(September 11, 2003) ?C Frank Mautte, an All-American football player at Fordham University, passed away on Tuesday evening, September 9th, at Troy Beaumont Hospital in Troy, Michigan. He was 88.
Born in Hamden, Connecticut on October 25, 1914, Mautte arrived at Fordham in 1933 and was a letterman for the 1934, 1935 and 1936 football Rams during which time Fordham compiled a 16-5-4 record. Over his career, he earned All-Metropolitan, All-East and All-American honors. Mautte was named to the All-American team in both 1935 and 1936 as a halfback and served as team captain of the 1936 team that went 5-1-2. He was also voted to the 1937 Collegiate All-Star Team. The 1936 Fordham squad had a chance at an undefeated season and a trip to the Rose Bowl, but saw that chance foiled by a 7-6 loss to NYU in the last game of the year. A big game for that 1936 team was a scoreless tie with Pittsburgh, a team that beat Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State and Nebraska before beating Washington in the Rose Bowl, 21-0. It was the second of three straight scoreless ties with Pittsburgh for the Rams.
Coached at Fordham by Jim Crowley, one of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame, Mautte played behind Fordham??s fabled Seven Blocks of Granite that included Vince Lombardi and Alex Wojciechowicz. Mautte is famous for his 1935 fumble recovery and 87-yard touchdown run that led to a 13-7 Fordham win over Vanderbilt.
Following graduation from Fordham in 1937, Mautte played for one year on the professional level as a member of the New York Giants and then served as a player/coach on the All American Football Squad that toured Europe in 1938 and 1939, first introducing the game of American football to Europe. He then joined the Air Force during World War II, rising to the rank of major and serving in eight combat theaters. He was awarded seven battle stars.
Following the war, Mautte enrolled at the University of Detroit Law School and then went to work for the Ford Motor Company as a Labor Relations/Security Manager from 1951-56.
In 1956, Mautte joined the Chrysler Corporation until his retirement in 1979 where he had been Personnel Director for the North American and U.S. Automotive Manufacturing Group and Corporate Director of Organization, Research and Development. He was a member of Chrysler Corporation??s National Bargaining Committee from 1956 through 1976. After retirement from Chrysler, Mautte was Executive Director, Oakland County Area Labor-Management Committee and later was a labor management/organizational research and development consultant throughout Michigan and the United States. He was also a co-founder of the Michigan Quality of Work Life Council.
Mautte, who resided in Troy, Michigan, was inducted into the Fordham University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986.
He is survived by a loving wife, Vivian A. Mautte, daughters Cathy Gordon and Debra A. Colohan, sons Daniel F. Mautte, son-in-law Gregory Gordon, daughter-in-law Krista Mautte, granddaughters Stephanie Gordon and Heather Colohan, and grandson Andrew Gordon. A memorial service will be announced.
