Many joined the new Downtown Athletic Club. In the Depression years the club became a popular place to work out, socialize and sit around cursing FDR's New Deal.
Club members became become fervent fans of college football, thanks to a touchdown club organiized by the club's athletic director. When the club decided to award a trophy to each year's best player, members proposed naming it for the athletic director, who had been a famed coach in his day.
He didn't think much of the award idea and declined.
After the athletic director's death in 1936, the Downtown Athletic Club named the award for him anyway.
The Heisman trophy will be awarded tomorrow for the 72nd time.
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When the Senior Assistant Blogger's daughter entered Oberlin, he was astonished to learn that Heisman had been the college's first coach.
John William Heisman (1869-1936) was the first professional football coach at Oberlin College. In 1892, he led the Yeomen football team to a perfect 7-0 record. In those days of high-powered football, the '92 Oberlin grid squad defeated both Ohio State and Michigan . . .Heisman coached lots of other places. Along the way he helped invent the game.
Most notably, says today's New York Times, he may have saved the game from self-destructing.
To prevent football from deteriorating into nothing but savage scrimmaging, Heisman coaxed the Father of the Game, Yale's sainted Walter Camp, into adopting the forward pass.
Give a cheer, then, to the battered Wall Streeters who raised their depressed spirits by following football. And tell the young footballers in your family to read up on Heisman. He's worth remembering.
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