Hall of Fame
Seitz, a native of Monroe, Michigan, and graduate of Detroit Western HS, participated in track and field, and football at City College of Detroit, winning letters in track in the 1923, 1924, and 1925 seasons, and a letter in football in 1927. During his track career at CCD, Seitz won several individual titles as a pole vaulter in his field career, as he was among the first prominent vaulters in Michigan history.
Seitz finished fourth in the 1924 Olympic Trials with a vault of 11'8 1/8". During that season, Seitz won five pole vault titles in team competition for WSU Hall of Fame coach David L. Holmes, including the Annual State of Michigan Intercollegiate Meet, and dual meet titles at Michigan State and Ohio Wesleyan.
His best season as a vaulter was in 1925, though when he set a school and state record vault of 12' 7/8" at the State of Michigan Intercollegiate Championships, bettering the old CCD record by 6' 7/8". He won the Ohio Relays at 11' 11 ½", and the Michigan Indoor State Championship at 11'8", also a new state record. Seitz finished second in the 1925 Illinois Indoor Relays at 12', and fourth at the 1925 Penn Relays. He also captained the 1925 CCD squad.
WSU Hall of Fame member J. Kenneth Doherty, an expert in track and field, notes though "today, 12 feet is a poor high school vault," Seitz vaulted with several handicaps, including a ground-level landing pit, small vault box, and heavy and stiff bamboo poles. Doherty noted that the winning vault for the 1925 NCAA championship was only 12'11".
After taking the 1926 academic season off, to help his father in Seitz Trucking Business, he returned to CCD to finish his degree, playing football in the offensive and defensive backfields for Holmes in 1927. Seitz received his Bachelor's of Liberal Arts in 1928.
