Frank Joseph "Pete" Bausch (June 14, 1908 – April 6, 1976) 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 ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

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

Boston Redskins The Washington Commanders, an American football team belonging to the National Football League (NFL), have also played as the Boston Braves, Boston Redskins, Washington Redskins, and Washington Football Team. Founded in 1932, the team has won fi ...

, the Chicago Bears, and the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

. He played college football at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

. Bausch was regarded as one of NFL's top centers in the 1930s, being named first-team

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

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 The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...

. When Bausch was named the head coach of the

Wichita Aero Commandos The Wichita Aero Commandos were an American football team that played in 1942. Located in Wichita, Kansas, the team's players consisted of employees from the Aero Parts Manufacturing Company. Many of the team's opponents were from military instal ...

in 1942, Halas gave his blessing to the team and formed an agreement with the Commandos to become a

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

for the Bears. Bausch was a

player-coach A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

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 The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

. 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.

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* 1908 births 1976 deaths American football centers Coaches of American football from South Dakota Boston Redskins players Chicago Bears players Kansas Jayhawks football players Philadelphia Eagles players People from Turner County, South Dakota Players of American football from Wichita, Kansas {{offensive-lineman-1900s-stub