Frederick A. Speik
Encyclopedia
Frederick Adolph Speik was an American football
player and coach. He played for the University of Chicago
from 1901 to 1904 and was selected as a first-team All-American in 1904
. He was the head football coach at Purdue University
from 1908 to 1909, compiling a record of 6–8.
in 1882. He was the son of a manufacturer and grocer. Speik came to Chicago for his education and attended the Northwest Division High School.
in 1901 and played four years of college football there under legendary coach Amos Alonzo Stagg
. He also played for Chicago's water polo
and track teams. As a football player, he played at the left end position, was captain of the 1904 team, and became a close friend of Coach Stagg. The Chicago Daily Tribune
called him "one of the best ends ever developed at Chicago." At the end of the 1904 season, Speik was selected as a first-team All-American
by Caspar Whitney
in Outing
magazine
while working as an assistant football coach. He graduated from medical school in 1907.
In 1908, Speik accepted the job as the head coach of the Purdue Boilermakers football
team and served there in the 1908 and 1909 college football seasons. He compiled a 6–8 record in two years at Purdue and resigned his position as head coach on October 23, 1909. At the time of his resignation, the Chicago Daily Tribune reported: "Since Speik has been in charge at the Boilermaker institution Purdue has not won a game of note, and his ability as an instructor did not meet the expectations of members of the association, who assert that Speik had splendid material from which to pick an eleven."
. The couple had four children, Robert Lawton Speik, Madeline (Speik) Lynden, Charolotte Speik and Elizabeth Speik.
and became a successful physician and surgeon. He was on the staff of the Los Angeles County Hospital and the Pasadena Hospital and was a professor of medicine at the University of Southern California Medical School
from 1915 to 1919. In 1917, he was Chairman of the Los Angeles County Medical Association's Committee on the County Hospital. He moved to California and lived on Fair Oaks Avenue
in South Pasadena, California
. He was active in South Pasadena civic and political affairs. In 1938, he received a patent for an ornamental spoon holder.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach. He played for the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
from 1901 to 1904 and was selected as a first-team All-American in 1904
1904 College Football All-America Team
The 1904 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that chose College Football All-America Teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams included Collier's Weekly selected by Walter Camp.-Key:...
. He was the head football coach at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
from 1908 to 1909, compiling a record of 6–8.
Early years
Speik was born in Stockton, CaliforniaStockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
in 1882. He was the son of a manufacturer and grocer. Speik came to Chicago for his education and attended the Northwest Division High School.
University of Chicago
Speik enrolled at the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1901 and played four years of college football there under legendary coach Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg was an American athlete and pioneering college coach in multiple sports, primarily American football...
. He also played for Chicago's water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
and track teams. As a football player, he played at the left end position, was captain of the 1904 team, and became a close friend of Coach Stagg. The Chicago Daily Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
called him "one of the best ends ever developed at Chicago." At the end of the 1904 season, Speik was selected as a first-team All-American
1904 College Football All-America Team
The 1904 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that chose College Football All-America Teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams included Collier's Weekly selected by Walter Camp.-Key:...
by Caspar Whitney
Caspar Whitney
Caspar William Whitney was an American author, editor, explorer, and war correspondent. He originated the concept of the All-American team in college football in 1889 when he worked for Harper's Magazine....
in Outing
Outing (magazine)
Outing was a late-nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American magazine covering a variety of sporting activities. It began publication in 1882 as the Wheelman and had four title changes before ceasing publication in 1923....
magazine
Football coach and medical student
After graduating from Chicago in 1905, Speik served as an assistant football coach under head coach Stagg. Speik attended Rush Medical CollegeRush Medical College
Rush Medical College is the medical school of Rush University, a private university in Chicago, Illinois. Rush Medical College was one of the first medical colleges in the state of Illinois and was chartered in 1837, two days before the city of Chicago was chartered, and opened with 22 students on...
while working as an assistant football coach. He graduated from medical school in 1907.
In 1908, Speik accepted the job as the head coach of the Purdue Boilermakers football
Purdue Boilermakers football
The Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...
team and served there in the 1908 and 1909 college football seasons. He compiled a 6–8 record in two years at Purdue and resigned his position as head coach on October 23, 1909. At the time of his resignation, the Chicago Daily Tribune reported: "Since Speik has been in charge at the Boilermaker institution Purdue has not won a game of note, and his ability as an instructor did not meet the expectations of members of the association, who assert that Speik had splendid material from which to pick an eleven."
Family
In June 1909, Speik married Edith Charlotte Lawton in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. The couple had four children, Robert Lawton Speik, Madeline (Speik) Lynden, Charolotte Speik and Elizabeth Speik.
Medical career
After retiring from football, Speik moved to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and became a successful physician and surgeon. He was on the staff of the Los Angeles County Hospital and the Pasadena Hospital and was a professor of medicine at the University of Southern California Medical School
Keck School of Medicine of USC
The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California is a major center of medical research, education and patient care. Founded in 1885, the Keck School of Medicine is the oldest medical school in Southern California.Located on the university’s Health Sciences campus three miles ...
from 1915 to 1919. In 1917, he was Chairman of the Los Angeles County Medical Association's Committee on the County Hospital. He moved to California and lived on Fair Oaks Avenue
Fair Oaks Avenue (Pasadena, California)
Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena, California, is a major north-south road connecting the communities of Altadena, Pasadena, and South Pasadena, running in length. It starts at its southernmost end in South Pasadena at Huntington Drive. It travels due north to a terminus above Loma Alta Ave. in...
in South Pasadena, California
South Pasadena, California
South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in in the West San Gabriel Valley...
. He was active in South Pasadena civic and political affairs. In 1938, he received a patent for an ornamental spoon holder.