Joseph Papp (1988) - Hall of Fame - University of Akron Athletics

Joseph Papp

Induction:
1988
Class:
1950

1942-43; 1947-49; 1946-49
Basketball/Baseball/ Football
‘50

It was Russ Beichly who talked Joseph Papp out of going to Duquene but, it was football coach Paul Baldacci who got the benefit. After playing part of the 1942-43 basketball season under Beichly, Papp was off to WWII. Despite the outbreak of war and subsequent reduced number of athletes, UA tried to persevere in 1942 with the results being 0-7-2, the worst football record in the school’s history before abandoning the game from 1943 through 1945. At the war’s end, Papp returned to the campus in time to restart football in 1946. That season, Papp, a two-way end, caught enough passes from Hall of Famer Frank “Whitey” Wahl and Bill Holsberry to help the Zippers compile a 5-4 record. One of those wins provided Papp with his fondest athletic memory. “I score on a six-yard end around with three seconds remaining for a 26-20 victory over Wooster,” remembers Papp. At the season’s end Papp said the honors came because of his “glue-fingered pass catching,” while the Akron Beacon Journal stated, “Papp played rugged defense.” Whatever, Papp had his day in the spotlight and went on to play two more seasons of football (1947-49) and three seasons of baseball (1947-49) for Beichly.