Joseph L. Sheeketski (April 15, 1908 – April 22, 1995) 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, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest ...

from 1939 to 1941 and at the

University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12, ...

from 1947 to 1950, compiling a career

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 ...

record of 39–29–3.

Early life and playing career

Sheeketski attended prep school in

Shadyside, Ohio Shadyside is a village in eastern Belmont County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 3,454 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Wheeling metropolitan area. History Shadyside had its start in 1879 when the railroad w ...

. He played halfback at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

from 1930 to 1932 and graduated from the university in 1933.

Coaching career

From 1933 to 1938, Sheeketski served as the backfield coach at the

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

, working under fellow Notre Dame alumnus, Eddie Anderson. Sheeketski succeeded Anderson as head coach in 1939 when Anderson left 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 ...

. Sheeketski was a special agent for the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

from 1942 to 1945. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Sheeketski returned to his alma mater as an assistant football coach for part of the 1945 season. The following year, he reunited with Anderson at Iowa and coached the line for the Hawkeyes.

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheeketski, Joe 1908 births 1995 deaths Dayton Flyers football coaches Educators from Ohio Federal Bureau of Investigation agents Iowa Hawkeyes football coaches Holy Cross Crusaders football coaches Nevada Wolf Pack athletic directors Nevada Wolf Pack football coaches New York Yanks coaches Notre Dame Fighting Irish football coaches Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players People from Belmont County, Ohio Players of American football from Ohio Players of American football from Pennsylvania