Fred Gehrke

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Fred Gehrke

Gehrke on a 1948 Bowman football card
No. 22, 18
Position:	Halfback / defensive back
Personal information
Born:	(1918-04-24)April 24, 1918 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Died:	February 9, 2002(2002-02-09) (aged 83) Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Career information
High school:	South High School (Utah)
College:	Utah
Undrafted:	1940
Career history
Cleveland Rams (1940) Hollywood Bears (1942) Los Angeles Bulldogs (1943) Los Angeles Wildcats (1944) Cleveland / Los Angeles Rams (1945–1949) Chicago Cardinals (1950) San Francisco 49ers (1950)
Career highlights and awards
NFL champion (1945)
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards: 1,664 Interceptions: 13 Touchdowns: 24
Player stats at PFR
Executive profile at PFR

Clarence Fred Gehrke (/ˈɡərkiː/ GER-kee;^[1] April 24, 1918 – February 9, 2002) was an American football player and executive. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland / Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Cardinals from 1940 through 1950. To boost team morale, Gehrke designed and painted the Los Angeles Rams logo in 1948, which was the first painted on the helmets of an NFL team.^[2] He later served as the general manager of the Denver Broncos from 1977 through 1981. He is the great-grandfather of Milwaukee Brewers left fielder and 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich.^[3]