Waldemar "Fritz" Breidster (June 19, 1900 - April 2, 1982) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player who played college football for the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

at West Point. Breidster was raised in

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 graduated from East Division (Riverside) High School. After a year at the University of Wisconsin, Breidster enrolled in the U.S. Military Academy. Breidster was the captain of the undefeated 1922 Army football team. As a senior, Breidster was elected Cadet Captain of the academy—the highest office that can be given to a cadet. Breidster also competed for Army in swimming and water polo, winning letters three sports. He was captain of the football, swimming and water polo teams as a senior. He was also selected as a first-team All-American at the guard position by Athletic World magazine (selected by 214 coaches), ''

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 ...

'' writer

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 ...

, and

Frank G. Menke Frank Grant Menke (October 10, 1885 – May 13, 1954) was an American newspaper reporter, author, and sports historian. He wrote for the Hearst Newspapers from 1912 to 1932 and his articles appeared daily in 300 newspapers across the country. He ...

. He was also selected by

Billy Evans William George Evans (February 10, 1884 – January 23, 1956), nicknamed "The Boy Umpire", was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1906 to 1927. He became, at age 22, the youngest umpire in majo ...

for his 1922 National Honor Roll (a selection of the best football players based on the votes of 200 sports editors). After graduating from West Point, Breidster was assigned to the football coaching staff at Fort Mead in Maryland where he and

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

were both assistant coaches. In 1943, Breidster became the Commander of the 173rd Field Artillery Group, comprising five battalions. Later that year, he was assigned as a liaison officer with the Chinese Army in India, and eventually became Chief of Staff of the Chinese combat command. He directed the construction of a road through Burma that was completed in August 1945. Breidster remained active in the Wisconsin National Guard after World War II, attaining the rank of Brigadier General in 1947. He was later promoted to Major General and retired from military service in 1960. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979. Breidster died in 1982 at age 81 at Columbia Hospital in

Milwaukee 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. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Breidster, Fritz American football guards Army Black Knights football players 1900 births 1982 deaths

See also

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