Frank Sinkwich

Frank Sinkwich

Sinkwich, c. 1942–43
No. 21
Position:	Halfback
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1920-10-10)October 10, 1920
Place of birth:	Starjak, Croatia
Date of death:	October 22, 1990(1990-10-22) (aged 70)
Place of death:	Athens, Georgia
Height:	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:	Youngstown (OH) Chaney
College:	Georgia
NFL Draft:	1943 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Career history
Detroit Lions (1943–1944) New York Yankees (1946–1947) Baltimore Colts (1947)
Career highlights and awards
NFL Most Valuable Player (1944) 2× First-team All-Pro (1943, 1944) National champion (1942) Heisman Trophy (1942) Sporting News Player of the Year (1942) Associated Press Athlete of the Year (1942) 2× Consensus All-American (1941, 1942) Georgia Bulldogs No. 21 retired
Career NFL statistics as of 1947
Attempts–completions: 301–121 Passing yards: 1,913 TD–Int: 19–42 Rushing attempts: 321 Rushing yards: 1,090 Rushing touchdowns: 7 Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR
College Football Hall of Fame

Frank Francis Sinkwich Sr. (October 10, 1920 – October 22, 1990) was an American football player and coach. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1942 playing for the University of Georgia, making him the first recipient from the Southeastern Conference. In the course of a brief but celebrated career in professional football, Sinkwich was selected for the National Football League Most Valuable Player Award. He coached the Erie (PA) Vets semi-professional football team in 1949. Sinkwich was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.

Sinkwich is of Croat origin. He was born in Starjak, Croatia (about 12 miles west of Zagreb) as his mother had traveled back to Croatia in 1912. World War I broke out in 1914 and as with many, she and the children remained there for the duration of the war. They returned to the US, going to Youngstown, Ohio when he was two years old, joining his father Ignac (Ignatius) who operated a grocery store. By 1940 the family operated a restaurant in Youngstown. His surname was originally spelled Sinković.

According to an article Sinkwich wrote in 1988, he grew to appreciate the value of competitiveness on the streets of Youngstown's west side. "I learned early in neighborhood pickup games that I had the desire to compete", he wrote. "When people ask why I succeeded in athletics, I always tell them that I didn't want to get beat".

Sinkwich gained early recognition as a star athlete at Youngstown's Chaney High School. He went on to the University of Georgia to play under coach Wally Butts where he was a two-time All-America selection. In 1941 he led the nation in rushing yards with 209 carries for 1,103 yards. He set the NCAA single-season total offense record of 2,187 yards and led the Bulldogs to an 11–1 season in 1942, capturing the Southeastern Conference championship and a victory over UCLA in the 1943 Rose Bowl. That same year, the Washington D.C. Touchdown Club honored Sinkwich as "back of the year", and he was overwhelmingly voted the "Number 1 athlete for 1942" in the annual poll by the Associated Press over second-place finisher Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox, a year in which Williams hit for baseball's triple crown.