Reuben W. Kelto (September 10, 1919 – March 19, 1998) 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 ...

player. He played at the tackle position for the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

from 1939 to 1941. He was chosen as the Most Valuable Player on the 1941 Michigan Wolverines football team. Kelto was born in 1919 in

Bessemer, Michigan Bessemer is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 1,805. It is the county seat of Gogebic County. The city is surrounded by Bessemer Township, but the two are administered autonomously. It is on ...

, the son of Emil and Lilly Kelto. He graduated from the A.D. Johnston High School in 1938. He enrolled at the

and played football under head coach

Fritz Crisler Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler ( ; January 12, 1899 – August 19, 1982) was an American college football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football", an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and ...

from 1939 to 1941. He first gained attention in Michigan's 1939 victory over

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. Following the game, Bob Murphy of the ''

Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the ''Detroit Tribune'' on February ...

'' wrote: "A new star stood out for the Wolverines in Reuben Kelto of Bessemer. Subbing for Bill (Savilla) at various intervals in the game Kelto did an outstanding job." Michigan line coach

Biggie Munn Clarence Lester "Biggie" Munn (September 11, 1908 – March 18, 1975) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He was the head football coach at Albright College (1935–1936), Syracuse University (1946), and m ...

called Kelton one of the "unsung heroes of the 1940 grid battles." Kelto went on to become the Most Valuable Player on the 1941 Michigan Wolverines football team. The 1941 team under head coach

finished with a 6-1-1 record and were ranked fifth in the final

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

poll. After playing 56 of 60 minutes against Illinois in 1941, a writer in the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

'' wrote: "If ever there was an under-rated football player, it is this 198-pound tackle." Kelto received a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering degree from the University of Michigan and later received a master's degree from the Chrysler Institute of Engineering in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. Kelto served in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

during

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 ...

. He married Florence Albrecht on August 17, 1946, in a ceremony held in

Shawano, Wisconsin Shawano ( ) is a city and the county seat of Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,243 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is ...

, with the reception at the Hotel Martin in Bonduel, Wisconsin. At the time of the wedding, Kelto had recently been discharged from the Navy and was working for

Chrysler Corporation FCA US, LLC, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of ...

. Over the course of his professional career, Kelto held positions as an electrical engineer with Chrysler and Tecumseh Products. He was also a lifetime member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers. He lived in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

Adrian, Michigan Adrian is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Lenawee County, Michigan, Lenawee County. The population was 20,645 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Adrian lies in Michigan's 5th congressional district. The c ...

, and, for the last 12 years of his life,

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

. In 1975, Kelto was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame. Kelto died in 1998 from complications of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. He was survived by his wife, Florence, three sons (Clifford, Martin, and Douglas), a daughter (Vivian Khalife) and seven grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelto, Reuben 1919 births 1998 deaths American football tackles Michigan Wolverines football players United States Navy personnel of World War II People from Bessemer, Michigan Players of American football from Michigan Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Colorado