My , how times have changed

[packman]

A draft letter from the NY Giants to a prospective player in 1943- note the pay and the "bring your own sneakers" part:

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[MineralMan]

1. He never got to play with the Giants.

He was drafted into the Navy, and then went on to be a high school football coach.

Here's a link:

http://www.rpiforecast.com/israelsen/ryan/gutke.html

Here's his obituary, from that link:

Obituary:

Harold H. Gutke

SMITHFIELD, Utah - Harold Hunter "Butch" Gutke, 79, passed away Friday, April 9, 1999, in Logan, Utah, after a valiant battle with Alzheimer's disease.

He was born May 25, 1919, in Smithfield, a son of Margaret Isabella Lewis and Joseph Andrew Gutke. He married Barbara Winn on Feb. 2, 1944, in the Logan LDS temple.

As a young boy he got the nickname, Butch, from delivering groceries for his father, who was a butcher and owned a grocery store and meat market. Harold loved people and delighted in visiting with customers.

Harold attended elementary and junior high school in Smithfield and North Cache High School in Richmond, Utah. Excelling in sports, especially football, he received the Plant medal as outstanding athlete. He played football and ran track at Utah State Agricultural College. He played baseball on Logan Collegians, Brigham City Peaches, and Smithfield Blue Sox teams. The New York Giants invited him to try out for their football team. Because he was drafted into the Navy however, he was unable to accept this invitation.

Harold coached football and track for 35 years in St. Anthony, Idaho; Sheridan, Wyo.; Tooele, Utah; and for the Cache County School District. At the beginning of World War II, he worked in the athletic program for Air Force enlisted men who were stationed at Utah State. He later served in the Navy during World War II as an athletic specialist.

He was an active member in the LDS Church. He served as a missionary in the Eastern States Mission. He was a high priest in the Smithfield 12th Ward where he held various positions as a home teacher, Young Men's president, high priest group leader, Sunday school superintendent, and teacher. He loved the Gospel and his family.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara; one son and two daughters, Robert (Marilyn) Gutke, Logan, Kathryn Israelsen, Smithfield, and Marilyn (Brian) Lundberg, Logan; 15 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. He is also survived by a sister, Lois (James) VanDerwerken of Esperance, N.Y.

[Cleita]

2. No medical if injured in a game?

Doesn't sound good to me.

[Journeyman]

3. Medical care was included; have to follow the punctuation . . .

[hfojvt]

4. well if there are 10 games in the season

and then a couple of play off games he could make $1,800 for 3 months of playing football. And if they win the championship, maybe make another $1,000.

For comparison, my grandfather's annual income in the 1940 census was $1,250.

Doesn't compare to what they make now, but even if you look at the 1970s, somebody like Fran Tarkenton was not making near what they make now.

I remember reading something about a New York Jets player. He was a walk on at training camp, became the league's leading kickoff returner and was part of the Superbowl win and he made $12,000 a year IIRC even in the 1960s that was NOT a lot of money, although it may have been 70th percentile. (In 1970, 60% of US households made less than $9,000 a year.)

The inflation calculator tells me that $1,250 in 1940 is the same as $21,272 today.