Archie Weston
A fleet-footed Michigan quarterback whose 1917 All-American season helped define the early power of college football's forward pass.
1895–1981 (age 86)·American football player·Birthday: June 9·The Lost Generation
Biography
Archie 'Beak' Weston emerged from the gridiron of the 1910s, a period when American football was rapidly evolving from a brutal ground game into a more strategic aerial contest. At the University of Michigan, his versatility saw him shift from quarterback in 1917 to halfback in 1919 after serving in World War I. His defining moment came in that 1917 season, where his performance was so commanding that Walter Eckersall, a former star player turned influential Chicago Tribune editor, placed him on his first-team All-American list. This recognition cemented Weston's place among the nation's elite players at a critical juncture for the sport. His post-playing life remained connected to athletics, but it was that brief, brilliant peak before the war that secured his legacy in Wolverine history.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Archie was born in 1895, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Archie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1895
Archie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1895Born
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1900Started school
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1908Became a teenager
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Could drive
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1913Could vote
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1916Turned 21
The Battle of the Somme claims over a million casualties
President: Woodrow Wilson
1925Turned 30
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1935Turned 40
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1945Turned 50
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1955Turned 60
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1965Turned 70
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 80
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1981Died at 86
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
Key Achievements
- Named a first-team All-American in 1917 by Chicago Tribune sports editor Walter Eckersall.
- Played quarterback for the University of Michigan football team during the 1917 season.
- Returned from World War I service to play halfback for Michigan in the 1919 season.
Did You Know?
His nickname was 'Beak'.
His All-American selection in 1917 came from a single selector, the highly respected Walter Eckersall.
His college football career was interrupted by World War I.
“The game is won by the team that makes the fewest mistakes.”
