Michigan Man
The School of Kinesiology lost a dear friend and supporter when Carl Kreager passed away on July 30, 2021.
“They just don’t make as many men as good as Carl,” said Joan, his wife.
Kreager earned his bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 1951. He played football at U-M for three years and was a member of three Big Nine Conference championships, one national championship, and the 1951 Rose Bowl team.
Joan said football was very dear to him and served as an opportunity to meet students. “He loved U-M and felt very fortunate to go there,” she said. “Some good things happened to him, and he always thought his degree meant more coming from U-M.”
The Green Bay Packers drafted Kreager in the 12th round of the 1951 NFL Draft. He decided to stay closer to home to be near his family and work as a teacher, but ultimately joined the Packers a year later. According to Joan, Carl only played three games before suffering a concussion. He wouldn’t play football again after recovering.
Following his football career, Kreager built successful ventures in land development, residential construction, and property management. He paid his success forward to both the School of Kinesiology and U-M Athletics. He first established the Carl and Joan Kreager Endowed Scholarship Fund to help undergraduate students traveling internationally as part of an education abroad program or research conference. He later established the Carl and Joan Kreager Concussion Research Fund to provide aid for students traveling to conferences.
“He always felt there was something more [to his concussion] and not enough was being done to investigate it,” Joan said. “He felt strongly that Michigan was doing so many good things for so many people. Kinesiology was one of his favorite aspects of U-M, and athletics was another. He felt by giving to both he was helping someone else achieve what he was able to achieve.”
Steve Broglio, professor of Athletic Training and director of the University of Michigan Concussion Center, remembers Kreager fondly.
“We were saddened to hear of Carl’s passing,” Broglio said. “His generosity supported the research and travel experiences of our students over the years. Without a doubt, he had a positive influence on innumerable lives. He will be missed.”
A highlight for Joan will always be getting hand-written thank you cards in the mail from students impacted by the scholarships Carl established.
“Those meant an awful lot to him. He was so proud of his athletics at Michigan and helping the young people,” Joan said. “I loved receiving the ones from the Kinesiology students because that was life experience, and I think life experience is worth more than anything in the world. I just gobble up what students write because they are getting such a unique experience.”
She recounted a time that Carl got the chance to meet one of his athletic scholarship recipients during a U-M football game. As Carl came off the field and up the stadium steps, a man shouted to get his attention and proceeded to introduce himself. The man and woman accompanying him were the parents of the scholarship recipient Carl had just met on the field.
“Carl felt so good that he was able to meet the parents of the young man he was awarding the scholarship to,” Joan said. “I thought that was such a sweet endeavor for those parents to stand up and say hello.”
Joan said that Carl was always proud of his time at U-M. “He felt that it broadened his life. He had friends and acquaintances he wouldn’t have had otherwise,” she said. She added that the people she met from U-M were always so wonderful and supportive. “We have been lucky to meet good people from Michigan and have had lasting friendships with those people,” she continued.
Finally, Joan said that people only knew half of the late Carl Kreager. “He was a great husband, a great father, a great grandfather. He will truly be missed,” she said.