John Frank (American football)


John E. Frank is an American physician and former football player. He played college football as a tight end at Ohio State University, and professionally in the National Football League with the San Francisco 49ers from 1984 to 1988. Frank was selected by the 49ers in the second round of the 1984 NFL Draft, and won two Super Bowls with the team.

Early years

John Frank was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania the son of Barbara and Alan Frank, and is Jewish. He grew up in Mt. Lebanon, a south hills suburb of Pittsburgh. John has three sisters and attended Hoover Elementary, Jefferson Junior, and graduated from Mt Lebanon High School in 1980. During high school, he volunteered in the canine surgical laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh, developing the optimum cryopreservative solutions for liver transplantation.

Ohio State University

While at Ohio State, John Frank was the starting tight end from 1981 to 83 and caught more passes than any other tight end in the history of the school. He was honored as a two-time Academic All-American, became the team’s most valuable player, and was selected as a member of the All Century Ohio State Football Team and Ohio State’s Varsity Hall of Fame.
As an undergraduate, he co-authored several research papers investigating the best treatments for pediatric croup and the work was published in the Laryngoscope.
While finishing at Ohio State, he was invited to attend the Combine in Indianapolis in 1984, but declined in order to continue studying for his final exams. He was drafted in the second round of the NFL draft by the San Francisco Forty Niners and in June of 1984 he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Ohio State.

College statistics

Frank had already been accepted into several medical schools, but decided to enroll at Ohio State University College of Medicine because they had an independent study program which allowed flexibility to continue playing in the NFL while completing the first year of medical school. They also offered a deferred enrollment into medical school, but Frank chose to attend medical school during his first NFL off-season.
During medical school, he continued researching diseases of the head and neck and microsvascular surgery and the Gait Analysis laboratory.

NFL career

Frank was selected in the second round of the 1984 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers. During his first season, he played as a reserve tight end behind Russ Francis, and as a specialist, while the team went 18–1 as they defeated the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX. He injured his left elbow during the NFC Championship victory of the Chicago Bears, and therefore saw limited time in Super Bowl XIX.
During his five-year career, he caught 65 passes for 662 yards and became the starting tight end during his fourth and fifth seasons. In Super Bowl XXIII he caught two passes, including a key pass thrown by Joe Montana during the winning touchdown drive.
Following the game and during what was considered to be the height of his professional football career, he announced his retirement to devote himself full-time to medical school. The vacated tight end position was filled by future All-Pro tight end Brent Jones in 1989. The Forty Niners also drafted Wesley Walls in the second round of the 1989 draft.

After the NFL

After retiring from football, Frank earned his M.D. from Ohio State in 1992. He is an otolaryngologist, board-certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and the American Board Of Hair Restoration Surgery. He became a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, an Assistant Professor of Clinical Otolarygology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and The Ohio State University College of Medicine-adjunct. He has performed over 2,000 hair transplant procedures in New York, California and Ohio. In 2006 he opened Anapelli Hair Clinic in New York City, specializing in surgical hair transplantation as well as biocapillation.