Frank Kuchta

{{Short description|American football player (1936–2017)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Frank Kuchta | number = 56, 52 | position = Center, linebacker | birth_date = {{Birth date|1936|9|18|mf=y}} | birth_place = Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2017|11|24|1936|9|18|mf=y}} | death_place = Lyndhurst, Ohio, U.S. | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 2 | weight_lb = 225 | high_school = Cleveland (OH) Benedictine | college = Notre Dame | draftyear = 1958 | draftround = 9 | draftpick = 102 | pastteams = * Washington Redskins ({{NFL Year|1958|1959}}) * Denver Broncos (1960) * Calgary Stampeders ({{CFL Year|1961}})* | statlabel1 = Games played | statvalue1 = 26 | statlabel2 = Games started | statvalue2 = 11 | statlabel3 = Fumble recoveries | statvalue3 = 1 | pfr = KuchFr20 }}

'''Frank William Kuchta''' (September 18, 1936 – November 24, 2017) was an American professional football center and linebacker<ref name="Troup2014">{{cite book|last=Troup|first=T. J.|title=The Birth of Football's Modern 4-3 Defense: The Seven Seasons That Changed the NFL|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vX5jBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA296|accessdate=11 June 2016|year=2014|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|isbn=978-1-4422-3796-4|page=296}}</ref> in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins. He was also among the players of the inaugural Denver Broncos team in the American Football League (AFL).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://247sports.com/nfl/denver-broncos/article/former-broncos-center-frank-kuchta-passes-away-at-81-111902044/|title=Former Broncos center Frank Kuchta passes away at 81|website=247sports.com|access-date=18 December 2017}}</ref>

He played college football at the University of Notre Dame and was drafted in the ninth round of the 1958 NFL draft.<ref name="MarderSpellen2001">{{cite book|last1=Marder|first1=Keith|last2=Spellen|first2=Mark|last3=Donovan|first3=Jim|title=The Notre Dame Football Encyclopedia: The Ultimate Guide to America's Favorite College Team|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LDqZHM-LUtMC&pg=PA288|accessdate=11 June 2016|year=2001|publisher=Kensington Publishing Corporation|isbn=978-0-8065-2108-4|page=288}}</ref> During his career at the University of Notre Dame he played in the historic 1957 Notre Dame vs the University of Oklahoma game where the Irish broke Oklahoma's 47-game winning streak—a streak which stands to this day. He made a crucial tackle to help win the game and was awarded AP Lineman of the Week.

After leaving the NFL, he played for a season with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League (CFL).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-two-new-linemen-join-stam/148479663/ |title=Two New Linemen Join Stampeders |first=Dunc |last=Scott |newspaper=Calgary Herald |page=9 |date=1961-07-17 |access-date=2024-06-01 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuchta, Frank}} Category:1936 births Category:2017 deaths Category:American football centers Category:Calgary Stampeders players Category:Canadian football offensive linemen Category:Denver Broncos (AFL) players Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Category:Washington Redskins players Category:Players of American football from Cleveland Category:Players of Canadian football from Cleveland Category:20th-century American sportsmen