"Thank you very, very, kindly Mr. Holcomb. It seems to
me that everyone is letting their superlatives run
away with them this evening, but none the less, I want
you to know that I'm mighty, mighty, happy to accept
this trophy this evening.
"Every football player in these United States dreams
about winning that trophy, and of this fine trip to
New York. Every player considers that trophy the acme
in recognition of this kind. And the fact that I am
actually receiving this trophy tonight almost
overwhelms me, and I know that all of those boys who
have gone before me must have felt somewhat the same
way.
"From my own personal viewpoint, I consider my winning
this award as indirectly, a great tribute to the
coaching staff at the University of Iowa, headed by
Dr. Eddie Anderson, and to my teammates sitting back
in Iowa City. A finer man and a better coach never hit
these United States, and a finer bunch of boys, never
graced the gridirons of the Midwest, than that Iowa
team in 1939. I wish that they might all be with me
tonight to receive this trophy. They certainly deserve
it.
"I want to take this grand opportunity to thank
collectively, all the sportswriters and all the
sportscasters, and all those who have seen fit, have
seen their way clear to cast a ballot in my favor for
this trophy. And I also want to that this opportunity
to thank Mr. Prince and his committee, the Heisman
award committee, and all those connected with the
Downtown Athletic Club for this trophy, and for the
fine time that they're showing me. And not only for
that, but for making this fine and worthy trophy
available to the football players of this country.
"Finally, if you will permit me, I'd like to make a
comment which in my mind, is indicative, perhaps, of
the greater significance of football, and sports
emphasis in general in this country, and that is, I
thank God I was warring on the gridirons of the
Midwest, and not on the battlefields of Europe. I can
speak confidently and positively that the players of
this country, would much more, much rather struggle
and fight to win the Heisman award, than the Croix de
Guerre. Thank you."
24 Nile Kinnick
Halfback Adel, Iowa
No single player or team captured the imagination of
Hawkeye fans more than Nile Kinnick and his legendary
Ironmen team of 1939. Kinnick, a stalwart on the
playing field and in the classroom was the model Iowa
football player.
As a student, Kinnick was senior class president. He
was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the national
scholastic honor society.
Maintaining a 3.4 GPA while participating in two
sports, Kinnick earned a degree from the College of
Commerce in 1940. He enrolled in the Iowa Law College.
As a player, his achievements are unmatched in Hawkeye
history. He culminated a brilliant career in 1939 by
winning the Heisman, Walter Camp and Maxwell Trophies
as the nation's top player.
He made virtually every all-America team and was the
Big Ten MVP. Nile is a member of Iowa's all-time
football team and was named its outstanding player.
Kinnick was the spirit of Coach Eddie Anderson's
Ironmen unit of '39. The Hawkeyes' 6-1-1 mark included
a 7-6 upset of Notre Dame when Kinnick scored every
point. He also punted 16 times for 731 yards, both
Iowa records, versus the Fighting Irish.
Kinnick died in the Caribbean Sea in a crash of his
fighter plane while on a training flight June 2, 1943
as an ensign in the United States Navy.
This is from collegefootballnews.com Kinnick is listed as the 9th best college football player of all time.
Nile Kinnick, Halfback
Iowa, 1937-1939
As we've gone along in our analysis and ratings of the 100 Greatest Players, much stock has been put into the legendary aspect of the player and what he meant to his school and to college football. No player in college football history meant more to a whole state than Nile Kinnick meant to Iowa becoming its most popular hero and is still today its most revered icon. If you want the ultimate model of what a student/athlete should be, Kinnick was it as a Heisman winner on the football field and a honor student and class president off of it.
The Iron man of Iron Men: Iowa football wasn't exactly a power in the world of college football in the 1930s as its neighbor to the north, Minnesota, was busy owning the Midwest. After going 2-13-1 and scoring a total of 82 points in 1937 and 1938, Dr. Eddie Anderson took over the head coaching job and Iowa went on to have a season for the ages winning games in dramatic fashion with a group of two way players outlasting several big-time powerhouses with specialists on offense and defense.
Kinnick had a flair for the dramatic making the game-winning play against Indiana choosing to throw for a fifteen yard touchdown pass rather than try the game-tying field goal. After an early 27-7 loss to Michigan, he took care of Wisconsin on a late touchdown pass for 19-13 win. Losing player after player to injury, Iowa had only 14 healthy players late against Purdue in the 4-0 win. Iowa upset No. 1 Notre Dame 7-6 using only 15 players with Kinnick punting 16 times for 731 yards including a 63-yard boot under a heavy rush pinning the Irish on the six-yard line late in the game. Many still consider it the greatest clutch punt in college football history. Kinnick also scored Iowa's only touchdown. The following week the "Iron man" team of Iowa upset the might Minnesota squad 13-9.
The Iron Man of the Iron Man team played 402 consecutive minutes before getting knocked out of the Northwestern game with a separated shoulder. Kinnick was the star of the show all year throwing for 638 yards and 11 touchdowns on only 31 passes and ran for 374 yards. In his career he gained 1,674 yards returning kickoffs for 604 yards. As a kicker, Kinnick punted 71 times in his career for a 39.9 average and hit 11 of 17 drop kicks. In 1939, Kinnick was involved in 16 of the 19 touchdowns (11 passing, 5 rushing) Iowa scored and responsive for 107 of Iowa's 130 points.
The Heisman speech: In perhaps the most eloquent Heisman speech ever given, Kinnick finished with this epic passage. "If you will permit me, I'd like to make a comment which in my mind is indicative, perhaps, of the greater significance of football, and sports emphasis in general in this country, and that is, I thank God I was warring on the gridirons of the Midwest, and not on the battlefields of Europe. I can speak confidently and positively that the players of this country, would much more, much rather struggle and fights to win the Heisman award, than the Croix de Guerre."
The "big" man on campus: Along with being the star of the football team, Kinnick was senior class president, a Phi Betta Kappa and a member of the national scholastic honor society.
The World War II fighter: Following his Iowa career, Kinnick chose to go to law school and join the Naval Air Corps Reserve. In 1943, Kinnick's fighter plane went down in the Caribbean sea on a training flight. In 1972, the University changed the name of Iowa Stadium to Kinnick Stadium to honor their hero.
Honors:
College Football Hall of Fame - 1951
Heisman Trophy - 1939
Walter Camp Award - 1939
Maxwell Award - 1939
All-America - 1939
Big Ten MVP - 1939
No. 24 Iowa jersey retired
Selected the greatest player in Iowa history by the fans - 1989
This page is obviously dedicated to the greatest Hawkeye of all time, not just as an athlete, as a person. Although, I never saw him play, watching specials on tv about him made me realize how much he meant to the University of Iowa, and the people in Iowa and around the country.
Note: The picture above is a football card made of Nile Kinnick, but it says Niles. I don't know why. And I actually have this card, I found it at a collectibles shop in Albuquerque. There was some writing on the back so the guy sold it to me for a buck.
