Daniel John Fortmann (April 11, 1916 – May 23, 1995) was an American professional football guard and linebacker who played for the Chicago Bears in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colgate Red Raiders. Playing for Chicago from 1936 to 1943, he was selected as an All-Pro for seven consecutive years from 1937 to 1943. He was the Bears' team captain starting in 1940 and led the team to NFL championships in 1940, 1941, and 1943.
Fortmann was the line coach for the Pittsburgh Panthers football team in 1944 and in 1945 served in the United States Navy in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II. He engaged in a medical practice in Southern California from 1946 to 1984 and was the team physician for the Los Angeles Rams from 1947 to 1963. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1983.
Early life
Fortmann was born in 1916 in Pearl River, New York. His father, Bernhard Gerhart Fortmann, was a New York native and salesman of butter and eggs. His mother, Emma Margaret Doscher, was also a New York native.
Fortmann attended Pearl River High School, where he earned 12 varsity letters in sports and was the valedictorian of his class. After being drafted by the Bears, Fortmann was unsure whether he should attend medical school or play professional football. Bears owner George Halas persuaded Fortmann that he could do both and advanced funds to Fortmann for medical school. After speaking with Halas, Fortmann signed with the Bears in May 1936. At the time, he was the youngest person ever signed by an NFL team.
thumb|left|260px|Fortmann in 1941
Due to his medical school obligations, Fortmann missed most of the Bears' sessions in his first four years with the team.
Fortmann was team captain of the Bears starting in 1940. As team captain, he led the Bears to back-to-back NFL championships in 1940 and 1941 with records of 8–3 and 10–1. After the 1940 season, Fortmann was rated as the best lineman in the NFL. The United Press called him "the heart and soul" of the Bears' ground attack that "rolled up a vast amount of yardage overland."
In the 1940 NFL Championship Game, the Bears defeated the Washington Redskins by a 73–0 score. Fortmann later cited the 1940 championship game as proof of Halas' skill as a "master of psychology." The 1942 Bears compiled a perfect 11–0 record in the regular season and won the Western Division championship, but lost to the Washington Redskins in the 1942 NFL Championship Game.
Fortmann announced his retirement from the NFL in January 1943, but was persuaded to return for the 1943 season. He continued to practice medicine at Pittsburgh's Presbyterian Hospital during the 1943 season, flying in on Saturdays to play with the Bears on Sundays. The 1943 Bears compiled an 8–1–1 record and defeated the Washington Redskins in the 1943 NFL Championship Game, which proved to be Fortmann's last game as an NFL player. He announced his retirement five days after the championship game.
Honors and awards
Fortmann received numerous honors and awards during and after his football career, including the following:
- Fortmann received All-Pro honors during each of his eight years in the NFL. He received second-team honors as a rookie in 1936 and first-team honors in 1937 (New York Daily News), 1938 (NFL, UP, Collyer's Eye, Pro Football Writers, INS), 1939 (NFL, UP, Collyer's Eye, Pro Football Writers, INS, New York Daily News), 1940 (AP, UP, NFL, Collyer's Eye, INS, New York Daily News), 1941 (AP, UP, NFL, Collyer's Eye, New York Daily News), 1942 (AP, NFL, INS, New York Daily News), and 1943 (AP, UP, Pro Football Illustrated, New York Daily News). His Hall of Fame biography states: "On offense, he called signals for the linemen and was a battering-ram blocker. On defense, he was a genius at diagnosing enemy plays and a deadly tackler."
- In 1969, Fortmann was named to the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team.
- In 1978, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
- In 1986, he received the NFL Alumni Career Achievement Award.
- In 2019, Fortmann was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
Later years and family
Fortmann was married to Mary Van Halteren in a ceremony at East Lansing, Michigan, on March 19, 1938. They had two sons, Thomas and Stephen.
In the fall of 1944, he served as the line coach for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team.
In February 1945, Fortmann was commissioned as a lieutenant in the United States Navy. In April 1945, he was assigned to an attack transport ship in the South Pacific. He worked as a surgeon at St. Joseph Hospital in Burbank, California, from 1948 until 1984. He became the hospital's chief of staff in 1965. He also served as the team physician for the Los Angeles Rams from 1947 to 1963. Fortmann and his family in Toluca Lake and/or Burbank until 1974 when they moved to Pasadena.
Fortmann was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1983 and, in 1988, began living at the John Douglas French Center, a facility in Los Alamitos, California, specializing in the care of Alzheimer's patients. He died at French Center in May 1995 at age 79.