The Ted Drake Collection
Ted Drake (1908-2000) of Elkhart, Indiana, produced fine art for the world to enjoy for over fifty years. His talent was first used commercially during World War II when Ted edited and drew cartoons for “Spindrift,” the publication for the Navy’s Pre-flight School in Iowa City, Iowa. As he was transferred to other duty stations during the war, Drake continued to edit and draw for different service publications including “Stars and Stripes”.
After the war, Ted worked as a freelance artist for the Wilson Sporting Goods Company. During this time Ted was responsible for all artwork for the company. He met and drew all of the Wilson endorsed professional athletes, including football greats such as Howard “Hopalong” Cassady (Ohio State), Alan Ameche (Wisconsin), Otto Graham (Northwestern), and Hugh McElhenny. He knew and painted golf stars Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Patty Berg, “Babe” Diderickson, Tommy Armour, Chick Harbert, Lloyd Mangram, Jack Rule, Billie Burke and Bert Yancey; tennis stars Jack Kramer and Alice Marble and baseball stars Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox and Nellie Fox of the Chicago White Sox.
Ted Drake’s most famous creation was the Notre Dame Leprechaun. The Leprechaun was first used for the 1964 football pocket schedule and later that year, it was used on the football program cover for the Notre Dame/Purdue game. The Leprechaun appeared on the cover of Time magazine in November, 1964. With the nationwide publication of Time, the Leprechaun became the national symbol of the Notre Dame “fighting Irish” and remains the most recognized sports symbol in the world today.
Ted also designed Notre Dame football program covers and other university artwork throughout the 1960’s and most recently in the 1994 and 1995 seasons. His football program cover featuring Joe Boland, the radio sportscaster of the “Irish Network”, won the “National Football Cover of the Year Award” for Ted.
Ted Drake created other sports art in addition to the art for Notre Dame. He painted all of the past presidents of the Professional Golf Association. These portraits hang in the PGA national headquarters located in West Palm Beach, Florida. He did numerous PGA magazine covers. The United States Golf Association selected Ted to paint all of the USGA Amateur Champions. These portraits were done as part of the 87th U.S. Amateur Championship golf tournament and hang in Jupiter Hills Country Club, Jupiter, Florida. Ted did work for the National College Athletic Association. He worked on several of the NCAA projects relating to their logo and marketing programs. It was Ted who created the logo for the Chicago Bulls Basketball team.
Ted Drake became the exclusive graphic artist for the NBC television program “Kukla, Fran and Ollie,” one of the first children’s shows in the United States.
He loved to do “sports art” but was right at home with portraits and landscapes. Our collection of his works includes several impressive paintings from his extensive work capturing the feeling, charm, and culture of Amish people in our part of the country. We also have several seascapes, which display Ted’s special talent for capturing water’s movement and light. Ted was that rare artist whose work covered the gamut from watercolors to acrylics and oils.
After the war, Ted worked as a freelance artist for the Wilson Sporting Goods Company. During this time Ted was responsible for all artwork for the company. He met and drew all of the Wilson endorsed professional athletes, including football greats such as Howard “Hopalong” Cassady (Ohio State), Alan Ameche (Wisconsin), Otto Graham (Northwestern), and Hugh McElhenny. He knew and painted golf stars Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Patty Berg, “Babe” Diderickson, Tommy Armour, Chick Harbert, Lloyd Mangram, Jack Rule, Billie Burke and Bert Yancey; tennis stars Jack Kramer and Alice Marble and baseball stars Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox and Nellie Fox of the Chicago White Sox.
Ted Drake’s most famous creation was the Notre Dame Leprechaun. The Leprechaun was first used for the 1964 football pocket schedule and later that year, it was used on the football program cover for the Notre Dame/Purdue game. The Leprechaun appeared on the cover of Time magazine in November, 1964. With the nationwide publication of Time, the Leprechaun became the national symbol of the Notre Dame “fighting Irish” and remains the most recognized sports symbol in the world today.
Ted also designed Notre Dame football program covers and other university artwork throughout the 1960’s and most recently in the 1994 and 1995 seasons. His football program cover featuring Joe Boland, the radio sportscaster of the “Irish Network”, won the “National Football Cover of the Year Award” for Ted.
Ted Drake created other sports art in addition to the art for Notre Dame. He painted all of the past presidents of the Professional Golf Association. These portraits hang in the PGA national headquarters located in West Palm Beach, Florida. He did numerous PGA magazine covers. The United States Golf Association selected Ted to paint all of the USGA Amateur Champions. These portraits were done as part of the 87th U.S. Amateur Championship golf tournament and hang in Jupiter Hills Country Club, Jupiter, Florida. Ted did work for the National College Athletic Association. He worked on several of the NCAA projects relating to their logo and marketing programs. It was Ted who created the logo for the Chicago Bulls Basketball team.
Ted Drake became the exclusive graphic artist for the NBC television program “Kukla, Fran and Ollie,” one of the first children’s shows in the United States.
He loved to do “sports art” but was right at home with portraits and landscapes. Our collection of his works includes several impressive paintings from his extensive work capturing the feeling, charm, and culture of Amish people in our part of the country. We also have several seascapes, which display Ted’s special talent for capturing water’s movement and light. Ted was that rare artist whose work covered the gamut from watercolors to acrylics and oils.
