Truely a great atlete and human being. Nile Kinnick gets a lot of the press but here was the Captain of the team.
'Ironmen' captain dies
<!-- BYLINE AND DATE -->By<SCRIPT language=JavaScript>varUsername = "lcolonno@dmreg.com";document.write("LISA COLONNO");</SCRIPT> LISA COLONNO
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
June 21, 2005
<!-- STORY STARTS HERE -->The "quiet lion" who helped Nile Kinnick and the 1939 Ironmen roar into University of Iowa football lore died Saturday at the age of 87.
Erwin Prasse passed away at Edward Hospital in Naperville, Ill., following a fall earlier in the week.
Prasse, a native of Chicago, captained the famed Iowa team to a 6-1-1 record in 1939 - the year Kinnick won the Heisman Trophy.
Mike Prasse said his father died of a brain hemorrhage with family at his side.
"His legacy in a nutshell was that he was the quiet lion," said Mike Prasse, the youngest of 10 children. "He was a true ironman who never sought the spotlight, but it always found him wherever he was."
The 1939 Hawkeyes, known as the Ironmen because many played offense and defense, upset Notre Dame during the celebrated season.
Under first-year coach Eddie Anderson, the Hawkeyes posted the school's first winning record in four seasons.
"They were supposed to be bad and they came from nowhere," Mike Prasse said. "It was a Cinderella story."
Erwin Prasse played left end, winning all-Big Ten Conference and all-America honors.
Prasse caught the first touchdown in a come-from-behind win over Minnesota. He snagged the winning catch in the fourth quarter against Indiana.
"He was such an outstanding athlete," said George "Red" Frye, a center and linebacker that season who now lives in Albia. "He was a great athlete with a great personality.
"He was not a show-off in any way. He was very conservative. It didn't matter if you were a freshman or a senior, he socialized with everyone."
Prasse also played basketball and baseball at Iowa, earning nine varsity letters.
"He was an all-around athlete and guy," said Frye, 86. "He never had an enemy."
The NFL's Detroit Lions and major league baseball's St. Louis Cardinals drafted Prasse in 1940.
Mike Prasse said his father played minor-league baseball and pro basketball before serving in the military during World War II.
Prasse received the Purple Heart after being shot in the arm during a reconnaissance mission.
"He was proud to serve, but reluctant he came back injured with his professional sports career cut short," Mike Prasse said.
Prasse eventually sold life insurance and began a family with his childhood sweetheart, Norma. The couple - married 63 years - lived in Naperville, Ill., for more than 50 years and had five daughters and five sons.
Frye and Prasse stayed in touch, speaking by phone a few times a year. Both went to Iowa City last fall and were honored during Throwback Day, which celebrated 75 years of football at Kinnick Stadium.
"We were a cohesive bunch of guys," Frye said.
Frye, Richard Evans and Henry Vollenweider are believed to be the surviving members of the 1939 football team.
Visitation for Prasse is from 3 to 9 p.m. today at Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home in Naperville. Mass will take place at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Naperville.
"He never made anything he did a big deal," Mike Prasse said. "I'm so very interested to hear the true stories on what went on. He thought he was so very average, when he really was so very above average. He was a true hero
'Ironmen' captain dies
<!-- BYLINE AND DATE -->By<SCRIPT language=JavaScript>varUsername = "lcolonno@dmreg.com";document.write("LISA COLONNO");</SCRIPT> LISA COLONNO
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
June 21, 2005
<!-- STORY STARTS HERE -->The "quiet lion" who helped Nile Kinnick and the 1939 Ironmen roar into University of Iowa football lore died Saturday at the age of 87.
Erwin Prasse passed away at Edward Hospital in Naperville, Ill., following a fall earlier in the week.
Prasse, a native of Chicago, captained the famed Iowa team to a 6-1-1 record in 1939 - the year Kinnick won the Heisman Trophy.
Mike Prasse said his father died of a brain hemorrhage with family at his side.
"His legacy in a nutshell was that he was the quiet lion," said Mike Prasse, the youngest of 10 children. "He was a true ironman who never sought the spotlight, but it always found him wherever he was."
The 1939 Hawkeyes, known as the Ironmen because many played offense and defense, upset Notre Dame during the celebrated season.
Under first-year coach Eddie Anderson, the Hawkeyes posted the school's first winning record in four seasons.
"They were supposed to be bad and they came from nowhere," Mike Prasse said. "It was a Cinderella story."
Erwin Prasse played left end, winning all-Big Ten Conference and all-America honors.
Prasse caught the first touchdown in a come-from-behind win over Minnesota. He snagged the winning catch in the fourth quarter against Indiana.
"He was such an outstanding athlete," said George "Red" Frye, a center and linebacker that season who now lives in Albia. "He was a great athlete with a great personality.
"He was not a show-off in any way. He was very conservative. It didn't matter if you were a freshman or a senior, he socialized with everyone."
Prasse also played basketball and baseball at Iowa, earning nine varsity letters.
"He was an all-around athlete and guy," said Frye, 86. "He never had an enemy."
The NFL's Detroit Lions and major league baseball's St. Louis Cardinals drafted Prasse in 1940.
Mike Prasse said his father played minor-league baseball and pro basketball before serving in the military during World War II.
Prasse received the Purple Heart after being shot in the arm during a reconnaissance mission.
"He was proud to serve, but reluctant he came back injured with his professional sports career cut short," Mike Prasse said.
Prasse eventually sold life insurance and began a family with his childhood sweetheart, Norma. The couple - married 63 years - lived in Naperville, Ill., for more than 50 years and had five daughters and five sons.
Frye and Prasse stayed in touch, speaking by phone a few times a year. Both went to Iowa City last fall and were honored during Throwback Day, which celebrated 75 years of football at Kinnick Stadium.
"We were a cohesive bunch of guys," Frye said.
Frye, Richard Evans and Henry Vollenweider are believed to be the surviving members of the 1939 football team.
Visitation for Prasse is from 3 to 9 p.m. today at Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home in Naperville. Mass will take place at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Naperville.
"He never made anything he did a big deal," Mike Prasse said. "I'm so very interested to hear the true stories on what went on. He thought he was so very average, when he really was so very above average. He was a true hero
