Frank Cleve came to Concordia in 1926, after a brilliant athletic career at St. Olaf, and injected an expectation of excellence into Cobber athletics.

Cleve coached Concordia's football, basketball and baseball teams for 10 years. His 1930-31 basketball team captured the first conference title of any kind in the school's history. Cleve's 1931 football team won the school's first conference football championship.

The Cobber football team of 1934 posted a 7-1-1 record for a second conference title under Cleve.

He returned to his alma mater, Minneapolis South High, in 1936 and coached in Twin Cities high schools until the 1960s, winning two state basketball titles and four Twin Cities football crowns.

Frank Cleve died in 1970.