Frank "Pep" Saul

Visitation will be held on Friday November 15, 2019 from 4:00PM - 8:00PM at Quinn Hopping Funeral Home, 145 East Mt. Pleasant Avenue, Livingston, NJ. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral Mass on Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 1:30PM at Saint Philomena's Church, 386 South Livingston Avenue, Livingston, NJ.

Born on February 16, 1924 in Oradell and raised in Westwood, NJ; the oldest of eight children, born to Frank B. Saul and Lena (nee Loennecker). He attended Holy Trinity High School and graduated in 1941. While at Holy Trinity he captained both baseball and basketball teams to state championships. He was later named the greatest athlete in the school’s history by the Alumni Association.

After a year at Seton Hall Prep, he continued his education at Seton Hall University in 1942. In March of 1943 he was drafted into the Air Force and was stationed at Hickam Field in Hawaii where he served as quarter master and made several All-Service Teams in baseball and basketball.

After being honorably discharged in 1946 Pep returned to Seton Hall to finish his education. While there he captained the basketball team for the next three seasons. The Pirates won 58 of 73 games during those seasons and Pep was the lead scorer for all three seasons. He finished his college career with 1,011 points and was the first Seton Hall player to reach that milestone. In 1949 Pep was selected to play in the East/West All Star game where he was coached by Adolf Rupp.

He was one of the eight original inductees into the Seton Hall University Hall of Fame in June 1973. His number 3 jersey was retired and hangs at Walsh Gym and The Prudential Center in Newark.

After graduating from Seton Hall he was drafted in the first round by the NBA’s Rochester Royals in 1949. Pep was the third guard behind Bob Wanzer and Bob Davies; the Royals won the NBA Championship in 1950. In the season of 1951 his contract was purchased by the Baltimore Bullets who then traded him to the Minneapolis Lakers. There he joined Hall of Famers George Mikan, Slater Martin, Vern Mikkelson and Jim Pollard. With his deft ball handling and accurate passing as well as his potent set shot the Lakers won the NBA title for the next three years. Pep and Steve Kerr are the only two players in NBA history who won three championships with two different teams in consecutive seasons. In 1955 Pep suffered a career ending knee injury while playing for the Milwaukee Hawks and retired from basketball to raise his family. In 2004 Pep was inducted into the New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame.

In his off seasons he pitched in semi-pro baseball for the Ogdensburg Owls (1950) and Faribault Lakers (1952-1954). He was twice offered Major League Baseball contracts by the then New York Giants and declined to play. Pep was inducted into the Bergen County Semi-Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.

After retiring from his athletic career Pep chose a career in insurance, first working for State Farm and then with James E. Wordley Agency before opening his own agency in 1967. After a successful career he sold the business in 1994.

Although, Pep’s athletic accomplishments are notable they do not begin to reveal the essence of the man. He was married for 72 years to Mary (nee Carpenter) and the patriarch of a family of eight children, seventeen grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren. He was a man of character, virtue, sagacity, love, caring, and understanding. Indeed, he has imparted these values upon his entire family.

Pep is survived by his loving wife of 72 years Mary Saul (nee Carpenter) and his adoring children, Frank (Sally), Mary Jane Gruppuso, Michael (Jessica), Dr. Pat Saul and Jed Rosen, Elizabeth (Richard) Fleet, Daniel (Loretta), Meg (Daniel) Prosicki and Gerald (Tricia). Pep is also survived by seventeen grandchildren: Anthony, Donna, John, Michael, Beth Ann, Ryan, Kate, Eric, Christopher, Matthew, Andrew, Kevin, Gregory, Jordan, Mark, Brittany and Justin; and fifteen great-grandchildren: John, Luke, Emily, Mason, Kayla, Emma, Jacob, Tyler, Connor, Peyton, Jocelyn, Maegan, Viola, Theodore and Thomas. `Also his in-laws: Madeline (Maddy), Barbara, Leon deStefan, Pat Lawler, Kathryn and Ben Quinn, Michael and Carolyn Carpenter and many nieces and nephews. Pep was pre-deceased by his parents, brothers Benjamin, Charles, William, Martin and Robert, and sisters Ann deStefan and Mary Ann McGill.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to:

• Seton Hall Prep - 120 Northfield Avenue West Orange, NJ 07052

C/O Griffin Bridges in memory of Pep Saul- www.shp.org/makeagift

• Pirate Blue Athletic Fund in memory of Frank “Pep” Saul to be directed to the academic support for student-athletes fund.

https://advancement.shu.edu/support/pirate-blue-athletic-fund

• You can also send a check and in the memo please put - in memory of Frank “Pep” Saul. Send to: Jay Judge, Seton Hall Athletics, 400 South Orange Ave., South Orange NJ 07079