Frederick Schule facts for kids
Schule at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Frederick William Schule | |||||||||||||
| Born | September 27, 1879 Preston, Iowa, U.S. |
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| Died | September 14, 1962 (aged 82) Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S. |
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| Sport | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | |||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Hurdles | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Frederick William Schule (born September 27, 1879 – died September 14, 1962) was an amazing American athlete. He was known for his skills in track and field, especially in hurdles. Besides being an Olympic champion, he was also a football player, a coach, a teacher, and even an engineer!
Schule studied at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Michigan. In 1904, he won a gold medal at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri. After his sports career, he worked in many different fields, showing how talented and versatile he was.
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Early Life and Family
Frederick William Schule was born in Preston, Iowa, in 1879. His father, also named Frederick Schule, was a doctor who came from Germany. His mother, Sophia Schule, also came from Germany. Frederick had four older sisters: Clara, Augusta, Henrietta, and Sophia. When he was a baby, his family lived in Fairfield Township, Jackson County, Iowa.
College Years at Wisconsin
Schule started his college journey at the University of Wisconsin. He joined the track and field team there from 1899 to 1900. In 1900, he became the first athlete from the Wisconsin Badgers to win a Big Ten Conference championship in track and field. He won the long jump event! He won the long jump again in 1901.
In 1901, Schule earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin. He studied bacteriology and chemistry. After graduating, he worked for a short time as a bacteriologist. He then returned to the University of Wisconsin for more studies. From 1902 to 1903, he taught physics at a high school in Wausau, Wisconsin. In 1903, he also became the national champion in the 120-yard hurdles.
Time at the University of Michigan
In the fall of 1903, Schule moved to the University of Michigan. There, he continued his studies in chemistry and earned a master's degree in 1904.
While at Michigan, Schule was also a part of the amazing 1903 Michigan Wolverines football team. This team, coached by Fielding H. Yost, had a fantastic season. They won 11 games and tied only one, scoring a huge 565 points while only letting opponents score 6!
In 1904, Schule also joined the Michigan Wolverines men's track and field team. He was coached by Keene Fitzpatrick. At the famous Penn Relays in April 1904, he won the 120-yard hurdle race with a great time. He even set a world record in the 75-yard hurdles at an indoor event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in March 1904.
In 2008, many years after his death, Frederick Schule was honored. He was added to the University of Michigan Track & Field Hall of Fame.
Winning Gold at the 1904 Olympics
Frederick Schule represented the United States at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a hurdler, which means he ran over obstacles. He won the gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles event! His time was 16.0 seconds, and he beat another American athlete, Thaddeus Shideler.
Schule also competed in the 200-meter hurdles event at the same Olympics, finishing fifth. The 1904 Olympics were special for the University of Michigan. Athletes from the school, including Schule, won ten medals in total, with six of them being gold!
Coaching and Other Jobs
After his Olympic success in 1904, Schule worked as a chemist in Utah. In 1905, he became the director of the gymnasium at the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana. He also taught and coached sports there. He was the head football coach from 1905 to 1906 and the head basketball coach from 1905 to 1907.
Schule had many different jobs throughout his life. He worked as a school teacher in Wausau, Wisconsin and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was also a bacteriologist in Utah and Chicago. Later, he became an engineer and superintendent for the Westinghouse Lamp Company.
Later Life and Retirement
In 1918, Schule was living in East Orange, New Jersey, with his wife, Flora Randolph Schule. He was working as an engineer. By 1920, they had three sons: Frederick W. Jr., Robert, and Paul.
Schule continued to work in engineering for many years. He spent a lot of his retirement years in DeRuyter, New York. In 1960, he moved to Poughkeepsie, New York, where he passed away in 1962. He was buried in the Hillcrest Cemetery in DeRuyter.
