Fritz Tobias
Fritz Tobias was an outstanding football and track athlete at Sharon High School who went on to an All-American career at Westminster College.
He played football from 1964-66 at Sharon and with junior Joe Veres was part of the one-two running backfield punch that behind a line including Mercer County Hall of Famers John Stevens and Neil Gargano led the Tigers to an undefeated 10-0 record in 1966. He scored 10 touchdowns that season.
He was named All-Conference in his senior year, and qualified and competed in the state track and field finals.
He put together a stellar career at Westminster from 1967-70. In his senior year, he was a defensive stalwart in leading the Titans of Coach Dr. Harold Burry to the NAIA Division II National Championship. He was an NAIA All-American and defensive co-captain.
During Fritz’s outstanding college career, Burry’s teams compiled a 28-6 record in his four seasons, including the 10-0 season in 1970 that ended with a 21-16 win over Anderson (Ind.) College during the bitter cold at New Castle’s Taggart Stadium.
Fritz was a tenacious defensive back for unit that produced the second of Burry’s 24-game unbeaten streaks. It started in his junior year, carried through the unbeaten 1970 season, and ended in 1971 after he had graduated.
Tom Ritchey was a sophomore basketball player at Westminster in 1970, and recalled Fritz’s gridiron exploits:
“Fritz was the prototype for Westminster football under Dr. Burry — smart, athletic, highly-coachable. Fritz played a major role in transforming Titan football to where competing for national titles became expected. He is pound for pound one of the toughest Titans of all-time. He was a team player and leader, always in the right spot. Off the field, he carried himself with a quiet dignity — in total contrast to the damage he did opposing teams on Saturday afternoons … He made us all prouder to be Titans.”