Fred Kenneth Abel (July 17, 1903 – August 2, 1980) was an American professional

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who played one season with the

Milwaukee Badgers The Milwaukee Badgers were a professional American football team, based in Milwaukee, that played in the National Football League from 1922 to 1926. The team played its home games at Athletic Park, later known as Borchert Field, on Milwaukee ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

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. As quarterback for the Huskies in the

1924 Rose Bowl The 1924 Rose Bowl was a postseason American college football bowl game played between the independent Navy Midshipmen and the Washington Huskies, a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC). The game took place on January 1, 1924, at the R ...

, Abel threw a game-tying touchdown that settled the final score at 14–14.

Early life and college

Fred Kenneth Abel was born on July 17, 1903, in

Lincoln, Kansas Lincoln Center, more commonly known as Lincoln, is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,171. History Settler George Green founded the town of Lincol ...

. He attended Montesano High School in

Montesano, Washington Montesano is a city in, and the county seat of, Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,138 at the 2020 Census. History Medcalf Prairie According to Edwin Van Syckle, a portion of the present-day town of Montesano ...

. Abel was a member of the

Washington Huskies The Washington Huskies are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) N ...

of the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

from 1921 to 1923 and a two-year

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from 1922 to 1923. As quarterback for the Huskies in the

, Abel threw a game-tying touchdown that settled the final score at 14–14.

Professional career

Abel signed with the

of the

in 1926. He played in three games, starting one, for the Badgers during the 1926 season before being released that year.

Personal life

On January 6, 1924, in an article printed in the '' Tacoma Daily Ledger'' a few days after the Rose Bowl game, Abel denied that he was married to Dorothy Johnston, a 16-year-old high school girl. However, a few weeks later on January 22, the two were married. In December 1924, Abel filed for

annulment Annulment is a legal procedure within secular and religious legal systems for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning alm ...

after claiming he had been coerced into the marriage. They had reportedly never lived together. The annulment suit was eventually denied in February 1926. Dorothy then filed for divorce, which was granted in April 1926. Abel attended the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (branded as Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparati ...

. He died on August 2, 1980, in

Port Townsend, Washington Port Townsend is a city on the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,148 at the 2020 United States Census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. In addition ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abel, Fred 1903 births 1980 deaths American football quarterbacks American football fullbacks Washington Huskies football players Milwaukee Badgers players Players of American football from Kansas People from Lincoln County, Kansas University of Michigan Law School alumni