View source for Wally Fromhart

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1913–2002)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox gridiron football person
   |name=Wally Fromhart
   |image=Wally Fromhart.png
   |birth_date={{Birth date|1913|5|18}}
   |birth_place= [[Newburg, West Virginia]], U.S.
   |death_date={{Death date and age|2002|5|23|1913|5|18}}
   |death_place=[[Dowagiac, Michigan]], U.S.
   |Position=[[Quarterback]], [[placekicker]]
   |number=9
   |Height_ft=5
   |Height_in=11
   |Weight_lbs=180
   |College=[[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame]]
   |DraftedYear=1936
   |DraftedRound=7 / Pick 61
   |Stats=
   |DatabaseFootball=
   |Career Highlights=
   |CFLAllStar=
   |Awards=
   |}} 
'''Wallace Leo Fromhart''' (May 18, 1913 &ndash; May 23, 2002) was an [[American football]] player and coach.  Born in [[Newburg, West Virginia]] where he lived and attended school until his freshman year of high school, after which his family moved to [[Moundsville, West Virginia]]. Fromhart played varsity baseball and football for Moundsville High School from 1929 to 1931. Following high school graduation, he worked at the local US Stamping plant until 1932 when he was offered, and accepted, an athletic scholarship to attend the [[University of Notre Dame]] and play for the university's baseball team. His athletic prowess also landed him the starting quarterback position on the Fighting Irish football team during his junior academic year (1935–36).

Fromhart played for the [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football]] team  under coach [[Elmer Layden]] (of the famed [[Four Horsemen (football)|Four Horsemen]]) who ran an offensive scheme in which the quarterback had a limited role in the passing game. Fromhart's primary responsibilities on offense were as a blocker for the halfback, [[William Shakespeare (football)|Bill Shakespeare]] (who actually received the bulk of the snaps and passed the ball most often), as well as a key receiver, a place kicker and a punt returner.<ref>Steele, Michael R. ''The Fighting Irish Football Encyclopedia.'' Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing LLC (1996).  p.347</ref> On defense, he played the safety position. Against rival [[1935 USC Trojans football team|USC]], in 1935, he returned an interception for 82 yards. Fromhart was starting quarterback for Notre Dame in the 18–13 victory against undefeated [[1935 Ohio State Buckeyes football team|Ohio State]] in 1935.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Game of the Century|publisher=Scout.com|url=http://ohiostate.scout.com/2/477011.html|access-date=March 3, 2008|archive-date=June 5, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605190206/http://ohiostate.scout.com/2/477011.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Though he was selected by the [[Green Bay Packers]] in the [[1936 NFL draft]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=1936 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1936/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-20 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Fromhart chose instead to remain an additional year at Notre Dame to obtain teaching certification, during which time he also served as graduate assistant coach of the Fighting Irish freshman football team. Upon graduating Notre Dame, Fromhart accepted a position as head football coach for [[Mount Carmel High School (Chicago)|Mt. Carmel High School]] in [[Chicago]] (1937–46), posting a 56–17–10 record, a Catholic League title and two city championships. During his coaching tenure at Mt. Carmel, Fromhart was called to serve in the US Navy as an armed guard officer in the US Merchant Marine (1944–45) in the Atlantic Theater of World War II.

A year after returning from the war, Fromhart accepted a head football coach position at [[Loras College]] (1947–1950), in Dubuque, Iowa, where he posted a 27–9 record, including an undefeated season in 1947. During his coaching years at Loras, he also managed the Dubuque minor league baseball team. In 1951, he accepted a position as assistant coach at the [[University of Detroit Mercy|University of Detroit]] under [[Dutch Clark]] (1951–1953), and succeeded Clark as head coach (1954–1958). In the latter position, he posted an overall record of 1925, won the Missouri Valley Conference title, and was named  Catholic Coach of the Year. Fromhart ended his football coaching career in 1961 as head coach of the [[Sarnia]], [[Ontario]]-based Sarnia Golden Bears, a semi-professional football team in the upstart American Football Conference for one season (the conference lasted only one year). With his eldest son (also named Wally Fromhart) as assistant coach, he led the team to an undefeated 10–0 regular season record and one post-season win to claim the American Football Conference championship.

Fromhart died in 2002 and is buried in [[South Bend, Indiana]] with his wife Donna Belle (Parvis) Fromhart.<ref>National Cemetery Administration. "U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006" (database). Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc. (2006)</ref>

==Head coaching record==
===College===
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Loras Duhawks football|Loras Duhawks]]
 | conf      = [[American Rivers Conference|Iowa Conference]]
 | startyear = 1947
 | endyear   = single
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1947 college football season|1947]]
 | name         = [[1947 Loras Duhawks football team|Loras]]
 | overall      = 9–0
 | conference   = 2–0
 | confstanding = 2nd
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Loras Duhawks football|Loras Duhawks]]
 | conf      = [[Midlands Conference]]
 | startyear = 1948
 | endyear   = 1949
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | year         = [[1948 college football season|1948]]
 | name         = Loras
 | overall      = 7–1
 | conference   = 2–1
 | confstanding = T–1st
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1949 college football season|1949]]
 | name         = Loras
 | overall      = 3–5
 | conference   = 0–3
 | confstanding = 4th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Loras Duhawks football|Loras Duhawks]]
 | conf      = [[American Rivers Conference|Iowa Conference]] / [[Midlands Conference]]
 | startyear = 1950
 | endyear   = single
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = division
 | year         = [[1950 college football season|1950]]
 | name         = Loras
 | overall      = 8–3
 | conference   = 5–0 / 1–2
 | confstanding = 1st <small>(Northern)</small> / T–3rd
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Loras
 | overall    = 27–9
 | confrecord = 10–6
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Detroit Titans football|Detroit Titans]]
 | conf      = [[Missouri Valley Conference]]
 | startyear = 1954
 | endyear   = 1956
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1954 college football season|1954]]
 | name         = [[1954 Detroit Titans football team|Detroit]]
 | overall      = 2–7
 | conference   = 1–3
 | confstanding = 4th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | year         = [[1955 college football season|1955]]
 | name         = [[1955 Detroit Titans football team|Detroit]]
 | overall      = 5–3–1
 | conference   = 3–1
 | confstanding = T–1st
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1956 college football season|1956]]
 | name         = [[1956 Detroit Titans football team|Detroit]]
 | overall      = 2–8
 | conference   = 0–4
 | confstanding = 5th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Detroit Titans football|Detroit Titans]]
 | conf      = Independent
 | startyear = 1957
 | endyear   = 1958
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1957 college football season|1957]]
 | name         = [[1957 Detroit Titans football team|Detroit]]
 | overall      = 6–3
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1958 college football season|1958]]
 | name         = [[1958 Detroit Titans football team|Detroit]]
 | overall      = 4–4–1
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Detroit
 | overall    = 19–25–2
 | confrecord = 4–8
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
 | overall  = 46–34–2
 | bowls    = no
 | poll     = no
 | polltype = 
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback navbox}}
{{Loras Duhawks football coach navbox}}
{{Detroit Titans football coach navbox}}
{{Green Bay Packers 1936 NFL draft picks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fromhart, Wally}}
[[Category:1913 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:American football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:Detroit Titans football coaches]]
[[Category:Loras Duhawks football coaches]]
[[Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players]]
[[Category:High school football coaches in Illinois]]
[[Category:People from Dowagiac, Michigan]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Moundsville, West Virginia]]
[[Category:People from Preston County, West Virginia]]
[[Category:Coaches of American football from West Virginia]]
[[Category:Players of American football from West Virginia]]