Del Wertz

Del Wertz

Date of birth	(1888-10-11)October 11, 1888
Place of birth	Canton, Ohio, U.S.
Date of death	May 26, 1958(1958-05-26) (aged 69)
Place of death	Sarasota, Florida, U.S.
Career information
Position(s)	Halfback
US college	Western Reserve
Career history
As player
1912	Shelby Blues
1912	Elyria Athletics
1913	Akron Indians
1914	Youngstown Pros
1914	Akron Indians
Career highlights and awards
1912 Ohio League Champs 1913 Ohio League Champs 1914 Ohio League Champs

Del Wertz
Shortstop
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 23, 1914, for the Buffalo Buffeds
Last MLB appearance
May 26, 1914, for the Buffalo Buffeds
MLB statistics
Batting average	--
Home runs	0
RBI	0
Teams
Buffalo Buffeds (1914)

Dwight Lyman Moody "Del" Wertz (October 11, 1888 – May 26, 1958) was a right-handed baseball shortstop for the Buffalo Buffeds of the Federal League in 1914 and a professional football player in the Ohio League.

Early life

Dwight "Del" Wertz was born in Canton, Ohio on October 11, 1888. He was the son of Anna Elizabeth (née Smith) and Henry Wertz. He had three brothers, DeWitt Milton, Arthur Dubbs, and Thorold Jay, and sister Florence Catheryn. He attended Western Reserve University, now known as Case Western Reserve University. Del married Gwendolyn Thompson on January 27, 1917 in St. Joseph County, Indiana. They had three daughters: Elizabeth Jane, Roxana Ruth, and Nila Catherine.

Baseball career

Del spent three games with the Buffalo Buffeds, getting no at-bats. However, he did score a run, indicating that he was a pinch runner in at least one of the games in which he appeared. He played in one game in the field, making one putout at shortstop. He appeared in his final game on May 26, 1914, exactly 44 years before his death in 1958.

Football career

Wertz was better known for his professional football career in the Ohio League, the direct predecessor to the modern National Football League. During his three seasons in the Ohio League, Wertz played for the Shelby Blues, Elyria Athletics, Akron Indians and Youngstown Pros. He earned league titles in 1914 with Elyria and with Akron in 1913 and 1914.

Later life

Wertz died on May 26, 1958, in Sarasota, Florida. He was interred at Highland Cemetery in South Bend, Indiana.

Further reading

• PFRA Research. "Elyria Out of Nowhere: 1913" (PDF). Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–3. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 11, 2012.
• PFRA Research. "Lets Play Two!: 1914" (PDF). Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–3. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 26, 2010.
• PFRA Research. "1914: Parratt Stays on Top" (PDF). Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–3. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2012.