Fred Ritter
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Halfback |
| Personal information | |
| Born | May 8, 1882 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 21, 1948 (aged 66) Westport, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | Lawrenceville School |
| College | Princeton (1904) |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1907 | Regina Civil Servants |
| 1910–1913 | Regina Roughriders |
Coaching | |
| 1910–1913 | Regina Roughriders Head coach |
| 1914 | Princeton Assistant coach |
| 1921–1922 | Manitoba Head coach |
| 1923–1924 | Winnipeg Victorias Rugby Club Head coach |
| 1925–1928 | Manitoba Head coach |
| 1933–1934 | Winnipeg Deer Lodge Head coach |
| 1935 | Winnipeg Victorias Junior Rugby Club Head coach |
Frederick William Ritter (May 8, 1882 – July 21, 1948) was an American gridiron football player and coach and lumber industry executive who was head coach of the Regina Roughriders from 1910 to 1913.
Playing
Ritter was on May 8, 1882 born in Brooklyn to Frederick William and Mary (Welchman) Ritter.[1] He graduated from the Lawrenceville School.[2] He played halfback on the 1904 Princeton Tigers football team, but was ineligible to play in 1905 due to poor grades.[3] In 1906, he was the backup catcher for an amateur baseball team in Millville, New Jersey.[4] In 1907, Ritter moved to Regina, Saskatchewan and played center-half for the Regina Civil Servants football team.[5]
Coaching
Ritter joined the Regina Roughriders in 1910 and was appointed coach that October.[6] He remained with the team until 1914, when he returned to Princeton as an assistant coach.[7] He returned to Roughriders in 1915 as team manager.[8]
Ritter returned to coaching in 1921 with the University of Manitoba.[9] In 1923 and 1924, he coached the Winnipeg Victorias Rugby Club.[10][11] He then returned to Manitoba.[12] He was the coach of the Winnipeg Deer Lodge in 1933 and 1934 and the Victoria Juniors in 1935.[13][14][15]
Lumber industry
After leaving Princeton, Ritter was a yard manager for the Monarch Lumber Company in Regina and Winnipeg. In 1916, he became general manager of the North Canada Lumber Company in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He then spent 17 years as secretary of the Western Retail Lumberman's Association in Winnipeg. In 1937, he moved to New York City, where he was secretary-manager of the New York Lumber Trade Association until his death.[2]
Personal life
On February 8, 1910, Ritter married Aimee Rogeane Houston in Regina. They had two daughters, Rosalina and Rogeane.[1]
Ritter died on July 21, 1948 at his home in Westport, Connecticut after a brief illness.[2]
References
- ^ a b After Five Years: The Quinquennial Record of the Class of 1908, Princeton University. 1914. p. 185. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ a b c "F. W. Ritter Dead; Lumber Executive". The New York Times. July 23, 1948.
- ^ "Princeton Football Hit". The New York Times. February 24, 1905.
- ^ "Amateur Baseball". The Philadelphia Record. April 19, 1906. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "Tigers Win Rugby Championship". The Morning Leader. November 1, 1907. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "Ritter to Coach". The Morning Leader. October 10, 1910. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "Fred Ritter Will Help to Coach His Old Team Again". The Saskatoon Phoenix. August 15, 1914. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "Regina Organises For Rugby With Good Prospects". The Saskatoon Phoenix. August 31, 1915. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "Ritter Figures On Hard Game Today". The Morning Leader. September 27, 1921. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "Sports Chatter". The Morning Leader. November 2, 1923. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "Manitoba Rugby Champions Ready For Battle Saturday". The Morning Leader. November 8, 1924. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "Do You Know?". The Morning Leader. May 28, 1927. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ Wilson, Ralph (November 23, 1933). "Sports O Scope". The Calgary Daily Herald. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "Winnipeg Gridders Challenge For Title". The Vancouver Sun. November 13, 1934. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ Kennedy, Fred (November 9, 1935). "In The Huddle". The Calgary Daily Herald. Retrieved 20 September 2025.