Wilford H. Ketz (May 4, 1906 – February 26, 1991) was an American

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete and athletic administrator. As a member of the

Michigan Wolverines men's track and field The Michigan Wolverines men's track and field team is the intercollegiate track and field program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I (NCAA), Division I of the National Collegiate A ...

team, he was a two-time All-American and won the 1928 NCAA Championship in the

hammer throw The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consis ...

. He worked for

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

from 1931 to 1971, holding positions as the track and cross country coach (1931–1967), athletic director (1953–1969), and director of institutional studies (1960–1971). He also served as the president of the

IC4A IC4A Championships (Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America) is an annual men's competition held at different colleges every year. Association was established in 1875, the competition (started in 1876) served as the top level col ...

and on the executive committee of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

. He was inducted into the National Collegiate Association of Directors of Athletics (NCADA) Hall of Fame in 1978. In 2012, he was inducted into the University of Michigan Track and Field Hall of Fame.

University of Michigan

Ketz was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

in 1906. He attended 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 ...

where he received both a bachelor's degree in 1929 and an LL.B. degree in 1931. While attending Michigan, he was a member of the

team and a two-team All-American. He won the

event with a distance of 163 feet, 8¾ inches at the

1928 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships The 1928 NCAA Track and Field Championships was the seventh NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship, NCAA track and field championship. The meet was held at Soldier's Field in Chicago, Illinois in June 1928. Team championship Track eve ...

. He also finished second in the event at the 1929 NCAA Championships and fourth at the 1927 NCAA Championships. Ketz also played college football at the tackle position for the 1927 Michigan Wolverines football team. He also served as an assistant track coach while studying at the law school from 1929 to 1931. In 2012, he was inducted into the University of Michigan Track and Field Hall of Fame.

Union College

After receiving his degrees from Michigan, Ketz was employed by

for 40 years from 1931 to 1971. He was hired as the college's track and cross country coach and held that position until 1967. He became the college's athletic director in 1953 and held that post until 1969. He held various other positions at Union College, including head of the department of physical education (starting in 1956), director of admissions (1942–45), assistant to the dean (1945-1946), veterans counselor (1942–53), and coordinator of student activities (1946–54). From 1960 until his retirement in 1971, he was Union College's director of institutional studies. He also served as the president of the

and served on the executive committee of the

. In 1963, he drafted the constitution for the College Athletic Business Managers Association (CABMA). Ketz received numerous awards for his contributions to collegiate athletics. In 1970, he received CABMA's George Eldridge Distinguished Service Award, and in 1976, he received the James Lynah Memorial Award from the

Eastern College Athletic Conference The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 15 sports (13 men's and 13 women's). It has 220 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location fro ...

. He was also inducted into the National Collegiate Association of Directors of Athletics (NCADA) Hall of Fame in 1978.

Later years

In 1978, Ketz moved from Schenectady to

DeLand, Florida DeLand is a city in central Florida. It is the county seat of Volusia County. The city sits approximately north of the central business district of Orlando, and approximately west of the central business district of Daytona Beach. As of the 2020 ...

. He was an adjunct professor at

Daytona Beach Community College Daytona State College (DSC) is a public college with its main campus in Daytona Beach, Florida. DSC also has 6 smaller regional campuses throughout Volusia and Flagler counties. It is part of the Florida College System. The college offers more ...

until he retired in 1989. He died in 1991 at age 84 in DeLand.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ketz, Wilford 1906 births 1991 deaths Michigan Wolverines men's track and field athletes Michigan Wolverines football players Union College (New York) faculty Track and field athletes from Detroit Sportspeople from DeLand, Florida NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners