Patrick Norman “Pat” Uebel was born in Bellevue, KY, the son of Norman P. Uebel and Sarah Phillips Uebel. An older sister Doris completed the family.
Pat grew up in Bellevue and graduated from Bellevue High School in 1952. As a high school athlete he earned 18 varsity letters in football, baseball, track, tennis, and basketball, and in 1951 was named All-State and All-American in football. In 1991 he was inducted into Buddy LaRosa’s High School Sports Hall of Fame.
Pat was recruited by Vince Lombardi to attend West Point and play football. Pat’s Bellevue High School had won the state championship his senior year. He had received several college offers and was seriously considering the Naval Academy. He came home one afternoon to find a man by the name of Vince Lombardi sitting in his parents’ living room. West Point was recruiting in the aftermath of the honor code violation expulsions of 1951. The family still has the original letter dated 1/14/52 signed by Lombardi: “…expecting a favorable answer from you by the end of this week, West Point is looking forward to having you as a cadet.”
After some polishing at Braden’s Preparatory School (along with future classmates and teammates Don Holleder and Russ Mericle) Pat entered the Military Academy on an appointment from Representative John Chenoweth of the 3rd District of Colorado.
Classmate Mel Wuest, who was also from Kentucky, recalled travelling to West Point with Pat when it was time to report. Their flight from Kentucky encountered very severe weather and was forced to land in Richmond, VA. Hours later they re-boarded and finally landed in NYC. By that time it was early morning, so Pat and Mel walked around Times Square until time to take the Hoboken ferry and then board a train to West Point.
“At the West Point train station,” remembered Mel, “we were met by Captain St. Onge, one of the plebe football coaches. In the afternoon Pat attended a picnic for the football players and I finally caught up on some sleep in the Hotel Thayer. The next day, July 1st, Gerry Wynn, Don Holleder, Pat Uebel and I reported in as new plebes and the fun began. I didn’t see those ‘flankers’ again until September, when we met as I became a manager for the football team.”
As a cadet Pat played football and ran track all four years. He was elected football captain for the 1955 season. His other interests included the Fishing Club and Skeet Club. As a First Classman he was a cadet lieutenant.
Wrote his classmates in the Howitzer, the cadet yearbook, “Seldom has the System found a more complete master than ‘UBS.’ His mastery over the Academic and Tactical Departments left him plenty of time to enlighten us on his favorite subject—Kentucky. His robust sense of humor and readiness to help others have all helped to make our association with him an extremely pleasant one.”
Pat became forever famous among classmates when, during yearling year, he scored all three touchdowns in a win over Navy that climaxed a stellar 7-1-1 season. Read an account of that game: Army squibbed the opening kickoff and recovered the ball on Navy’s 31 yard line. “Six plays later Uebel ran for a 3-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Army lead. He added another 3-yard scoring plunge in the second frame and galloped 70 yards on a punt return in the third quarter for his third touchdown.” Final satisfying score: Army 20 Navy 7.
When we were firsties Pat captained the team that again defeated Navy, carving out a hard-fought 14-6 Army win. The Washington Redskins drafted Pat in the 14th round, 166th pick overall, but of course he was off to the real Army instead.
Pat married Mitzi Mueller in the Cadet Chapel at West Point on graduation day. Together they had a son Patrick Jr. and daughters Lynne and Holly. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1994.
At graduation Pat branched Artillery. Following attendance at the Artillery Officers Basic Course at Fort Sill, OK, then airborne training at Fort Benning, GA, he went for his first troop duty to Schweinfurt, Germany, where he was assigned to the Mortar Battery of 2nd Battle Group, 38th Infantry, in the 3rd Infantry Division.
In 1959 Pat resigned his commission and returned to civilian life. In 1960 he went to work as an industrial sales manager for the Sun Oil Company, beginning a long run with them that lasted until his retirement in 1991. During these years he and his family resided in Columbus, OH and Fenton, MI, then several years into retirement he moved on to Tucson, AZ.
In December 2002 Pat married Elisabeth O’Connell in Tucson. They had met on a bicycle club ride the previous year and from that moment on were inseparable.
Besides being a superb athlete, Pat was a skilled craftsman and builder. He enjoyed camping and canoeing in the Canadian wilderness, backpacking in the Wyoming mountains, and cycling cross country and everywhere in between. In 1992 he cycled solo from Washington State to Maine, two months on the road. He stabled two horses for his children to ride. Played tennis, stringing his own racket. Fished, making his own lures. Hunted, making his own gun stock, and even filled the bullets. Ran marathons.
Pat Uebel was a likeable, active, modest and decent man, much admired by his classmates. Said Elisabeth, “He was a unique personality, driven but not ambitious. He wanted to be remembered as a kind man.” May he rest in peace.
— Family and classmates