Education
Finsterwald attended Syracuse University where he received varsity letters in football, basketball and baseball.
Finsterwald attended Syracuse University where he received varsity letters in football, basketball and baseball.
He played both sports at Syracuse University between 1916 and 1917 before serving in the United States. Army during World War I. He played professional football for the 1920 Detroit Heralds during the first regular season of the National Football League (NFL), then known as the American Professional Football Association (APFA). He also served as the head coach of the Ohio University football and men"s basketball teams in the early 1920s. Finsterwald was born in 1896 in Athens, Ohio.
He played for the Syracuse Orange football team in 1916 and 1917.
In September 1920, the National Football League (called the American Professional Football Association during the 1920 and 1921 seasons) was founded at a meeting in the Hupmobile auto showroom of the owner of the Canton Bulldogs. In the inaugural season of the NFL, Finsterwald appeared in two games as a wingback for the 1920 Detroit Heralds.
During the fall of 1920, Finsterwald returned to Ohio University as the coach of the school"s football team He coached the team from 1920 to 1922 and compiled a 13-10-1 record.
During the 1921-1922 academic year, Finsterwald also coached the Ohio Bobcats men"s basketball team, leading the team to a 34-6 record.
Finsterwald died in 1962 in Athens, Ohio, at age 65. In 1965, he was posthumously inducted into the Ohio University Athletic Hall of Fame.
After his discharge, he enrolled at Ohio University where he played during the 1919 season as a member of the Ohio Bobcats football team