 Berwanger at the University of Chicago, early 1930s | |
| No. 99 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Halfback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | (1914-03-19)March 19, 1914 Dubuque, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died: | June 26, 2002(2002-06-26) (aged 88) Oak Brook, Illinois, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
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| High school | Dubuque |
| 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 Americancollege football player and referee.[1] In 1935, Berwanger was the first recipient of theDowntown Athletic Club Trophy, renamed theHeisman Trophy the following year. At its inception, the award was given to "the most valuable player east of the Mississippi."[2] In 1936, Berwanger became the first player drafted into theNational Football League in its inaugural1936 NFL draft, although he did not play professionally due to a salary dispute.
After attendingDubuque High School in Iowa, Berwanger playedcollege football for theChicago Maroons football team of theUniversity of Chicago for the 1933 though 1935 seasons, scoring 22 touchdowns in 24 games.[3] He was a starhalfback for Chicago, where he was known as the "one man football team".[4] Playing in theone-platoon system era, he was also alinebacker andreturn specialist.[3] Berwanger was also nicknamed "the Flying Dutchman", although his ancestry was actually German, and the "Man in the Iron Mask", because he wore a special face guard to protect his twice-broken nose.[5]
Berwanger was also awarded theChicago Tribune Silver Football as the most valuable player in theBig Ten Conference and earned unanimousAll-America honors. In a 1934 game against theMichigan Wolverines, Berwanger left his mark on MichigancenterGerald Ford in the form of a distinctive scar beneath the future U.S. president's left eye.[6] In 1935, Berwanger became the first recipient of theDowntown Athletic Club Trophy, renamed theHeisman Trophy the following year—John Heisman was then the club's athletic director, and after Heisman's death in October 1936 the trophy was expanded to become a national honor and named the Heisman Trophy.[2]
Berwanger also competed intrack and field for Chicago, setting a schooldecathlon record in 1936 that stood until 2007.[7] He was a brother of thePsi Upsilon fraternity.[8]
During the1935 campaign, when he won what was to become the Heisman Trophy, Berwanger rushed for 577 yards, passed for 405, returned kickoffs for 359 yards, scored six touchdowns, and added fiveextra points for 41 points.[9] His team went 4–4 with a 2–3 mark in the Big Ten that season.[5] In voting for the award, Berwanger received 84 votes, finishing ahead ofArmy'sMonk Meyer,Notre Dame'sWilliam Shakespeare, andPrinceton'sPepper Constable.[5] He won 43% of the eligible votes cast.[10]
In 1936, Berwanger was the first player ever drafted into theNational Football League in its inaugural1936 NFL draft.[11] ThePhiladelphia Eagles selected him, but did not think they would be able to meet his reported salary demands of $1,000 per game.[12] They traded his negotiating rights to the Chicago Bears for tackleArt Buss.[13]Berwanger initially chose not to sign with the Bears in part to preserve his amateur status so that he could compete for a spot on the U.S. team for the1936 Summer Olympics in the decathlon.[14]
After he missed the Olympics cut, Berwanger and Bears' ownerGeorge Halas were unable to reach an agreement on salary; Berwanger was requesting $15,000 ($339,892 in 2024) and Halas's final offer was $13,500 ($305,903 in 2024).[15] Instead, he took a job with a Chicago rubber company and also became a part-time coach at the University of Chicago.[16] Berwanger later expressed regret that he did not accept Halas's offer.[15]
To continue his athletic pursuits, Berwanger started playing rugby with the Chicago team, which then won 19 straight matches and a national championship, beating the team from New York, which coincidentally had the second Heisman winner, Yale's Larry Kelly. In 2016, Berwanger was inducted into the Rugby Hall of Fame.
After graduating, Berwanger worked briefly as asportswriter and later became a manufacturer of plastic car parts. He was very modest about the Heisman Trophy; unsure what to do with the trophy, he left it with his Aunt Gussie, who used it as a doorstop.[6] The trophy was later bequeathed to the University of Chicago Athletic Hall of Fame, where it is on display. There is also a replica of the Heisman on display in the trophy case in the Nora Gymnasium atDubuque Senior High School inDubuque, Iowa. He is a member of both theIowa Sports Hall of Fame andChicagoland Sports Hall of Fame.
Berwanger died after a lengthy battle withlung cancer at his home inOak Brook, Illinois, on June 26, 2002, at the age of 88.[17]
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| National | |
