Fred Hageman

Fred John Hageman (June 30, 1937 – November 4, 2012) 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 ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

in 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) for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

. 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 ...

at the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

and

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

, and was drafted in the 2nd round in 1959 by the Oakland Raiders but did not report and returned to Kansas to finish his undergraduate degree and play out his senior season where he was a 2 time All Big 8 selection as a center and middle linebacker. He was a Tri-Captain and played in 4 post season games including the College All-Star game with numerous All Americans. Was drafted in the 7th round of the

1960 NFL draft The 1960 NFL draft in which NFL teams take turns selecting amateur college American football players and other first-time eligible players, was held at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia on November 30, 1959. Many players, including half of thos ...

by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

and was immediately traded to Washington for cash and a high draft pick. He was the "Tribe's" defensive leader and starting middle linebacker upon reporting to camp. He was a runner-up for Rookie of the Year as a middle linebacker and played more minutes than any other player in the NFL in 1961. After his first stellar season, he was moved to starting Center where he played at an elite level. He was traded to the Chicago Bears in 1965, where he was injured in a pre-season game. Although urged to return by many, Fred returned to Kansas and earned his master's degree in education. He went on to a very successful business career. The "gentle giant" at a huge 6 foot 5 and 255 pounds of solid muscle with world class speed, Fred was named as Kansas University's "Center of the Century" and was named to its first team "All-Time KU Football Team" along with the likes of Gayle Sayers, John Hadl and other NFL greats. Known as "Pappy" to many, he led KU's team, to a #2 Ranking and a Big 8 Championship in 1960. Some believe the teams he led in 1959 and 1960, along with John Hadl, were the best in KU's history. Fred was enshrined in the Batesville, Arkansas Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1992. He was the first All-State Athlete at Batesville, H.S. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hageman, Fred 1937 births 2012 deaths American football linebackers American football centers Washington Redskins players Chicago Bears players People from Bunkie, Louisiana Players of American football from Louisiana Arkansas Razorbacks football players Kansas Jayhawks football players 20th-century American sportsmen