Heidelberg University Athletics

Labeled by a teammate as "probably the toughest football player I ever played with," Fred F. Folino is a 1943 graduate of Heidelberg College and played for Lincoln High School in Cleveland before entering Heidelberg College in 1939.

Folino, now residing in Camarillo, California, played on the 1939 unbeaten team and in 1940, was a center and linebacker when he was honored on the second team All-Ohio while earning the Most Valuable Player Award.

In 1941 he was switched to offensive end, and again, was second team All-Ohio and walked off with another Most Valuable Player Award for the second time before enlisting in the Naval Air Force where he continued to make headlines as a pilot.

Folino quickly tasted success at Heidelberg as a member of the unbeaten freshmen team. In 1940 he played center and linebacker and was selected second team All- Ohio and the team's Most Valuable Player.

It was then World War II halted his football career as he left Heidelberg for the Naval Air Force, but he continued to play football at Iowa PreFlight School and Bennie Bierman, coach from the University of Minnesota, was his Pre-Flight coach.

Folino played in his first game in the military before leaving for flight training in Chicago.
Taking his primary flight training in Chicago and secondary at Corpus Christie, Texas, Folino finished his advanced training at Fort Lauderdale and Santa Barbara before receiving his wings.

It wasn't long before he left for the South Pacific and he later participated in the invasion of Okinawa on April I, 1945.

Flying 600 combat hours in a TBF torpedo bomber, Folino had a special accomplishment while on patrol at night on May 15, 1945 when he encountered an enemy plane. He shot the plane down with rockets, something that had never been done before. His performance that evening is part of the History of the Marine Corps Aviation in World War II by Robert Sherrod.

Following his discharge in February of 1946 Folino spent 10 years in business for himself before joining Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Cleveland in January 1956. He worked there until his retirement in 1981.

It's been a Hall of Fame life for Folino, be it on the ground with the Student Princes in football or in the air as a pilot.

(This profile appeared in the 1996 Hall of Fame Banquet program.  Mr. Folino died in 1999.)