Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-10-12
GREAT ELI PLAYER
FOOT BALL GENIUS
"Disembodied Spirit" Could
Check Any Interference,
Says Terminate.
BY GRANTLAND RICE.
NHILADELPHIA. october 12-
- The Blue against the Red and
Il DI,Ja VAL

BY GRANTLAND RICE.
PHILADELPHIA, october 12.-
- The Blue against the Red and
Blue-Yale and Pennsylvania.
Their meeting at Franklin
Field today, it is Just another foot ball
game between two good teams
1t is game that will decide no
chamionship-East or national-myth-
ical or otherwise.
In the modern upward rush of Rice
Institute, L. S. u, Nebraska, Temple
even Pittsburgh and Notre Dame-few
recall the fact that Yale and Pennsyl-
vania we're shooting for the foot ball
heights 40 years ago, when Frank
Hinkey was piling up foot ball name
that has outlaSted the years-when
Brink Thorne was at his height-when
George Brooke was the great kicker Of
his day and one of the best that ever
ived-when Fred Murphy was Yale's
star tackle-when Knippe and Oseood
were around.
In those days of "far away and long
ago. Walter Camp had been picking
his all-America entries from Harvard,
Yale and Princeton.
About this time the leading figure in
American foot ball switched to Penn
sylvania, and the old-time big three
became foot balls big four.
These were the days when Pennsyl-
vania got the jump on Yale, leading
the Blue, to o.
The Days of Hinkey.
IT WAS in this game. around the
middle COS, that Frank Hinkey,
"the disembodied spirit" moved from
end to halfback to drive his so yards
or more to touchdown with a hepd-
long assault that couldn't be stopped
and Frank Hinkey weighed 1853
pounds. But "180" pounds of this
was flame and dynamite
During the recent world series. your
correspondent had the pleasure Of
several visits with DR.. Fred Murphy,
one of Yale's famous captains, who
played two years with Hinkey-who
battled against Penn some 40 years
ago.
Those were battles" DR.. Murphy
said, that no one will forget. Yale
was around the top in those days
but so was Pennsylvania. But if you
pin me down, I'll say that, in my
opinion, Frank Hinkey was the best
foot ball player 1 ever saw. He was
undoubtedly the best-pound -or
pound. He was a great end. He was
also a great quarterback and a great
halfback. If he had been called or,
he would have made a great guard or
a great tackle at 155 pounds"
Just what" 1 asked DR.. Murphy,
were Hinkey's leading qualities?"
AFOOt Ball Genius.
you'll remember" DR.. Murphy
said. that Hinkey was known
as the disembodied spirit He could
sift through any interference-no
matter how compact it was-and get
his man. He was in no sense mean
or vicious player. But when he tackled
a man he seemed to explode. know
of no other word that covers his case.
1t was something like a grenade or a
stick of dynamite hitting a runner,
Even l80-pound back would be fat
tened out completely.
"Hinkey was a foot ball genius
and no one can explain a genius. His
reieXes, mental and physical, were
instantaneous. He could sense where
every play was going. He made no
false moves of any sort. I've seen the
parade pass me by for 40 years-but
I've never seen another Hinkey.
never will.
And am not one of the old-timers
who think that all the greatness OF
foot ball belonged to the past There
are at least 100 fine players to in nv
day-maybe 500 to / with the growth
of the game. But even in the course
of 40 years you get one Babe Ruth
one Bobby Jones-perhaps one Joe
Louisiana certainly one Hinkey.
only those who have played with
him can know just what mean"
(Copyrieht. 1885. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance. 1nc)