Date of birth December 30, 1919 College Clemson University Position(s) Guard | Place of death Savannah, Georgia Name George Fritts | |
Date of death February 8, 1987(1987-02-08) (aged 67) | ||
Place of birth Lenior City, Tennessee | ||
George H. Fritts (December 30, 1919 – February 8, 1987) was an American football player and coached at Clemson University and Newberry College. A native of Lenior City, Tennessee, Fritts attended Lenior City Tennessee before accepting a full scholarship to Clemson University. He played guard for the Clemson team from 1939 to 1942.
He was a starting player on both sides of the ball. Having played on Clemson's first Bowl team (Cotton Bowl) 1940, he completed his college football career then was drafted by the United States Army and the Philadelphia Eagles in the same year. Upon the end of the war, he was hired to coach the Columbus Georgia Football team but a manager in the front office of the Philadelphia Eagles contacted him for completing his requirements for professional football. An earlier exposure to high levels of radiation during World War II left him with a disability which resulted in his loss of eyesight after three years of playing for Philadelphia.
Frank Howard hired him to be an assistant coach at Clemson and after a few years left to coach the Gaffney, SC high school team where his teams won several state championships. He moved to Georgia to become a high school principal. In 1977, he was inducted in the Clemson University Hall of Fame and was recognized as a 1st team all-century team at Clemson in 1998.