Hall of Fame
A Utah Ute, a fullback and an All-American, Frank Langston Christensen was once described as one of the greatest fullbacks in the country, as only a sophomore and his success on the national stage contributed to the foundation of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) football.
Growing up, Frank was a tri-sport athlete at Granite high school where he earned All-State recognition in baseball, football and basketball for two consecutive years. He continued his football career at the University of Utah in 1930 and would continue to play the next two seasons for head coach and RMAC Hall of Famer (2016) Ike Armstrong.
Throughout the three seasons, Frank led the Utes to three-straight RMAC Football Championship titles and a perfect 19-0 RMAC record (21-3-1 overall record). He ranks third in program history with 235 career points and ranks eighth for most points scored in a single season with 98. Frank’s 13 touchdowns in a single season is the fifth most in Utes history. The six-foot one-inch “gridder” became the school’s first All-American in two consecutive years (1930, 1931). In 1932, he added to his All-American accolades, earning first-team honors from the United Press.
After college, Frank played professionally for the Detroit Lions in 1934. A year later, he helped the Lions to the 1935 National Football League (NFL) Championship Game (a precursor to the Super Bowl) where they defeated the New York Giants 26-7. Frank stayed with the organization until retiring after the 1937 season.
Following his football career, Frank became the co-founder of Christensen Diamond Products Company. The firm grew to become the world’s largest producer of industrial diamond products with numerous diamond bit factories around the world. The drill bit products have set the standard of the industries for which they were developed.
Later on, Frank was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, the Utah Sports Hall of Fame (1979) and was in the inaugural class of the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame. In 1957, he was named to the Silver Anniversary All-America Team by Sports Illustrated and in 2009 he earned a spot on the RMAC All-Centennial First Team-Offense.
Aside from being an incredible athlete and successful entrepreneur, Deseret News described him as an “inspirational mentor who always provided words of encouragement and a helping hand. He was extraordinarily generous with his time and resources to all who knew him, and he was a dependable man of unfailing character and integrity.”