Frank Bausch

Frank Joseph "Pete" Bausch (June 14, 1908 – April 6, 1976) was an American football center in the National Football League (NFL) for the Boston Redskins, the Chicago Bears, and the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at the University of Kansas.

Biography

Bausch was regarded as one of NFL's top centers in the 1930s, being named first-team All-Pro in 1936. During his tenure with the Bears, he became a close friend of head coach George Halas, who personally nominated him for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. When Bausch was named the head coach of the Wichita Aero Commandos in 1942, Halas gave his blessing to the team and formed an agreement with the Commandos to become a farm team for the Bears. Bausch was a player-coach for the Commandos and Eagles before retiring from playing at the end of the former's 1942 season. After the Commandos shut down, Bausch remained employed by the team's owner Wichita Aero Parts Manufacturing Company and became an assistant at Wichita University.

Upon concluding his involvement in football, Bausch co-founded Weyl-Bausch Tire Co., which became one of the top tire sellers in the Midwestern United States. He died of a heart attack in 1976.

His older brother Jim Bausch played halfback in the NFL and won a gold medal at the 1932 Summer Olympics in the decathlon.