Frank Gerald Mestnik (February 23, 1938 – January 24, 2023) 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 wi ...

fullback in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

and the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at

Marquette University Marquette University () is a private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Martin Henni, the first Bishop of the diocese of M ...

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 ...

. After graduation, he was selected by the Cardinals in the 15th round (170th overall) of the

1960 NFL Draft The 1960 National Football League Draft in which NFL teams take turns selecting amateur college American football players and other first-time eligible players, was held at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia on November 30, 1959. Many players, in ...

. He also had stints in the NFL with the New York Giants,

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

and Chicago Bears, but saw no playing time with them. Mestnik additionally spent a year with the

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American minor league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. T ...

of the Continental Football League (COFL).

Early life

Mestnik was born on February 23, 1938, in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended

Maple Heights High School Maple Heights High School is a public high school located in Maple Heights, Ohio, southeast of Cleveland, Ohio. It graduated its first class in 1925. It was the first high school in America to offer a credit class in popular culture studies, creat ...

Maple Heights, Ohio Maple Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Cleveland. The population was 23,138 at the 2010 census. History Maple Heights Transit In 1935, the City created Maple Heights Transit to provide connections t ...

, and was the first of two of their alumni (along with Richard Quinn) to play in the NFL. He was a multi-sport athlete and received a full

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the United ...

to play football at

College career

Mestnik began attending Marquette University in 1956 but did not play for their

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all-s ...

until his sophomore year in 1957. He quickly became a starter at fullback and was one of the top players for the team that went 0–10 and ranked 110th out of 112th major colleges. Mestnik also played defense, with the '' Arizona Daily Star'' noting that he was "rated the top offensive and defense star" for Marquette. He finished the 1957 season as the team's leading rusher with 81 carries for 328 yards (a 4.0 average); he also attempted one

pass Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to: Places * Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland * Pass, Poland, a village in Poland * Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see List of straits * Mountain pass, a lower place in a moun ...

, which was caught for a loss of one yard. Marquette compiled a record of 2–7–1 in 1958, with Mestnik leading their other running backs by over 300 yards rushing; he compiled 480 rushing yards and one

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

on 130 attempts while also having one

reception Reception is a noun form of ''receiving'', or ''to receive'' something, such as art, experience, information, people, products, or vehicles. It may refer to: Astrology * Reception (astrology), when a planet is located in a sign ruled by another ...

for seven yards. His 130 rushes placed fifth among major independent schools and set a new school record, breaking the previous record of 128 by Johnny Strzykalski. For his performance, he was selected Marquette's most valuable player and was given the Alpha Kappa Memorial Trophy. Mestnik was second to Jim Webster in rushing for Marquette in 1959, as the team finished with a record of 3–7. He totaled 97 rush attempts for 339 yards (a 3.5 average) and six touchdowns while also catching eight passes for 78 yards. He ranked fifth among major independents for rushing touchdowns and ninth in touchdowns overall. Mestnik finished his collegiate career with 308 rushes for 1,147 yards (a 3.7 average) and seven touchdowns along with nine catches for 85 yards. He played in the

Chicago College All-Star Game The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League (NFL) champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year. It was also known as the ...

in 1960 against the NFL champion Baltimore Colts, a 32–7 win for the Colts.

Professional career

Mestnik was among the first selections in the

1960 AFL Draft The 1960 American Football League draft was held on November 23–24, 1959, in Minneapolis, shortly after the organization of the league, and lasted 33 rounds. An additional draft of 20 rounds was held by the AFL on December 2. Teams were requ ...

by the Boston Patriots and was also chosen in the 15th round (170th overall) of the

by the

. He ultimately signed to play with the Cardinals. He scored two touchdowns with St. Louis in a preseason game against the Baltimore Colts. He made the Cardinals' roster and appeared in nine games, four to five as a starter, as a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

. He was their second-leading rusher and fifth-leading point scorer with 104 carries for 429 yards (a 4.1 average) and three touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 24 yards and returned three kickoffs for 39 yards as St. Louis went 6–5–1. In 1961, Mestnik was the second back behind

Prentice Gautt Prentice Gautt (February 8, 1938 – March 17, 2005) was an American football running back for the University of Oklahoma football team from 1956 to 1959. Gautt was the first black football player at the University of Oklahoma where he wore #38 ...

, starting five to seven games while appearing in a total of 13, as the Cardinals went 7–7. He recorded 95 rushes for 334 yards (a 3.5 average) and scored a touchdown while also catching 12 passes for 29 yards and another touchdown; Mestnik had two kickoff returns for 27 yards as well. He was third in rushing for the Cardinals in the 1962 preseason but was released during roster cuts. After being released by the Cardinals, Mestnik spent time with the

taxi squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

of the New York Giants in the 1962 season. While out of football in the 1963 offseason, Mestnik worked as a sales engineer trainee at Reliance Electric and co-managed a

driving range A driving range is a facility or area where golfers can practice their golf swing. It can also be a recreational activity itself for amateur golfers or when enough time for a full game is not available. Many golf courses have a driving range att ...

with his uncle Hank, a former minor league baseball player, and Joe Sedely, a boxer. He then signed with the Green Bay Packers for the 1963 season but was released at the start of September during roster cuts. He later returned to Green Bay the following month. He appeared in 11 games for the Packers in the 1963 season and ran the ball once for four yards, additionally returning one kickoff for no gain. He was released at the final roster cuts in 1964. Mestnik signed with the

for the 1965 season; however, he was injured and released when he refused to sign a waiver of liability form. He then spent the year with the

of the minor Continental Football League (COFL), rushing 10 times for 45 yards (a 4.5 average) with one catch for 10 yards as the Bears went 5–9. He had a final comeback attempt with the Chicago Bears in 1966, but was unable to make the final roster. He ended his NFL career with 200 rush attempts for 767 yards (a 3.8 average) and four touchdowns, 15 receptions for 53 yards and one touchdown, and six kickoff returns for 66 yards in 33 games.

Later life

Mestnik later lived in

Alpharetta, Georgia Alpharetta is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and is a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 US Census, Alpharetta's population was 65,818 The population in 2010 was 57,551. History In the 1830s, the C ...

. He worked for Reliance Electric and

Franklin Electric Franklin Electric (NASDAQ:FELE) is a manufacturer and distributor of products and systems focused on the movement and management of water and fuel. The company offers pumps, motors, drives, and controls for use in a variety of residential, commer ...

. He also served as the vice chairman of Air Fry Inc., senior vice president of the Arthur Consulting Group, vice president of Lincoln Southeast and vice president of Arthur D. Little Valuation Inc. He was a parishioner at St. Benedict Catholic Church, treasurer of the

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

chapter of the

NFL Players Association The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is a labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by president J. C. Tretter and executive director DeM ...

and also was president of the Atlanta NFL Alumni Association in his retirement. He was married and had four daughters. He died on January 24, 2023, at the age of 84.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mestnik, Frank 1938 births 2023 deaths Players of American football from Cleveland American football fullbacks St. Louis Cardinals (football) players Green Bay Packers players