By Rebecca Goodman
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Mr. Langenbeck

WYOMING - F. Richard "Dick" Langenbeck was a member of the University of Cincinnati football team that brought home a win from the 1947 Sun Bowl.

After college, Mr. Langenbeck was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, but because of a back injury opted for law school.

The longtime attorney - first for the John Wiethe law firm and later for a steel company - died Sept. 19 at Hospice of Cincinnati in Blue Ash following a long illness.

Mr. Langenbeck, a Wyoming resident, was 80.

He graduated from Western Hills High School in 1941 and was offered a scholarship for track, basketball or football from the University of Cincinnati. He played football for the Bearcats in 1941 and '42.

Called to active duty with the Navy, he served as a lieutenant aboard a minesweeper in the North Atlantic and the Pacific during World War II.

Returning to UC in 1944, he was a tackle and co-captain on the football team that beat Virginia Tech in the Sun Bowl. Mr. Langenbeck received the Mid-American Conference MVP Award in 1947.

"When they came back they were these older, bigger men," said his daughter, Anne Tolle of Montgomery. "Coming back from the war, everybody just pulled together."

Mr. Langenbeck, "like most World War II vets, never really talked about the war," his daughter said. But years later he told her his college years were happiest.

He graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and practiced with the Wiethefirm before joining Carpenter Steel Corp. (later Carpenter Technology) in Woodlawn, where he worked for 30 years.

"He decided on early retirement when my mom was diagnosed with cancer and he stayed home and helped take care of her before she died," his daughter said.

His first wife, Jean Stewart Langenbeck, died in 1986. In addition to his daughter, survivors include Joan,his wife of 15 years; and son Stewart of Akron.

Visitation is 1:30-2 p.m. today followed by a memorial service at Hodapp Funeral Home, 6041 Hamilton Ave., College Hill. Burial will be at a later date at Arlington Memorial Gardens in Springfield Township.

Memorials: Hospice of Cincinnati, 4310 Cooper Road, Cincinnati 45242; or UC Athletic Fund, UCATS Office, Football, P.O. Box 210021, Cincinnati 45221.

E-mail rgoodman@enquirer.com