John Frederick "Jake" Townsend Sr. (September 20, 1916 โ December 4, 2001) was an American basketball forward and center. He was an All-Big Ten player for the University of Michigan from 1935 to 1938. In 1938, he was named an All-American. He later played professional basketball for the Indianapolis Kautskys, Oshkosh All-Stars and Rochester Royals.