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MIDDLETON TIMES-TRIBUNE

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012

STATZ

continued from page 1 Fred Statz may be gone, but there is no way he will ever be forgotten. His legacy has been set in stone. St. Martins is just a block or so down the road from the Statz home in the tiny unincorporated burg called Martinsville. Thats the house where Fred, the only son of Bill and Kathy Statz, grew up with sisters Vicki, Katrina, and Emily. Emily is his fraternal twin. He started in black and orange and ended in black and orange, said Bill Statz, referring to his late sons fifth grade football experience with the St. Francis Orioles, and final one with the South Central Hawgs, a semi-pro team in Minnesota. In a way, Fred lived out a dream for Bill, who stood 6-1 and weighed 193 pounds back in the 60s, but could not play football for Wisconsin Heights because he had to work on the family farm. Fred wanted to play, but like so many youngsters in that era, his first duty was to the family business. But three decades later, things were different. Fred was encouraged to pursue his dream, and pursue it he did. At his peak in Mankato, he carried 285 pounds of sinew and muscle on his 6-3 frame. He later trimmed down to play for the Hawgs, and Bill thinks it made his son quicker. The Hawgs play in the Southern Plains Football League (SPFL), an adult nine-man contact league in Minnesota. Statz was a premier defensive lineman and linebacker on the squad, and coached the defensive line as well. Bill Statz says the veteran Hawg players were reportedly a little taken aback by their new teammates enthusiasm when he first showed up. As they waited for a game to get started, Statz, soft-spoken off the field, remarked it was time to put on the war paint, which technically is used to reduce reflection but has the alternate purpose of

A fatal intersection
by JOHN DONALDSON
News Publishing co.

When Fred Statz of Martinsville pulled away from the stop sign at Old 14 and County Road 27 near Waseca, Minn., he thought the semi approaching from his left was slowing down to stop. It wasnt. The resulting accident at about 8 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 12 took Statzs life. The semi hit Statzs car broadside. Three days previous, it probably wouldnt have happened that way. The night of his accident, Statz, who coached a junior varsity football team at Waseca High School, was on his way back to Mankato after taking part in the teams post-season banquet. It was the same route he had taken all season long. The only difference was, the 14/27 intersection was no longer a four-way stop. This particular intersection has for some time been a concern to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Weeks previous, traffic lights at the intersection were removed and the intersection was made a four-way stop. The stoplights had been installed temporarily to compensate for de-

tour traffic from the Highway 14 bypass construction, according to a story in the Waseca County News. DOT officials, however, observed many motorists traveling on 14 were not stopping for the new stop signs. There were advance-warning signs, and later the state installed red flashers atop the four signs. Still, motorists using 14 were blowing through the signs. So the officials took two of them down on Friday, Nov. 9, reasoning that if motorists on 14 were going to ignore the signs, having the signs there would create a dangerous situation. The semi, operated by a man from Oklahoma who was not injured in the accident, was slowing down to be cautious, not to stop. The Waseca County Times story, added, What wasnt installed when the stop signs were removed were signs near were signs indicating cross traffic does not stop. [The truck driver] was slowing down, which made Fred think he was going to stop, said an emotional Kathy Statz of Martinsville, the deceaseds mother. I dont want that to happen to another family, because they took our son away.

News Publishing photo by John Donaldson

Katrina (Statz) McKee watches a video of her brother giving a pre-game talk to his Hawg teammates. firing up the user and intimidating the opponent. The other players said it was too far to go back to the locker room, said Bill, so Fred took off on his own, and soon he came running out of the building with his war paint on, screaming all the way back to the field. He just infused everybody, they all said, Wow, this guys got some energy. Between his stints with the Orioles and the Hawgs, Statz excelled at Middleton High School and the University of Minnesota-Mankato, where he earned a math education degree with a minor in coaching. At Mankato, he started doing his roar, which many would find reminiscent of a certain Green Bay Packer defensive player whose number is 52. He always had the roar, said his twin with a smile. Clay Matthews got that from Fred. Statz also sported long, wavy hair, much like Matthews. He was proud of it, too, said Kathy Statz. He never let anyone tell him he couldnt do something, added Emily. Jay Doyscher owns the SPFL. He told the Waseca County News, Off the field (Statz) wasa very gentle man, he was certainly a friend to all of us first and a teammate second. On the field is where he came to play the sport he loved. He loved to the fans involved in the game. Last season was his first season and he quickly became not only a starter, but a leader on the team. His energy never stopped. He made everyone around him accountable and a better player. When he died, Statz was coaching the junior varsity team at Waseca High School, and was a student coach at Mankato. In other words, fully two-thirds of Fred Statzs life was dominated by football. His family reports he planned to keep it that way, too. Bill Statz explained that Fred was aspiring to be a college coach, with National Football League coaching as the big goal. His career path was coaching football. He wanted to keep coaching, seconded Kathy. He was football. He lived football.

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MIDDLETON COMMUNITY CHURCH Connecting Faith and Life 645 Schewe Road, 2 miles West of Beltline on Old Sauk Road For information on events, visit: www.middletonucc.org Sunday Worship 9:30 a.m. GATEWAY COMMUNITY CHURCH Pastor Paul Lundgren 3510 High Road, Middleton www.gatewayofmiddleton.com Sunday Worship, 9:30 a.m. ASBURY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 6101 University Ave. (across from Imperial Garden) Phone: 608-238-9211 Sunday Worship Times: 9:00am (More Traditional) 0:30am (More Contemporary) Sunday School All Ages: 9:00 & 10:30am Nursery provided at all services www.asburymadison.com ST. LUKE'S LUTHERAN CHURCH 7337 Hubbard Avenue; 831-6084 www.stlukes-elca.org Sunday Morning Worship 8:00, 9:00, 10:00 Contemporary Praise Worship 11:00 Roger Eigenfeld & Heather Lampert Pastors ST. BERNARD CATHOLIC CHURCH 7450 University Avenue 831-6531 (corner of University & Parmenter) Msgr. Douglas L. Dushack, Pastor Website: www.stbmidd.org Email: Parish@stbmidd.org DAILY MASS SCHEDULE Weekdays: Tuesday-Friday: 8:15am Weekends: Saturday: 8:30am, & 5:00pm Sunday: 7:30, 9:00, & 11:00am SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Private: Saturdays 9:15am ADORATION Eucharistic Adoration: Tuesdays 8:45-11:00am - Chapel

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