Fred Gehrke
Gehrke on a 1948 Bowman football card
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| Position: | Halfback / defensive back | ||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||
| Date of birth: | April 24, 1918 | ||||||
| Place of birth: | Salt Lake City, Utah | ||||||
| Date of death: | February 9, 2002 (aged 83) | ||||||
| Place of death: | Palm Springs, California | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| College: | Utah | ||||||
| Undrafted: | 1940 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
| Rushing Yards: | 1664 |
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| Interceptions: | 13 |
| Touchdowns: | 24 |
Clarence Fred Gehrke (April 24, 1918 – February 9, 2002) was an American football player and executive. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland / Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Cardinals from 1940 through 1950. To boost team morale, Gehrke designed and painted the Los Angeles Rams logo in 1948, which was the first painted on the helmets of an NFL team. He later served as the general manager of the Denver Broncos from 1977 through 1981. He is the great-grandfather of Miami Marlin Christian Yelich
Gehrke was born and raised in Salt Lake City. As a youth, he snuck into Utah Utes football games. He there developed a love for the sport. He attended South High School where he participated in swimming, track and field, and football. He graduated from high school in 1935 and then attended the University of Utah, where he majored in art. At Utah, he started at running back on offense and left cornerback on defense. He also returned punts and kickoffs.
Gehrke entered the National Football League as (NFL) an undrafted rookie. He landed a try-out with the Cleveland Rams in 1940. He was awarded a spot on team after he returned a kickoff for a touchdown in a pre-season exhibition game. His first contract with Cleveland paid him $135 per game. However he did not play in many games that season because Parker Hall, the NFL's MVP in 1939, was the Rams' starting running back and his success kept Gehrke on the bench.
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