George Kraemer
American football player (1894–1974)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
George Lambert Kraemer (June 2, 1894 – September 22, 1974), sometimes listed as George Kramer,[1] was an American football player. He played professional football as a guard for the Minneapolis Marines from 1916 to 1924. He also served for many years with the Minneapolis Fire and Police Departments.
Joliet, Illinois
Chicago, IL
| Profile | |||||
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| Positions | Guard, tackle | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born | June 2, 1894 Joliet, Illinois | ||||
| Died | September 22, 1974 (aged 80) Chicago, IL | ||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| Career statistics | |||||
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Early life
Kraemer was born in 1894 in either Joliet, Illinois,[1] or Minnesota.[2]
Professional football
Kraemer played professional football for the Minneapolis Marines in 1916 prior to the formation of the National Football League (NFL).[3] When the NFL was formed, the Marines were included, and Kraemer continued with the club in its NFL years from 1921 to 1924. He played primarily as a guard, but also as a tackle and back. He appeared in 19 NFL games, 10 as a starter.[2][1] He also played in 1926 for the Twin City All-Stars, at which time the Minneapolis Daily Star wrote that he had "performed brilliantly on various professional football teams of local repute in the last few years at a guard position."[4]
Fire/police career and later years
While playing football, Kraemer held jobs initially with the Minneapolis Fire Department stating in 1917, then transferring to the Minneapolis Police Department in 1923.[3][5] While serving with the police department, Kraemer received eight commendations and killed three men in the line of duty. One of his commendations was for arresting 97 vagrants in a two-day period.[3] In 1931, he engaged in a gunfight with a prowler that put him on the front page of The Minneapolis Star.[6] In 1945, Kraemer left the police department and operated a bar in Minneapolis until 1950.[3]
Kraemer died of a heart attack in 1965 at age 68 at his home in Minneapolis.[3]