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In his senior year he earned All-American honors. In wrestling he won three consecutive Rocky Mountain Conference Championship Titles, participated in two NCAA Division 1 Championships and the National AAU Tournament. At Colorado State, Ken majored in Industrial Arts and minored in Physical Education and Social Studies.

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He later transferred to Colorado State University (now University of Northern Colorado) in Greeley on a full athletic scholarship. They wrestled in AAU meets, State YMCA meets and some duals. During that year, Ken and a friend organized a YMCA wrestling team. He served overseas in the European Theatre till his discharge.Īfter his discharge from the AAF, Ken attended Fort Dodge Junior College where he was the co-captain of the Football Team. As the ship sailed through the English Channel the waves were so high that the propeller came out of the water and the boat almost sank. In Feb 1946 he went across the Atlantic Ocean on the U.S.S.

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Louis Browns play every week because the tickets were free to those in the service. Ken entered the AAF February 1945 and trained in St. Their team went to a Thanksgiving Bowl Game against Wichita. Since he was not immediately called to duty, he took advantage of a scholarship from Drake University to play football and lettered in the sport that fall. He was in there on every tackle and was also a fine blocker.”Īfter graduating, Ken enlisted in the Army Air Force. He was the smallest man on the squad, but his speed and endurance adequately made up for his size. In his yearbooks, the Wrestling Coach said that Ken was “The spark plug of the team”, and his football coach said that he was “Really a package of dynamite. Ken was a Des Moines Register All State Guard and State Runner-up at the 145 pound weight class. He participated in football, wrestling and track. Ken graduated from Fort Dodge High School in 1944. His parents excused Ken and his brother from a lot of the farm work during school in order for them to participate in sports and other school functions for which they were most grateful. In order to get to high school and to deliver milk from the farm, Ken and his brother drove a model A Ford to town, dropped off the cans of milk, went to school, picked up the empty milk cans after school or practice and then drove home. He attended a one room country school through 8th grade. Ken was born on Augto Harley and Mildred Schmoker in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and grew up on a farm that was homesteaded by his grandfather who emigrated from Switzerland.

Kenneth John Schmoker, 91, Bemidji, passed away on 11/1/17 at Sanford Medical Center.

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