Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-11-26
WIN, LOSE OR
DRAW ;, FRANCE, ,,A~u
Guckeyson of MARYLAND

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND IN" Club today
named new award for athletic ability scholarship and
leadership-the Bill Guckeyson Memorial Trophy Those
who have lived in the for spell will know why To
newcomers Guckeyson very likely the best back in
Terrapin history.
Dr. H. c. Byrd thought The more familiar Curley
was coaching football for the 22d consecutive
at College Park when Bill Guckeyson reported to the
varsity in 1884 He had high school record because
those days there football in Maryland high schools
and Guckeyson hailed from nearby Bethesda.
But from the moment the young turned up,
Coach Byrd knew he had natural Gpckeyson could do
everything run a broken field, buck the line catch
and throw passes and punt His football feas alone
Maryland became long list of touchdown dashes, al
though in 9S45-6 the Terps weren't geared for bigtime
opponents and usually outmanned by the same
leges routiney met during the Paul BryantJm Tatum
Tommy Mont era.
When Guckeyson wasn't playing football he starred
at track, basketball and baseball there sport
in which he didn't excel it wasn't recognized at Mary
land or, later at West Point
se..r
MARYLAND PLAYED THE LIKES Of ST. Johns West
Maryland, Richmond and Johns Hopkins too often
to draw national attention to Guckeyson When he
senior however Bill got chance perform in New York
The, Terrapins playing Syracuse in the Polo
Grounds and expected to lose Guckeyson, who had
been the whole show the previous week Maryland
whomped Virginia, led his team to unexpected 200
victory over the Orange. He for touchdown,
passed for another and must have set some sort of
record when he punted 10 times for average of 81 yards
He was outstanding physical specimen, 6-feet-2
and weighing close to 200 pounds He like Splinter
and was so good at baseball that both Walter Johnson,
the great pitcher, and Clark Griffith urged him to go
into professional ball. More than National Football
League team wanted him, too.
Bill chose, instead an Army career. He won ap-
pontment to West Point in competitive examination.
The pity Of it Is that he couldn't play for Army.
WITH ONLYsTHREE SEASONS Of varsity play plus
freshman year behind him. Guckeyson was at his peak
when West Point beckoned At Army he might have be-
come the all-time sports great. But at time when
Guckeyson ana Al-America center from Vanderbilt,
Carl Hinkle were becoming cadets eligibility rule
was passed that prevented them from playing football.
Guckeyson restricted to two years of baseball
and track and three OF soccer At West Point he did
finally make Al-America but it at soccer the sport
he played superbly in high school, Even So Army
called him the greatest athlete at the Point Elmer
Ophant, who had starred at Purdue for three years
before coming to West Point.
All during their careers at the Military Academy
Guckeyson and Hnke played against the Army varsity
in practice racking up Saturdays heroes as officers and
cadets alike damned the ban the pair only cheers
Guckeyson and Hnke heard those as they marched
with the Corps of Cadets into the stadia
1t took Guckeyson five years to graduate from West
Point which for him more respect than If he had
made in regulation semesters Because his early school,
Ing had not included enough calculus Bill left the Acade
my at the end of his pebe year. boned up with charac
steristc determination, and returned
THE FOLKS BACK HOME surprised to hear
that while cadet he the annual horse show COM
petition. They didn't know Bill could ride He couldn't
1t was something he picked up couple of weeks before
the show.
Legend has 1t that during discussion among post
officers Of Guckeysons a-around athletic ability bet
was made that Bill couldn't break 80 the golf course
although he'd never played The story is that he went
out and did it. although 1t is hard to believe.
Bill was killed in fighter plane over Germany in
World War II. The year 1914 But before checking
out Guckeyson credited with destroying one Naz
plane on the ground and six others in the air.