Milo Frederick Sukup (July 9, 1917 – January 3, 1983) 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. He played

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 ...

for 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 ...

from 1938 to 1940, where he was the running guard and a key blocker for

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

winner

Tom Harmon Thomas Dudley Harmon (September 28, 1919 – March 15, 1990), known as Tom Harmon, as well as by the nickname "Old 98", was an American football player, military pilot, actor, and sports broadcaster. Harmon grew up in Gary, Indiana, and playe ...

. He sustained a head injury late in his senior year that ended his football career. He was the head football coach and athletic director at Union High School in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

from 1942 to 1971.

Family

Sukup was born in

Muskegon Heights, Michigan Muskegon Heights is a city in Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,856 at the 2010 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. The city is surrounded o ...

in 1917. His parents, John and Anna Sukup, spoke Slovak and identified their homeland in the 1910 Census as "Hun Slovakia." His mother emigrated to the United States in 1897 and his father in 1899. His father worked as a core maker in an iron foundry. Sukup had a brother, John, who was seven years older and two sisters, Anna and Lilian.

High school

Sukup attended

Muskegon Heights High School Muskegon Heights Academy High School is a public charter high school located in Muskegon Heights, Michigan Muskegon Heights is a city in Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,856 at the 2010 census. Geography Acc ...

where he won 12 varsity letters in football, basketball, baseball and track and was selected as an all-state player in both basketball and football. As the fullback for his high school football team, Sukup led Muskegon Heights to 27 consecutive wins and three state titles from 1933 to 1936.

University of Michigan

In 1937, he enrolled at the

where he played college football as a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

for the

Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins in college football history. The team is known for its ...

team from 1938 to 1940. As a sophomore in 1938, he was alternated with All-American

Ralph Heikkinen Ralph Isaac "Hike" Heikkinen (May 14, 1917 – January 12, 1990) was an All-American guard for the University of Michigan Wolverines football team from 1936 to 1938. He was a unanimous All-American in 1938, the first player from the Gogebic Rang ...

and garnered attention after the Penn game in which he recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown and made what was described as "a thundering block" that freed Paul Kromer to return another punt for a touchdown. Sukup became a starter in the 1939 and 1940 seasons. In games in which Sukup was a starter, the Wolverines outscored opponents 349 to 107 and compiled a record of 11 wins and 2 losses. Sukup was the running guard and blocker for three backs who were later inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

Forest Evashevski Forest "Evy" Evashevski (February 19, 1918 – October 30, 2009) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1938 to 1940 and with the Iowa Pre-Flight ...

and

Bob Westfall Robert Barton "Bullet Bob" Westfall (May 5, 1919 – October 23, 1980) was an American football fullback who played for the University of Michigan (1939–1941) and the Detroit Lions (1944–1947). He was a consensus first-team All-American in ...

. During Harmon's

-winning season, he publicly praised Sukup and fellow guard

Ralph Fritz Ralph C. Fritz (November 23, 1917 – February 4, 2002) was an American football player and coach. A native of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, Fritz attended The Kiski School before enrolling at the University of Michigan. He played guard fo ...

as "two big reasons for Harmon." While taking no credit away from Harmon, Michigan's head coach

Fritz Crisler Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler (; January 12, 1899 – August 19, 1982) was an American college football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and ...

noted that "Harmon gets exceptional blocking" from Evashevsi, Fritz and Sukup. Walter L. Johns, sports editor of the Central Press Association, called Fritz and Sukup "two husky boys who could make any college team in the country." In a November 1940 game against Illinois, Sukup suffered a blow to the head while blocking for Harmon. He was knocked unconscious, suffered from temporary amnesia and was later hospitalized for several days after suffering recurring headaches. Sukup was propped up in a bed at University Hospital when the Wolverines left to play Minnesota and listened by radio from his hospital bed as the team suffered its only loss of the season. He missed the last three games of the season due to the concussion and did not compete further as a football player. Some have concluded that Sukup was on track for selection as an All-American until the injury ended his season.

Later years

Sukup became the football coach and athletic director at Union High School in

from 1942 to 1971. At Union High, Sukup ran the single wing offense he had learned from Fritz Crisler at Michigan. In 1948, Sukup led Union High to an undefeated season and a Class A state championship. Upon his retirement in 1972, the Michigan House of Representatives passed a resolution of tribute to him. Sukup died in January 1983 at Grand Rapids, Michigan.Michigan Department of Vital and Health Records. Michigan Deaths, 1971-1996 atabase on-line He was posthumously inducted into the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sukup, Milo 1917 births 1983 deaths American football guards Michigan Wolverines football players High school football coaches in Michigan People from Muskegon Heights, Michigan Players of American football from Michigan

Family

High school

University of Michigan

Later years

See also

References