Bernard Kirk
| Bernard C. Kirk | |
|---|---|
Bernard Kirk cropped from 1922 Michigan football team photograph
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| Born | c. 1900 |
| Died | December 23, 1922 Ypsilanti, Michigan |
| Cause of death | Head injury from automobile accident |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Known for | College football player, All-American, 1922 |
| College football career | |
| Michigan Wolverines No. 7 | |
| Position | End |
| Career history | |
| College |
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| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | c. 1900 |
| Date of death | December 23, 1922 |
| Place of death | Ypsilanti, Michigan |
Bernard "Bernie" C. Kirk (c. 1900 – December 23, 1922) was an American football player who played for Notre Dame in 1919 and for Michigan from 1921 to 1922. He was selected as an All-American at the end position in both 1921 and 1922. In December 1922, shortly after being named an All-American and while at the height of his popularity, Kirk suffered a fractured skull in an automobile accident, and died several days later at a hospital in Ypsilanti, Michigan. His funeral was attended by the Governor of Michigan and many other dignitaries, and was reported in newspapers across the United States.
Kirk was raised in Ypsilanti, Michigan and played football for three years for Ypsilanti High School. He was the only son of Gen. John P. Kirk, a prominent Ypsilanti attorney and former general in the Michigan National Guard.
After graduating from high school, Kirk enrolled at Notre Dame. As a sophomore in 1919, he was a starter for the Notre Dame football team coached by the legendary Knute Rockne. He played end for the undefeated 1919 Fighting Irish team that also featured another Michiganian, George Gipp. The passing combination of Gipp at left halfback to Kirk at left end became one of Notre Dame's greatest offensive weapons in 1919. In October 1919, The Fort Wayne News and Sentinel praised "the ability of Kirk in receiving passes and breaking away for long runs." In early November 1919, Kirk drew attention for his work in Notre Dame's win over Indiana. The Indianapolis Star praised the team's end play:
"The Irish wing men are wonderful performers. Either Kirk or Anderson can snag the ball out of the air on forward passes with great skill. Both are fast and wonderful defensive men. It was seldom in Saturday's game that either was boxed. They broke up what little interference Indiana displayed and got through to their man time after time."
In late November, Notre Dame defeated Purdue 33-13, and the Indiana Star reported that the Boilermakers would have finished on top had it not been for the passing attack of Gipp and Kirk. Kirk scored two touchdowns against Purdue, and the Star noted: "Some of the passes completed by Gipp and Kirk were of the sensational order. Two touchdowns resulted from passes, Gipp to Kirk ..." At the end of the 1919 season, the Indianapolis Sunday Star named Gipp and Kirk to its All-Indiana team, two of the four Notre Dame players to be so honored in 1919. The Star wrote of Kirk:
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