John Wiethe

John Albert "Socko" Wiethe (October 17, 1912 – May 3, 1989) was an early all-around sports star in football, baseball and basketball. He played professional American football guard/linebacker in the National Football League. He played four seasons for the Detroit Lions (1939–1942). He also briefly played in the National Basketball League during the late 1930s, and also played independent pro baseball. He later coached both football and then basketball at the University of Cincinnati. In later years, he was also active in local Cincinnati politics as a Democrat.

John Wiethe

Biographical details
Born	(1912-10-17)October 17, 1912 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Died	May 3, 1989(1989-05-03) (aged 76)
Playing career
Football
1936–1939	Xavier
1939–1942	Detroit Lions
Position	Guard/Linebacker
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Basketball
1946–1953	Cincinnati
Head coaching record
Overall	106–47
Tournaments	0–1 (NIT)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
As coach: 5 MAC (1947–1951)
Awards
As player: 2× NFL All-Pro (1939, 1940)

Head coaching record

Statistics overview

Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Cincinnati Bearcats (Mid-American Conference) (1946–1953)
1946–47	Cincinnati	17–9	6–2	1st
1947–48	Cincinnati	17–7	7–2	1st
1948–49	Cincinnati	23–5	9–1	1st
1949–50	Cincinnati	20–6	10–0	1st
1950–51	Cincinnati	18–4	7–1	1st	NIT First Round
1951–52	Cincinnati	11–16	5–5	5th
John Wiethe:		106–47(.693)	44–11 (.800)
Total:		106–47(.693)
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion