Wayne State University Athletics

Kropf, a native of Lowell, Mich., and graduate of Lowell HS, is being inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame as a contributor/builder in recognition of his lifelong and influential support of Wayne State University Tartar Athletics. Since first enrolling at the University in September 1946, just after his discharge from the U.S. Navy, Kropf has been a friend and advisor to Wayne State's Director of Athletics and football coaches. He is also a great fan of the Tartars' other teams, and he can be seen in attendance at many of the athletic events held at the Matthaei Athletic Complex each season. Kropf's most significant contribution to Tartar Athletics was serving as a leader during efforts to retain varsity football during proposed programmatic changes at the University in 1953, 1981 and 1987. During his first attempt to retain football, in 1953, which resulted in a 4-3 Detroit School Board vote to save the sport, Kropf inspired a headline by Pete Waldmeir that Kropf rates a classic - "Wayne Beats Its President 4-3." His association with Wayne State football and Tartar Athletics remains strong today. Kropf recently endowed a scholarship in his name to benefit a Wayne State football player. He is a member and leader in two support organizations for football, the Tartar Gridiron Club and the Tartar 100. Kropf also assists the Tartar Gridiron Club's Annual Golf Outing which goes to support football. Kropf's relationship with Wayne State athletics hasn't been all one-way however. He met his future wife, Leneva, on a blind date at a Wayne-University of Detroit football game! In watching almost 50 years of Wayne State football, Kropf has viewed personally most of the top Tartar football players of all-time, including many who are in the Athletic Hall of Fame today. Additionally he's seem many All-Americans play the Tartars, including Louisville's John Unitas and Johnny Sample, Omaha's Joe Arenas, Western Reserve's Warren Lahr and Toledo's Emerson Cole. After graduating from Lowell High School in 1943 Kropf entered the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific during World War II. He attended WSU for two years, 1946-48, then left Wayne and entered the University of Michigan on a combined degree program. In 1951 Kropf graduated from the Michigan Law School. From 1953-57 Kropf served as an assistant U.S. Attorney. He was an assistant city attorney for the City of Livonia from 1960-62. In 1960 Kropf established a private general law practice that he still maintains. Kropf and his wife, Leneva, reside in Livonia, Mich. They are parents of a son, Gerald, who is a Wayne State graduate, and a daughter, Marsha.