Denison University

Carl “Dutch” Thiele was a receiver for the famous 1914 Denison team that won the Ohio Conference title and became renowned for its execution of the newly-introduced forward pass.

Carl L. “Dutch” Thiele, a business man, played professional football in Dayton and Cincinnati, and played with the famous Knute Rockne for the Massillon Tigers.  Thiele played four seasons with the Dayton Triangles from 1920-23.  He played professional basketball for two Dayton teams and for two Indiana squads.

He made the All-Ohio team in 1914 and was a three-year letterman in football.  “Thiele’s ability to catch a forward pass at full speed was his greatest asset,” concluded a local writer.  A complete athlete, Thiele also lettered in basketball, baseball and track.  Carl was a basketball captain in 1916, the year he graduated.  He earned first-team All-Ohio and All-Ohio Conference honors as a junior, and helped DU capture back-to-back Ohio Conference championships (1914, 1915). He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.

Thiele was named to the All-Time All Denison Football team.  Carl was also a veteran of World War I.