Gus Welch facts for kids
Welch during his college football days at Carlisle
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| Born: | December 18, 1892 Spooner, Wisconsin |
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| Died: | January 29, 1970 (aged 77) Bedford, Virginia |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Weight | 152 lb (69 kg) |
| College | Carlisle Indian Dickinson |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| 1919–1922 | Washington State |
| 1923–1928 | Randolph Macon |
| 1930–1932 | Virginia |
| 1933–1934 | Haskell |
| 1937–1938 | American |
| As player | |
| 1912–1914 | Canton Professionals |
| 1915–1917 | Canton Bulldogs |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |
 U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 1917–1919 |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Unit | American Expeditionary Forces |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Gustavius A. "Gus" Welch (born December 18, 1892 – died January 29, 1970) was an amazing American football player, a fast track and field athlete, and a skilled coach for football and lacrosse. He also worked as a college sports leader. Gus was a true all-around athlete and a very important person in sports history!
Contents
Early Life and Sports Beginnings
Gus Welch was a full-blood Chippewa person, born in Spooner, Wisconsin. He went to the famous Carlisle Indian School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He was one of their first honor students, showing he was smart both in and out of sports!
While at Carlisle, Gus was the quarterback for the school’s football team. This team was super famous because it included the legendary athlete Jim Thorpe and was coached by the well-known Pop Warner. Gus was also part of the USA Track and Field team for the 1912 Summer Olympics, but he couldn't compete because he got sick.
After 1912, Gus played professional football for the Canton Bulldogs, where Jim Thorpe was also his coach. In 1917, Gus finished his studies and graduated from the Dickinson School of Law.
Military Service in World War I
In 1917, Gus Welch joined the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. He started as a Second Lieutenant in the 808th Pioneer Infantry, serving under General John J. Pershing. During his time in the military, he bravely rose through the ranks and became a Captain. He finished his service in 1919.
Coaching and Athletic Leadership
After his military service, Gus Welch became a successful coach and athletic director.
College Coaching Roles
- From 1923 to 1929, Gus was the athletic director and head football coach at Randolph Macon College.
- From 1930 to 1934, he coached lacrosse at the University of Virginia.
- From 1935 to 1937, he was the director of athletics and head football coach at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas.
- He also coached at Georgetown Prep School.
- From 1937 to 1938, he was the head football coach at American University.
During World War II, Gus was in charge of Physical Fitness at Georgetown University. By 1947, he was teaching physical education at Lyndon Hill Junior High School in Prince George County, Virginia.
Camp Kewanzee: Working with Young People
In 1929, Gus Welch bought a boys' camp near the Peaks of the Otter in Bedford County, Virginia. He ran this camp for over 30 summers, calling it Camp Kewanzee. It was a place where young people could learn and grow.
In 1939, some of his land was needed by the US Department of the Interior to make the Blue Ridge Parkway longer. Gus strongly disagreed with this, but the land was taken. He then bought a farm near Bedford, Virginia, and kept working with young athletes. Before he passed away in 1970, Gus also served as the athletic director at American University in Washington, D.C.
Honors and Recognition
Gus Welch received many honors for his contributions to sports.
- In 1973, he was named to the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame.
- In 1975, he was inducted into the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame.
In the late 1960s, people from the Jim Thorpe Project in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and the Jim Thorpe Athletic Award Committee in Yale, Oklahoma, asked for Gus's help. This shows how much he was respected and how important his connection to Jim Thorpe was.
Family Life
In 1923, Gus Welch married Julia Carter. Julia was the daughter of Charles David Carter, who was an Oklahoma Congressman from Boggy Depot. Julia's family had interesting roots: her father was a Chickasaw man whose ancestor, David Carter, was a white man who chose to live with Native Americans and married an Indian woman. He even edited an Indian newspaper called The Phoenix for a while.
Gus and Julia did not have their own children, but they adopted a niece named Serena. Serena later became the model for the figure shown on the canning labels of Pocahontas Foods.
Julia's family was also close to Vinnie Ream, a famous sculptor. The town of Vinita, Oklahoma is named after Vinnie Ream. She created several statues in Washington, D.C., including a well-known one of Abraham Lincoln that is in the United States Capitol rotunda.
Death
Gus Welch passed away on January 29, 1970, from a heart attack. He died at Bedford Memorial Hospital in Bedford, Virginia.
