Joe Shutt graduated from State College High School in 1925 andbecame a teacher in a coal-mining town outside of Snow Shoe, PA.The school board chairman was the mine owner, the bank presidentand the Republican county leader in the community. The school boardpresident's son, a student at Franklin & Marshall Academy, toldF&M's C.W. Mayser of Shutt's athletic talent. And that was theconnection that put Uncle Charlie in the hunt for Shutt's athletictalent. He invited Joe to come to Lancaster, and after theirmeeting he offered Shutt a four-year scholarship. Snow Shoe's losswas Lancaster's gain, and for the next four years Shutt's name infootball, wrestling and track became a by-word on College Avenue.Shutt had played football for State College High School for threeyears as a running fullback. He was captain in his senior year. Hrwas a pitcher and first baseman for three years on the baseballteam.
The Lions played other team in the region including Bellefonte,Phillipsburg and the Rockview Penitentiary. One of the greatcollege football players of the day was "Lighthorse" Harry Wilson,who was an All-American at Penn State. After graduating from State,Wilson went on to West Point, where he again became an All-Americanwith the Army. Wilson was Shutt's boyhood idol. Wilson was endinghis Penn State career, as Shutt was about to enter F&M thefollowing year. Shutt met his idol head-on when F&M journeyedto West Point to play the Cadets. Wilson was the big gun with theArmy then and the Soldiers gave little F&M a pretty goodshellacking, something like 35-0. Joe played the entire game on theline and in the backfield when needed. Wilson, who played only partof the game, knew Joe was a State College High School kid when hewas at Penn State. Joe personally got some revenge for F&M inthe winter when F&M went to West Point for a wrestlingmatch.
Shutt met Johnny Murrell, another All-American football star,but Murrell was no match for Shutt, who pinned the cadet in 3minutes, 17 seconds. F&M gridders met Penn several times duringShutt's tenure. Poss Miller was the F&M coach and he wanted togive his alma mater a good go, and that he did. In Shutt's juniorseason, F&M led in one game, 7-6, with only minutes to play butthe Quakers scored to pull it out 13-7. Joe played guard on offenseand tackle on defense. Joe recalls in the Dickinson game that yearhe had one of the best games of his career. He was named the game'smost valuable player and received a gold watch.
Mayser originally recruited Shutt for his football ability, buthe persuaded the big fellow to give wrestling a shot almost as soonas he got to F&M, and the bug fellow liked it. Joe wrestled at175 pounds. He quickly demonstrated a natural adeptness in the matgame and his growing reputation as a wrestler projected him intothe spotlight in this early era of wrestling at F&M. Shutt metand defeated some of the finest college wrestlers in the game,representing teams from Penn, Syracuse, Army, Illinois, Michigan,Temple, Cornell, Washington & Lee, Cornell of Iowa and othersfrom the East and Midwest. He was co-captain of the team his junioryear. Shutt won 26 matches, 14 by fall, and lost just twice in hisF&M career, a 92.86 winning percentage. The F&M starcontinued to wrestle after graduating from college. He won theMiddle Atlantic AAU 175-pound championship in 1930. He finishedsecond in the New York AAU 175 championships in 1931. In 1932, hewon both the Metropolitan and New York AAU championships at 175 andhe topped it off in 1932 when he won the 175-pound National AAUchampionship at Madison Square Garden.
Shortly after the Nationals in 1932, Shutt and four othercontestants from the AAUs from the New York Athletic Club went toColumbus, Ohio for the Olympic trials, and all four wereeliminated. Joe won ten varsity letters in wrestling, football andtrack. He was captain of all three teams. In 1971, Joe T. Shutt wascited by Franklin & Marshall College and received theprestigious Alumni Medal. Shutt has been self-employed sincecollege as a consultant in financial development. He resides inBoca Raton, Florida, but is on the go most of the time. He hasparticipated in various fields as an executive in New York;National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis; Sperry War, WashingtonD.C., as a regional personnel director; and sales and trainingdirector, New York Telephone Co.
