Walter Louis Ambrose (August 7, 1905 – January 18, 1968) 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 ...

guard who played one game 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

Portsmouth Spartans The Portsmouth Spartans were a professional American football team that played in Portsmouth, Ohio, from their founding in 1928 to their relocation to Detroit in 1934. Originally drawing players from defunct independent professional and semi-prof ...

. 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 ...

Carroll University Carroll University is a private university in Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States. It was established in 1846 as Wisconsin's first four-year institution of higher learning. The university is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). History ...

Early life and education

Ambrose was born on August 7, 1905, in

Portage, Wisconsin Portage is a city in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 10,581 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in Columbia County. It is part of the Madison metropolitan area. Portage was named for ...

. He attended Portage High School, where he played as a fullback from 1921 until his graduation in 1924. He also was a "star" player in basketball and baseball. In 1925, Ambrose enrolled at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

, and was considered the best fullback prospect on the team, but "circumstances prevented" him from playing there. He instead joined

in fall of 1926, where he transitioned to the tackle position. Ambrose played for their freshman football team in his first year, and one year later became the starting tackle on the varsity squad. Following the 1928 season, Ambrose was elected team captain for his senior year. Weighing over 200 pounds, he was described as a "burly tackle" by ''

The Oshkosh Northwestern The ''Oshkosh Northwestern'' is a daily newspaper based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The ''Northwestern'' is primarily distributed in Winnebago, Waushara, and Green Lake counties. History For the forty years preceding establishment of the newspa ...

''. At the end of his senior season, Ambrose was named first-team All- Big Four by the league's coaches. The ''

Portage Daily Register Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...

'' reported that he "was often mentioned as one of the greatest tackles in the country."

Professional career

In 1930, Ambrose was signed to play professional football in the

(NFL) by the

. He had a very limited role with the team, and only appeared in one game as a substitute. Later in the season, Ambrose played for the Fort Atkinson Pros.

Later life and death

After his brief career in professional football, Ambrose returned to Carroll University to finish his education. He was later employed as a conductor in the

Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...

for over 25 years. Ambrose was married to Vera Wetzel of North Freedom in 1948. Ambrose died in Portage, Wisconsin, at the age of 62 in 1968.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambrose, Walt 1905 births 1968 deaths People from Portage, Wisconsin Players of American football from Wisconsin Portsmouth Spartans players American football offensive guards Carroll University alumni