 | |
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | End |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1926-02-27)February 27, 1926 Galesburg, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 10, 1964(1964-12-10) (aged 38) Brevard County, Florida, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Denver (1946–1947) Navy (1948–1950) |
Thomas Neil Bakke (February 27, 1926 – December 10, 1964) was an Americanfootball player, coach and military officer. He playedcollege football for theDenver Pioneers andNavy Midshipmen, beingcaptain of the 1950 team that defeatedArmy in one of college football's greatestupsets.
Born inGalesburg, Illinois, Bakke lived in Illinois,Iowa,Wisconsin,Missouri,Oklahoma and thenColorado growing up due to his father moving repeatedly with a railroad job.[1] He was a nephew ofColorado Supreme Court justiceNorris C. Bakke.[2] Bakke served inWorld War II in theMariana Islands.[3] He lived inDenver, Colorado, starting in 1945 and attended theUniversity of Denver from 1946.[1] He played football for theDenver Pioneers and helped them win the conference championship in 1946 while being anend.[4][5] Bakke remained with the Pioneers in 1947 and was named co-Big Seven Conference Lineman of the Week after a win overBYU.[6] He was named an honorable mention all-conference selection at the end of the season and was also selected to someAll-America teams, according toThe Capital.[7][8]
Bakke left Denver to enroll at theUnited States Naval Academy in 1948.[9] He played for theNavy Midshipmen football team in 1949 and after the season was selected teamcaptain for 1950.[10] His selection as captain was noted as unusual due to it being only hisjunior year there, although he was ineligible for hissenior season due to his playing for Denver.[10] He was injured early in the 1950 season but was able to return for the annualArmy–Navy Game.[11] Army had an undefeated record, was a 21-point favorite, and had defeated Navy 38–0 the prior year, but Bakke led his team to a stunning 14–2 win in what is considered one of the greatestupsets in college football history.[11][12] He afterwards played in the Mahi Shrine Temple Christmas College All-Star Game.[11]
Bakke served in theUnited States Air Force following his graduation from Navy.[1] He was a jet fighter pilot touredAlaska for several years, helping coach the football team atLadd Air Force Base from 1954 to 1955.[13] He later served as the end coach of theAir Force Falcons.[13] He married Jean Marshall in 1953 and had four children with her; she died after giving birth to the fourth in 1960.[14][15] Bakke died in December 1964, at the age of 38, after getting into a plane crash inFlorida.[16]
