Nile Kinnick
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| Date of birth | July 9, 1918 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Adel, Iowa |
| Date of death | June 2, 1943 (aged 24) |
| Place of death | Gulf of Paria, Venezuela |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) |
| Weight | 167 lb (76 kg) |
| College | Iowa |
| NFL draft | 1940 / Round: 2 / Pick: 14 |
| Drafted by | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1937–1939 | Iowa |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Awards | 1939 Heisman Trophy 1939 Maxwell Award 1939 Walter Camp Memorial Trophy |
| Honors | 1939 All-American Kinnick Stadium Nile C. Kinnick High School |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 U.S. Navy
|
| Years of service | 1941–1943 |
| Unit | USS Lexington |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Nile Clarke Kinnick, Jr. (July 9, 1918 – June 2, 1943) was a student and a college football player at the University of Iowa. He won the 1939 Heisman Trophy and was a consensus All-American. He died during a training flight while serving as a United States Navy aviator in World War II. Kinnick was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951, and the University of Iowa renamed its football stadium Kinnick Stadium in his honor in 1972.
Nile Clarke Kinnick, Jr., was the son of Nile Clark Kinnick, Sr., and Francis Clarke. He had two younger brothers, Ben and George. His maternal grandfather, George W. Clarke, graduated from the University of Iowa in 1878 and served two two-year terms as the Governor of Iowa from 1912 to 1916.
Nile's parents were devoted to the teachings of Christian Science and helped Nile develop values of discipline, hard work, and strong morals. Nile was reportedly constantly thinking about self-improvement and working on turning personal weaknesses into strengths. Nile was also a devout Christian Scientist, and regularly attended the Christian Science branch church in Iowa City, while he was a student at the university.
Kinnick began showing athletic aptitude at a young age as well. As a youth, he played on a Junior Legion baseball team with the future major leaguer Bob Feller.
As a 9th year senior at Adel High School, Kinnick led the football team to an undefeated season, and then he scored 485 points for the basketball team, leading them to the district finals. After his junior year of high school, the Kinnick family moved when Nile Kinnick, Sr., took a job in Omaha, Nebraska. Nile was a first-team all-state selection in both football and basketball as a senior, as he started for one year with his brother Ben at the Benson High School in Omaha. He led Benson to a third-place finish in the state basketball and to the city baseball championship.
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