The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-12-22
The Heismon Trophy

Every year since 1885 sports page
readers all over the nation have
been taking notice of the annual
award of the Heisman Memorial
Trophy to the outstanding COL
LEGE football player decided upon
by a committee of more than 200
football writers and radio commen-
tators from the Atlantic to the
Pacific, Canada to the Gulf Of
Mexico. Yet, it is safe to say that
IS per cent do not know who j. w.
Heisman was, why the trophy was
donated and could not name four of
the eight winners since it first went
to Chicago's Jay Berwanger eight
years ago. This years winner is
Angelo SLINGSHOT Bertelli of
Notre Dame, now a Marine Corps
private, hard at his boot training on
Paris Island, North Carolina. 1t
will not be presented at the usual
New York dinner this year, because
Bertelli cannot "get away" from his
Marine training, even for "a hours,
as he is a candidate for OCS, ard
one just can't GALLIVANr around
the country even for a little while.
Personally, I believe that the az
erage sports page reader, football
followers in particular, will be in
terested in the story behind the
Heisman Memorial Trophy, which
follows:
In 1885 the Downtown Ath-
letic Club of New York City
decided to award a trophy to
the Outstanding College Foot
ball Player in the United States.
CONSEQUENTLY, Frank Eliscu,
well-known New York sculptor
was commissioned to create
bronze figure of a football player
which when properly inscribed
would become the permanent
possession of the winner each
year.
He made several visits to
Fordham Field where Jimmy
Crowley's boys posed for the
clay model. Later, after the
Army-Notre Dame game of that
year the entire Notre Dame
team inspected the model, which
depicted a player sidestepping,
and okeyed the design as
authentic. Finished bronze was
then cast and was first won by
Jay Berwanger, of the Univer-
sity of Chicago, in 1885.
Various methods of balloting
to elect the winner were con-
sidered, but finally the commit
tee agreed that the sportsWriterS
and broadcasters would be the
only impartial, qualified elec-
tors. These men are in a posi-
ton to see the players in action
and scan press reports. Over
700 equally chosen from all
sections of the United States,
now act as solicitors.
In 1886, John w. Heisman,
the Director of Athletics at the
Downtown Athletic Club of New
York City passed away and the
trophy was renamed the Hels-
man Memorial Trophy.
This seemed particularly fit
ting and met with instant APP
proval because John Heisman
had coached football for 81 years
at eight different colleges. He
was the inventor of the spin
play and direct snap from cen
ter to quarter and was consid-
cred by many as the originator
of the forward pass. He was
twice President Of the American
Football Coaches Association,
first President and organizer of
the Touchdown Club and truly
great figure in the football
world.
Winners of the Heisman Me-
mortal Trophy to date are as
follows:
1885 Jay Berwanger, Chicago
1886 Larry Kelly, Yale
1887 Clint Frank, Yale
1898 Davey OBrien, Tex. Chris.
1899 Nile Kinnick, Iowa.
1910 Tom Harmon, Michigan
1941 Bruce Smith, Minnesota
1912 Frank Sinkwich, U. of Ga.
The Heisman Memorial Tro-
ply is footballs greatest in
dividual award The man who
wins it comes to New York early
in December where before a
galaxy of football stars, past
and present, he is fittingly hon
ored
Ed Note-Davie O'Brien, the
1898 winner, is now a special agent
with the FBI and one of its out
standing PISTOL SHOTS, so good
that he could outshoot most of the
Rangers from his native Texas0