Early Era History Honor Roll Jay Berwanger Heisman Trophy Winner 1935 In November 1935, University of Chicago senior Jay Berwanger received a telegram from Manhattan’s Downtown Athletic Club, informing him that he had won a trophy for being the “most valuable football player east of the Mississippi.” The prize, then known as the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy, was renamed the Heisman Trophy the following year. Renowned for his versatility, Berwanger played nearly every position on offense and defense. During the 1935 campaign, he rushed for 577 yards, passed for 405, returned kickoffs for 359, scored six touchdowns, and added five PATs for 41 points. Following the 1935 season, the Chicago Tribune awarded Berwanger the Silver Football as the Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten. In a poll of 107 opposing players he faced during his senior year, 104 said the sixfoot, 195-pound Berwanger was the best halfback they had ever seen. Berwanger was the only Heisman recipient tackled by a future United States president – Gerald Ford – during a 1934 game between Chicago and Michigan. “Jay was most deserving of his Heisman Trophy. He could do it all,” President Ford recalled. “He was an outstanding runner as well a passer and kicker. I remember him fondly as one of the greatest athletes I’ve known.” In addition to his distinction as the first-ever Heisman Trophy recipient, Berwanger was the first player chosen in the inaugural National Football League draft in 1936. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles, who traded his rights to the Chicago Bears. Berwanger turned down the opportunity to pursue a professional football career, citing low pay. During World War II, he enrolled in the United States Navy’s flight-training program and became a naval officer. After the war, he established a plastic and rubber manufacturing company in Chicago’s western suburbs. In 1954, Berwanger was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Then in 1989, he was included on Sports Illustrated’s 25-year anniversary All-America team, which honored players whose accomplishments extended beyond the football field. Berwanger died during the summer of 2002.
College Football Hall of Fame Jay Berwanger Paul Des Jardien Walter Eckersall
Amos Alonzo Stagg Walter Steffen Andy Wyant
Consensus All-America Jay Berwanger (1935) Mark Catlin (1905) Paul Des Jardien (1913) Walter Eckersall (1904-06)
Franklin Gowdy (1924) Clarence Herschberger (1898) Joseph Pondelik (1924)
Fred Speik (1904) Walter Steffen (1908) John Thomas (1922)
Big Ten Conference MVP Jay Berwanger (1935)
Ken Rouse (1927)
All-Big Ten Jay Berwanger (1934-35) William Crawley (1909) Herb “Fritz” Crisler (1921) Paul Des Jardien (1912-14) Leo DeTray (1907) Walter Eckersall (1906) Franklin Gowdy (1924) Fred Henderson (1925) Charles Higgins (1917-19) Arthur Hoffman (1908)
Earl Huntington (1913) Harold Iddings (1907-08) Philbrick Jackson (1916) Ralph King (1922) Austin McCarty (1925) Charles McGuire (1920-21) Nelson Norgren (1913) Harlan “Pat” Page (1908-09) Ellmore Patterson (1934) Joseph Pondelik (1924)
Charles Rademacher (1911) Lloyd Rohrke (1923) Ken Rouse (1927) Pete Russell (1913-15) Clark Sauer (1911) Horace Scruby (1911) Laurens Shull (1914-15) Walter Steffen (1906-08) Harry Thomas (1924)
Maroons in the Pros Duncan Annan
Toledo Maroons (1922), Hammond Pros (1923-26), Akron Pros (1925), Akron Indians (1926)
Johnny Bryan
Chicago Cardinals (1922), Chicago Bears (1923-27), Milwaukee Badgers (1925-26)
Stuart Cochran
Milwaukee Badgers (1922)
Paul Des Jardien
Chicago Cardinals (1920), Chicago Tigers (1920), Minneapolis Marines (1922)
Gene Francis
Chicago Cardinals (1926)
Aubrey Goodman
Chicago Bulls - AFL (1926), Chicago Cardinals (1927)
Dick Halladay
Racine Legion (1923-24)
Lewis Hamity
Chicago Bears (1941)
George Hartong
Hammond Pros (1921), Racine Legion (1923), Chicago Cardinals (1924)
Fred Hobscheid
Racine Tornadoes (1926), Chicago Bears (1927)
John Hurlburt
Chicago Cardinals (1924-25)
Colville Jackson
Evansville Giants (1921), Hammond Pros (1921)
Graham Kernwein
Racine Tornadoes (1926)
Ralph King
Racine Legion (1924), Chicago Bears (1925)
Paul Leatherman
Hammond Pros (1922)
Milt Romney
Racine Legion (1923-24), Chicago Bears (1925-29)
Saul Sherman
Chicago Bears (1939-40)
Charles Weaver
Chicago Cardinals (1930), Portsmouth Spartans (1930)
John Webster
Racine Legion (1924)
Don Yeisley
Chicago Cardinals (1928)
DesJardien
UChicago Football 2014
Clarence Herschberger Bob Maxwell Clark Shaughnessy
Herschberger
Rouse
Steffen
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