Fred Joseph Bedenk (July 14, 1897 – May 2, 1978) was an American

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 ...

and

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

player and coach. He served as the head baseball coach at

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

from 1925 to 1926 and at

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

from 1931 to 1962. Bedenk was also the head football coach at Penn State for one season in 1949, tallying a mark of 5–4.

Playing career

Bedenk played

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

for the

Penn State Nittany Lions football The Penn State Nittany Lions team represents the Pennsylvania State University in college football. Penn State Nittany Lions, The Nittany Lions compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivisi ...

team. He was elected team captain and earned All-America honors in 1923. He graduated from Penn State with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in finance in 1924.

Coaching career

Bedenk served for several years as Penn state's line coach before being promoted to head coach for the 1949 season. After finishing the year at 5–4, Bedenk requested a return to coaching the line and the university brought in Rip Engle as head coach, and Engle's

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

Joe Paterno Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football, Penn ...

as an assistant coach.

Death

Bedenk died on May 2, 1978, at the Mountainview Unit of Centre Community Hospital—now known as

Mount Nittany Medical Center Mount Nittany Medical Center (MNMC), formerly Centre Community Hospital, is a hospital in College Township, Pennsylvania near State College. It is an acute-care facility offering emergency, medical, surgical, diagnostic and community services. ...

—in

State College, Pennsylvania State College is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough and Home rule municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule municipality in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a college town, home to the University Park, Pennsylvania, University Park ...

, following a long illness.

Head coaching record

Football

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedenk, Joe 1897 births 1978 deaths American football guards Florida Gators football coaches Penn State Nittany Lions baseball coaches Penn State Nittany Lions baseball players Penn State Nittany Lions football coaches Penn State Nittany Lions football players Rice Owls baseball coaches Rice Owls football coaches Mansfield University of Pennsylvania alumni Sportspeople from Williamsport, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania