Evening star., 1940-05-22
The
SPORTLIGHT
Sports Mighty Atoms
Provide Big Thrills
BY GRANTLAND RICE,

Provide Big Thrills
BY GRANTLAND RICE,
Special Correspondent of The Star.
One hundred and thirty-two-
pound Ben Hogan of Texas had just
won the famous Goodall round
robin of golf. He had turned on a
killing pace against IA great COM
petitors through 126 holes of play,
man against man. He had been
beyond most of the good hitters, up
with Thomson and Snead, the two
men Of might.
Il was afraid to let out on Fresh
Meadow" Hogan told me, because
1t was trifle narrow, and 260 or
27o yard drive might easily get
you into trouble"
But when the time came to let
one fly at full range, the 132-pound
Hogan was all there, close to 800
yards.
Ben hasn't big hands. He hasn't
big wrists or big forearms. He has
no body bulk to help him along
But he can develop the greatest club
head speed I ever saw for a small
man, with the possible exception
of Cyril Walker who played from
110 to ia pounds and outdrove
many Of the longer sluggers.
Hinkey Little Wonder
Of Gridiron Come
just after the round robin tour
nament was over I ran across my
old friend, Col George Adee of foot
ball, tennis, golf and war fame.
Where have you been?" the
colonel asked me.
I've been out watching the
Mighty Atom win another big golf
tournament, said.
mo, you haven't" Col. Adee said.
THE Mighty Atom. is dead. There
was only one Mighty Atom. His
name was Frank Hinkey."
I might mention here that George
Adee was quarterback on two of
Frank Hinkey's teams at Yale in
the early 90s. And he was one of
Yale'S all-time best. But to Adee
there was only one great football
player. His name was Hinkey.
"Hinkey was anywhere from 148
to 1872" Adee said. He was one of
the cleanest players I ever saw, but
he wrecked more 19O-pound giants
than any two men who ever played
When he tackled you he simply ex-
ploded. No interferer could ever
take him out of play He sifted
through and then struck with the
poison of a diamondback or cobra.
That is why Walter Camp called
Frank the disembodied spirit
Greet Fighting Spirit
In Old Yale Stor
"You may remember the time,
years ago." Adee said, when Hinkey
asked us to visit him outside of
Pinehurst, where he was desperately
Ill. We postponed the trip for two
days. We were to get there Monday.
] wired him we couldn't arrive until
Wednesday. Just before we were
leaving I got this message by wire
Sorry, but it's too late Charon has
already docked' He died that night.
II have played many games all
my life," George Adee went on, ''but
I have never seen man with the
fiery, flaming spirit of Frank Hinkey,
coupled with superb skill. Pudge
Hefelfinger was the greatest guard
that ever played. In many ways he
was the most remarkable of them
all. For he is the only man I ever
knew who still was a great football
player 40 years after he left college.
He still was playing at the age of
&c. He still was star at the age
of 55. Ask Bo Mcmillan or Chick
Harley.
But to me Frank Hinkey was all
that football ever meant. Courage,
brains, speed, skill, knowledge, dura-
bility, stamina and, above all, the
greatest fighting spirit that ever
stepped upon any field at any time"
Little Men Must Prove
NoIue Of Hearts
There always is a thrill in paying
tribute to the little men of sport
Frank Hinkey, Albie Booth, Ben
Hogan, Cyril Walker, Johnny Evers.
Rabbit Maranville, Tommy Leach of
the old Pirates, Davey OBrien OF
T. c. U. and the Philadelphia Eagles,
who at 148 never has had time
taken out in five collegiate and pro
years: Joe Sternaman of Illinois, a
line wrecker who weighed 141
pounds, college and pro; Chigger
Brown of Sewanee, a star whose top
weight was 110 pounds; Tick Itch
enor of Auburn and Georgia, all
Southern four years at ia, and one
OF the best.
They all had two main ingredi-
ents-skill and spirit. But the spirit
side was rampant and predominant.
They were af1ame inside. 1t was
largely within.
The big, fast, 20o-pounders ought
to be good. They can't miss with
any spirit at all. They are physi-
cally equipped to excel But they
never have to prove to the truer
values of heart and brain that the
little men of sport must depend
upon to reach the heights.
(Released by the North American