The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-11-28
This Sporting World
The Heisr,1ar1 Trophy
By JOHN A. CLUNEY

In view of the fact that the time draws near when the best college football player in the country will be announced by the Heisman Memorial Trophy committee, the result of the voting by some 75O football writers and radio commen- tators on the grid sport. Did you know that no man has ever won the Heisman Trophy twice?
 Where's the first winner NOW? He was Jay Berwanger, University of Chicago back, given the Down. town A. c. trophy that year, as the trophy was not known by the l.eisman name until 1886 when Yales Larry Kelley won it. Where is he today?
 Nile Kinnick, Iowa's great back won the 1889 Heisman award. To- day he's dead, lost at sea in a Navy plane. This year? Felix Blanchard or Glenn Davis of Army figure strongly as the win- her; probably Blanchard because of his edge over Davis as a DE- FENS1VE player.
 Here's how the HeiSman Trophy award started: just about 10 years ago:
 In 1895 the Downtown Athletic Club of New York City decided to award trophy to the Outstanding College Football Player in the United States.
 Consequently, Frank Eliscu, a Well-known New York sculptor was commissioned to create bronze fig ure of a football player which when properly inscribed would become the permanent possession of the winner each year.
 He made several visits to Ford ham 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 player sidestepping, and okeyed the design as authentic. The finished bronze was then cast and was first won by Jay Berwanger, of the University of Chicago, in 1885.
 Various methods of balloting to elect the winner were considered, but finally the committee agreed that the .sportswrite-s and broad casters would be the only impartial and qualified electors. These men are in position to -ee the players in action and scan press reports. More than 750 equally chosen from all sections of the United States, now act as electors.
 In 1886, John w. Heisman, then Director of Athletics at the Down. town Athletic Club of New York City passed away and the trophy was renamed the Heisman Memor- ial Trophy.
 This seemed particularly fitting and met with instant approval be- cause John Heisman had coached football for 37 years from 1892 through 1927 at eight different col legeS. He was the inventor of the spin play and direct snap from cen- ter to quarter and was considered by many as the originator of the forward pass. He was twice Presi- dent 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 Memor- ial Trophy to date are as follows:
 1885 Jay Berwanger, Chicago.
 1936 Larry Kelley, Yale.
 1937 Clint Frank, Yale.
 1888 Davey O'Brien, Tex. Chris.
 1939 Nile Kinnick, Iowa.
 1940 Tom Harmon, Michigan.
 1941 Bruce Smith, Minnesota.
 1942 Frank Sinkwich, Georgia.
 1943 Angelo Bertelli, NOtre Dame. 1914 Leslie Horvath, Ohio.
 The Hefsman Memorial Trophy is footballs greatest individual award. The man who wins 1t comes to New York early in December where be- fore a galaxy of football stars, past