Finding Aid
Frank Kralik Papers
UM-116
Size: 6 linear feet
Provenance: received from the Department of Athletics
Access: Open
Related Collections:
Processing Note:
Condition: Good
Copyright: The literary rights to this collection are assumed to rest with the person(s) responsible for the production of the particular items within the collection, or with their heirs or assigns. Researchers bear full legal responsibility for the acquisition to publish from any part of said collection per Title 17, United States Code. The Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections may reserve the right to intervene as intermediary at its own discretion.
Completed by: Eric Nachtman; updated and revised by Sara Mouch, November 2015
Biographical Sketch
Frank Kralik, who lived in Toledo for most of his life, was an important University of Toledo sports historian and local area high school football coach for more than 30 years. He was considered to be the best UT Athletics historian of all time as he spent countless hours researching and archiving old newspapers and back issues in order to help the athletic department establish official records, mainly for the football and basketball programs. Born in 1930 from a poor family in Pennsylvania, he and his family moved to Toledo when Frank was a child, and has lived in the city since. He attended Rossford High School where he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. His accomplishments earned him a place in his alma mater’s hall of fame in 1991. Frank would earn a scholarship to The University of Toledo in 1949 where he would receive three varsity letters as a member of the football team. At UT (then called TU), Frank earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1952. Immediately following college, Frank was drafted into the Army, where he worked as a trainer for the Fort Lee football team in Virginia. He returned to Toledo in 1955 and began his teaching career at DeVeaux Elementary, teaching English for a year and later transferring to Sherman Elementary. Shortly thereof, Frank began teaching social studies at Libbey High School. This was where he began his football coaching career. He would leave Libbey for DeVilibiss High in 1959 before ending up at Start High School in 1962. This was where he would remain their head football coach until 1994. His coaching success at Start earned the name “Frank Kralik Stadium” for the school’s football field. Kralik is known for writing “Beat BG” on almost everything he wrote. He also brought back the “Peace Pipe” to the UT-BG rivalry, after it was stolen in 1969. In 2001, Kralik was inducted into the Varsity ‘T’ Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a UT football player and historian. Frank passed away on October 17th, 1998 in his West Toledo home, after being diagnosed with cancer in the spring of that year, his wife Jane mentioned. He was 68. Today, his records are being preserved here at the Ward M. Canaday Center for people to explore.
Sources: 1.) utrockets.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/020201aaa.html
2.) www.tps.org/index.cfm?Article=866&SecName=33
3.) toledoblade.com
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains sports memorabilia collected by Frank Kralik with the dates ranging from 1917 to 1998. The records include old newspaper articles, sports programs, photographs, team photos, cassette tapes, and film reels. This collection concerns The University of Toledo sports in general with the majority of it featuring the football and basketball programs. The sports mentioned in the folder list are based on University of Toledo athletics unless noted otherwise.
Folder List
Box |
Folder |
Arrangement |
9 10
|
1 10 |
Artwork and programs |