Albert Preston Baston (December 3, 1894 – November 16, 1979) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

end who played for the Cleveland Tigers of the American Professional Football Conference (APFC) for one season. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Minnesota Golden Gophers The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the college athletics, college sports teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 21 (9 men's, 12 women's) teams in both men's and women's sports and com ...

, where he was an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

and one of the first great catchers of the

forward pass In several forms of football, a forward pass is the throwing of the ball in the direction in which the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line. The legal and widespread use of the forward pass distinguishes grid ...

. He was awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

for "extraordinary heroism" in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was elected to the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

in 1954

Early life and college career

Baston was a sports phenomenon in high school, where he played for Saint Louis Park High School in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Entering the University of Minnesota to study law, he played football on the school's 'elevens' at left end for three seasons beginning in 1914. He was captain of the team his final year. Walter Camp named him on his All-American team both in

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January *January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 * ...

and in 1916. His team was recognized with a

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

in 1915, prior to the modern "consensus system." In addition to his football honors, while at Minnesota Baston was a member of

Phi Sigma Kappa Phi Sigma Kappa (), colloquially known as Phi Sig or PSK, is a men's social and academic Fraternities and sororities, fraternity with approximately 74 List of Phi Sigma Kappa chapters#Chapters, active chapters and provisional chapters in North Am ...

fraternity. He was president of the Athletic Board of Control, a member of the University Senate, of the Junior Ball Association, elected to Iron Wedge, a senior society, and to

Phi Delta Phi Phi Delta Phi (), commonly known as Phid or PDP, is an international legal honor society and the oldest legal organization in continuous existence in the United States. Founded in 1869 at the University of Michigan as a professional fraternity, ...

international legal honor society, along with various local clubs.

World War I service

During

Baston served with the 17th Company of the 5th Marine Regiment. He was a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and fought in France. He suffered a critical leg injury while serving in the

Battle of Belleau Wood The Battle of Belleau Wood (1–26 June 1918) was a major battle that occurred during the German spring offensive in World War I, near the Marne (river), Marne River in France. The battle was fought by the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division (United State ...

, with a hole in his leg "big enough to stick a broom handle through," according to family lore.City of St. Louis Park historical record
, accessed 10 May 2014 Awarded the

, his official citation reads:

The Navy Cross is presented to Albert P. Baston, First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving with the 5th Regiment (Marines), 2d Division, A.E.F. in action near Château-Thierry, France. Although shot in both legs while leading his platoon through the woods at Hill 142, near Château-Thierry, France, on June 6, 1918, Lieutenant Baston refused treatment until he had personally assured himself that every man in his platoon was under cover and in good firing position.

The story of Baston's 5th Marine Regiment forms a key lesson of Marine Corps lore: It was in WWI and at Belleau Wood where Marines of the 5th earned the nickname Devil Dogs.

Business and coaching careers

Baston spent almost a year in the hospital, and when he got out he started a bakery in Detroit. He married Ruby Laird in 1920. Baston played that same year for the Cleveland Tigers, an early NFL team. Eventually the couple returned to Minneapolis and started the Bert Baston Chevrolet Co. at 3038 Hennepin Avenue (1933), a site now redeveloped into commercial space.3038 Hennepin is now the location of the Magers and Quinn bookstore, in Uptown. His sales manager during the 1930s was George Richard Baston, the only surviving son of Bert's uncle, John Judson Baston. Baston served as the Minnesota Gophers' ends coach from 1930 to the 1941 and again from 1946 to 1950.

World War II service

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Baston again was called into service, this time in the

North Africa Campaign The North African campaign of World War II took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943, fought between the Allies and the Axis Powers. It included campaigns in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert campaign, Desert Wa ...

as a colonel in the Marines, where he commanded a battalion that repaired equipment ranging from jeeps to rocket guns for armies in the European and African Theaters. Baston and Ruby had two children: Fred, who also served in World War II and in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, and a daughter, Priscilla.

Later life

Baston resumed his automotive career after the war. The 1947 St. Louis Park City directory listed his Baston-Barington Chevrolet Co. at 2612 Lyndale Avenue. He remained active in the community and was appointed as General Chairman of the 1948 Minneapolis Aquatennial. Baston moved to St. Cloud later in life and opened a dealership there. In 1954, he was inducted into the

. Baston died in St. Cloud on November 15, 1979, and is buried at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baston, Bert 1894 births 1979 deaths American football ends Minnesota Golden Gophers football coaches Minnesota Golden Gophers football players All-American college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II United States Marine Corps colonels Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Sportspeople from St. Louis Park, Minnesota Players of American football from Hennepin County, Minnesota Cleveland Tigers (NFL) players Military personnel from Minnesota