Keith Frank Molesworth (October 20, 1905 – March 12, 1966) 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 and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He also played and managed in minor league baseball.

Early life

Molesworth was born in

Washington, Iowa Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,352 at the time of the 2020 census. History Washington was founded in 1 ...

and graduated from Washington High School. When he was 17 years old, Molesworth stood tall and weighed . Due to his size, he never started a prep football game. Molesworth started growing during the following year, never growing larger than 5′9″ and 167 lb.; however, this spurt started his career in sports.

College career

Molesworth went to

Monmouth College Monmouth College is a private Presbyterian liberal arts college in Monmouth, Illinois. Monmouth enrolls approximately 900 students from 21 countries who choose courses from 40 major programs, 43 minors, and 17 pre-professional programs in a c ...

located in

Monmouth, Illinois Monmouth is a city in and the county seat of Warren County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,902 at the 2020 census, down from 9,444 in 2010. It is the home of Monmouth College and contains Monmouth Park, Harmon Park, North Park, Warf ...

, where he won three letters each in four varsity sports

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

, baseball and

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

. He became one of the rare 12-letter performers in the history of Monmouth College. He was elected to the Monmouth College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984. He graduated from Monmouth College in 1928.

Professional career

Molesworth played as a professional for nine years, the last seven in both

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and football. Four of the baseball seasons were in Minor league baseball. Molesworth played football for the independent professional Ironton Tanks, who helped defeat the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

in November 1930 and impressing

George Halas George Stanley Halas Sr. (; February 2, 1895October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was an American professional football player, coach, and team owner. He was the founder and owner of the National Football League's Chic ...

in the process. After the Ironton Tanks folded in 1931, he tried out for the Bears and went on to play seven seasons with the team, where he was the T-formation

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

in a backfield that included

Red Grange Harold Edward "Red" Grange (June 13, 1903 – January 28, 1991), nicknamed "the Galloping Ghost" and "the Wheaton Iceman", was an American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and the short-lived New York Yankees ...

and

Bronko Nagurski Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski (November 3, 1908 – January 7, 1990) was a Canadian-born professional American football player in the National Football League (NFL), renowned for his strength and size. Nagurski was also a successful professional w ...

. The 1932 and 1933 Bears were

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 ...

champions. He was elected to the State of

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990.

Coaching career

Molesworth spent eight years as the backfield coach at the

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of ...

, then six more as a semipro football coach and one year doubling as a minor-league baseball manager, before becoming backfield coach for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

in 1952. He was head coach of the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...

in 1953, the first season of that franchise's existence. He remained with the club as a vice president and director of personnel until dying of a heart attack on March 12, 1966, while seeding his lawn, at the age of 60.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Molesworth, Keith 1905 births 1966 deaths American football halfbacks American football quarterbacks American men's basketball players Baltimore Colts coaches Baltimore Colts executives Chicago Bears players Monmouth Fighting Scots baseball players Monmouth Fighting Scots football players Monmouth Fighting Scots men's basketball players Navy Midshipmen football coaches Pittsburgh Steelers coaches College men's track and field athletes in the United States Minor league baseball managers People from Washington, Iowa Players of American football from Iowa Baltimore Colts head coaches