Walter Louis Ambrose (August 7, 1905 – January 18, 1968) 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 ...

guard who played one game 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

Portsmouth Spartans The professional American football team now known as the Detroit Lions previously played in Portsmouth, Ohio, as the Portsmouth Spartans, from its founding in 1928 to its relocation to Detroit in 1934. Originally drawing players from defunct indepe ...

. He played college football at

Carroll University Carroll University is a private university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Established in 1846, Carroll was Wisconsin's first four-year institution of higher learning. History Prior to its estab ...

Early life and education

Ambrose was born on August 7, 1905, in

Portage, Wisconsin Portage is a city in and the county seat of Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,581 at the 2020 census making it the largest city in Columbia County. The city is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. Po ...

. He attended

Portage High School Portage High School is a public high school in Portage, Indiana that serves grades 9 through 12. The school has been in the area since the 1960s but can be dated back to the 1940s. The school serves the Portage, Indiana area as well as the South ...

, where he played as a fullback from 1921 until his graduation in 1924. He also was a "star" player in basketball and baseball. In 1925, Ambrose enrolled at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

, and was considered the best fullback prospect on the team, but "circumstances prevented" him from playing there. He instead joined

in fall of 1926, where he transitioned to the tackle position. Ambrose played for their freshman football team in his first year, and one year later became the starting tackle on the varsity squad. Following the 1928 season, Ambrose was elected team captain for his senior year. Weighing over 200 pounds, he was described as a "burly tackle" by ''

The Oshkosh Northwestern The ''Oshkosh Northwestern'' is a daily newspaper based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The ''Northwestern'' was owned by the Schwalm and Heaney families until 1998, when it was sold to Ogden Newspapers; Ogden traded the paper to Thomson Newspapers two ...

''. At the end of his senior season, Ambrose was named first-team All- Big Four by the league's coaches. The '' Portage Daily Register'' reported that he "was often mentioned as one of the greatest tackles in the country."

Professional career

In 1930, Ambrose was signed to play professional football in the

(NFL) by the

. He had a very limited role with the team, and only appeared in one game as a substitute. Later in the season, Ambrose played for the Fort Atkinson Pros.

Later life and death

After his brief career in professional football, Ambrose returned to Carroll University to finish his education. He was later employed as a conductor in the Milwaukee Road for over 25 years. Ambrose was married to Vera Wetzel of North Freedom in 1948. Ambrose died in Portage, Wisconsin, at the age of 62 in 1968.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambrose, Walt 1905 births 1968 deaths People from Portage, Wisconsin Players of American football from Wisconsin Portsmouth Spartans players American football offensive guards Carroll University alumni