California. Biography Standing 6 ft 5.5 in (197 cm) and weighing 250 pounds (115 kg), Rose was the first shot putter ...

, sprinter

Archie Hahn Charles Archibald Hahn (September 14, 1880 – January 21, 1955) was an American track athlete and is widely regarded as one of the best sprinters of the early 20th century. He is the first athlete to win both the 100m and 200m race at the same ...

, and pole vaulter

Charles Dvorak Charles Edward Dvorak (November 27, 1878 – December 18, 1969) was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the pole vault. He attended the University of Michigan where he competed for the Michigan Wolverines men's track and field ...

) won ten medals, including six gold medals.

Coaching career

After competing in the 1904 Olympics, Schule was employed as an assayer and chemist in Utah from 1904 to 1905. In 1905, he was hired at the director of the gymnasium at the

. He also served as an instructor and coach at the University of Montana. He was the head football coach from 1905 to 1906 and the head basketball coach from 1905 to 1907. In two season as the head football coach, Schule compiled a record of 4-7 as his teams were outscored by a combined total of 166 to 150.

Later years

At the time of the 1910 United States Census, Schule was living in

Washington Township, Buchanan County, Missouri Washington Township is one of twelve Township (United States), townships in Buchanan County, Missouri, Buchanan County, Missouri, United States, USA. As of the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census, its population was 78,865. Washington Town ...

. He listed his occupation as a shoe merchant. He was also identified as a merchant residing in

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...

in March 1912. Schule later worked a teacher at West Division High School in

. In September 1918, Schule indicated in a draft registration card that he was living in

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was List of municipalities in ...

, with his wife Flora Randolph Schule (born July 22, 1884, in

Nortonville, Kansas Nortonville is a city in Jefferson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 601. History Nortonville was platted in 1873. It was named for L. Norton, Jr., a railroad employee. The first post office i ...

). He listed his occupation as an engineer with the Westinghouse Lamp Company. At the time of the 1920 United States Census, Schule was still living in East Orange with his wife Flora. They had three sons, Frederick W. Jr., Robert, and Paul. Schule listed his occupation as an electrical engineer. At the time of the

1930 United States Census The United States census of 1930, conducted by the Census Bureau one month from April 1, 1930, determined the resident population of the United States to be 122,775,046, an increase of 13.7 percent over the 106,021,537 persons enumerated during ...

, Schule was living in

DeRuyter, New York DeRuyter is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Madison County, New York, Madison County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 1,589 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Michiel de Ruyter, Michiel ...

, with his wife Flora and their three sons. At that time, he listed his occupation as a stock speculator. At the time of the

1940 United States Census The United States census of 1940, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 132,164,569, an increase of 7.3 percent over the 1930 population of 122,775,046 people. The census date of record wa ...

, Schule was living with his wife Flora in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Owensboro, Kentucky Owensboro is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is the fourth-largest city in the state by population. Owensboro is located on U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about southwest of Lou ...

in 1935. In 1942, Schule completed a draft registration card indicating that he was unemployed and living with his wife Flora R. Schule in Jersey City.Draft registration card for Frederick William Schule, born September 27, 1879, in Preston, Iowa. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 atabase on-line Schule spent much of his retirement years in

. He moved to

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

, in 1960 and died there in 1962. He was buried at the Hillcrest Cemetery in DeRuyter.

Head coaching record

Football

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schule, Fred 1879 births 1962 deaths American male hurdlers Athletes (track and field) at the 1904 Summer Olympics Basketball coaches from Wisconsin Medalists at the 1904 Summer Olympics Michigan Wolverines football players Michigan Wolverines men's track and field athletes Montana Grizzlies football coaches Montana Grizzlies basketball coaches Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Wisconsin Badgers men's track and field athletes People from Preston, Iowa Educators from Wisconsin