John Heisman

College coach infobox
Name = John W. Heisman


ImageWidth =
Caption = John W. Heisman
DateOfBirth = birth date|1869|10|23|mf=y
Birthplace = Cleveland, Ohio
DateOfDeath = Death date and age|1936|10|3|1869|10|23
Sport = Football
College =
Title = Head Coach
CurrentRecord =
OverallRecord = 185-70-17 (71.1%)
Awards =
Championships =
CFbDWID = 1025
Player = Y
Years = 1887-1889
1890-1891
Team = Brown
Pennsylvania
Position = Center / Tackle
Coach = Y
CoachYears = 1892,1894
1893
1895-99
1900-03
1904-19
1920-22
1923
1924-27
CoachTeams = Oberlin
Akron
Auburn
Clemson
Georgia Tech
Pennsylvania
Washington & Jefferson
Rice
FootballHOF = 1954

John William Heisman (October 23, 1869 – October 3, 1936) was a prominent American football player and college football coach in the early era of the sport and is the namesake of the Heisman Trophy awarded annually to the season's best college football player.cite web|url=http://gtalumni.org/Publications/techtraditions/legends/heisman.html|title=John Heisman|work=Tech Traditions: Ramblin' Memories|publisher=Georgia Tech Alumni Association|accessdate=2007-05-21]

Early life

He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, but grew up in Titusville, Pennsylvania, [cite web|url=http://www.heisman.com/history/john-heisman.html|title=Heisman Trophy|publisher=Heisman.com|accessdate=2007-05-19] where he played football for Titusville High School, graduating in 1887. He went on to play football at Brown University 1887-1889 and at the University of Pennsylvania 1890-1891. He coached at Oberlin College in 1892, went to the University of Akron in 1893, and returned to Oberlin the next year. In 1895, he became the fifth coach at Auburn University, where he stayed for five years. With all these schools combined, he lost only five games.

Later coaching career

In 1900, Heisman went to Clemson University, where he coached for four seasons and a street on the campus bears his name today to honor him. He moved from Clemson to Georgia Tech where he put together a spectacular 16 seasons, including three undefeated seasons and a 32-game undefeated streak. He was coaching the Georgia Tech Engineers when they defeated the Cumberland College Bulldogs 222-0 in a game played in Atlanta in 1916, in the most one-sided college football game ever played. Heisman's running up the score against a totally outmanned opponent was supposedly motivated by revenge against Cumberland's baseball team running up the score against Tech 22-0 the previous year with a team primarily comprised of semi-pro players,Fact|date=February 2007 and against sportswriters who were too focused on numbers.

After a divorce in 1919, he left Atlanta to prevent any social embarrassment to his former wife, who chose to remain in the city.cite web|url=http://gtalumni.org/Publications/timeline/1910s.html|title=Tech Timeline: 1910s|work=Tech Traditions|publisher=Georgia Tech Alumni Association|accessdate=2007-05-21] He went back to Penn for one season in 1920, then to Washington and Jefferson College, before ending his career with four seasons at Rice University.

Death and Burial

Heisman died October 3, 1936 in New York City.cite web|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/heisman-john-william|title=Heisman John William|work=Heisman's Bio|publisher=Answers.com|accessdate=2007-09-23] Three days later he was taken by train to his wife's hometown of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, where he was buried in Grave D, Lot 11, Block 3 of the city-owned Forest Home Cemetery.cite web|url=http://ad.go.com/ncf/s/1999/1210/225405.html|title=Gravesite Still Draws Visitors|work=Heisman's gravesite|publisher=ESPN.com|accessdate=2007-09-23] cite web|url=http://yourhometown.org/page59.html|title=Your Hometown|work=Wisconsin Places to Visit|publisher=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|accessdate=2007-09-23]

Legacy

He was an innovator and developed one of the first shifts, had both guards pull to lead an end run, and had his center toss the ball back, instead of rolling or kicking it. He was a proponent of the legalization of the forward pass.

Heisman subsequently became the athletics director of the former Downtown Athletic Club in Manhattan, New York. In 1935 the club began awarding a Downtown Athletic Club trophy for the best football player east of the Mississippi River. On December 10, 1936, just two months after Heisman's death on October 3, the trophy was renamed the Heisman Memorial Trophy,cite web|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/heisman-john-william|title=Heisman John William|work=Heisman's Bio|publisher=Answers.com|accessdate=2007-09-23] and is now given to the player voted as the season's best nationwide collegiate player. Voters for this award consist primarily of media representatives, who are allocated by regions across the country in order to filter out possible regional bias, and former recipients. Following the bankruptcy of the Downtown Athletic Club in 2002, the award is now given out by the Yale Club.

Head Coaching Record

CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1892
name = Oberlin
overall = 7-0-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1894
name = Oberlin
overall = 1-0-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship =

CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1893
name = Akron
overall = 5-2-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1894
name = Akron
overall = 1-0-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship =

CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1895
name = Auburn
overall = 2-1-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1896
name = Auburn
overall = 3-1-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1897
name = Auburn
overall = 2-0-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1898
name = Auburn
overall = 2-1-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1899
name = Auburn
overall = 4-0-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship =

CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1900
name = Clemson
overall = 6-0-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1901
name = Clemson
overall = 3-1-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1902
name = Clemson
overall = 6-1-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1903
name = Clemson
overall = 4-1-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship =

CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1904
name = Georgia Tech
overall = 8-1-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1905
name = Georgia Tech
overall = 6-0-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1906
name = Georgia Tech
overall = 5-3-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1907
name = Georgia Tech
overall = 4-4-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1908
name = Georgia Tech
overall = 6-3-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1909
name = Georgia Tech
overall = 7-2-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1910
name = Georgia Tech
overall = 5-3-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1911
name = Georgia Tech
overall = 6-2-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1912
name = Georgia Tech
overall = 5-3-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1913
name = Georgia Tech
overall = 7-2-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1914
name = Georgia Tech
overall = 6-2-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1915
name = Georgia Tech
overall = 7-0-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1916
name = Georgia Tech
overall = 8-0-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1917
name = Georgia Tech
overall = 9-0-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1918
name = Georgia Tech
overall = 6-1-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1919
name = Georgia Tech
overall = 7-3-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship =

CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1920
name = Penn
overall = 6-4-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1921
name = Penn
overall = 4-3-2
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1922
name = Penn
overall = 6-3-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship =

CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1924
name = Rice
overall = 4-4-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1925
name = Rice
overall = 4-4-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1926
name = Rice
overall = 4-4-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1927
name = Rice
overall = 2-6-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = no
bowloutcome = no
bcsbowl = no
ranking = no
ranking2 = no
championship =

References

External links

* [http://www.upenn.edu/assets/images/videos/heisman.mpg John Heisman – University of Pennsylvania video]
*cite news
first=Bill
last=Pennington
url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/08/sports/ncaafootball/08heisman.html
title=John Heisman, the Coach Behind the Trophy
work=New York Times
date=2006-12-08
accessdate=2006-12-08
* [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2001 John Heisman] at the New Georgia Encyclopedia
* [http://ramblinwreck.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/heisman_john00.html Georgia Tech profile]