Jay Berwanger
Berwanger at University of Chicago in early 1930s
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| Chicago Maroons | |
|---|---|
| Position | Halfback |
| Class | Graduate |
| Career history | |
| College |
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| High school | Dubuque (IA) |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | March 19, 1914 |
| Place of birth | Dubuque, Iowa |
| Date of death | June 26, 2002 (aged 88) |
| Place of death | Oak Brook, Illinois |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| College Football Hall of Fame (1954) | |
John Jacob "Jay" Berwanger (March 19, 1914 – June 26, 2002) was an American college football player and referee. He was the first winner of the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy in 1935 (the following year the award was renamed the Heisman Trophy); the trophy is awarded annually to the nation's most outstanding college football player. Berwanger was a star halfback for the Chicago Maroons football team of the University of Chicago, where he was known as the "one man football team". In 1936, Berwanger became the first player drafted into the National Football League (NFL) in its inaugural 1936 NFL Draft, though he did not play professionally.
In a 1934 game against the Michigan Wolverines, Berwanger left his mark on Michigan center Gerald Ford in the form of a distinctive scar beneath the future U.S. President's left eye. In 1935, Berwanger became the first recipient of the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy, renamed the Heisman Trophy the following year. He received 84 votes, finishing ahead of Army's Monk Meyer, Notre Dame's William Shakespeare, and Princeton's Pepper Constable. He was also awarded the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference and earned unanimous All-America honors. Berwanger also competed in track and field for Chicago, setting a school decathlon record in 1936 that stood until 2007.
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Wikipedia