Tommorrow the Downtown Atheltic Club will award 72nd Heisman Trophy, named for John Heisman. Today’s New York Times had an article about John Heisman, the forgoten man behind the trophy. For those who don’t know Heisman was one of the inovators that made the game what it is today. After scouting a game between North Carolina and Georgia in 1895:
Heisman said he saw the first forward pass in history when a bungled punt attempt led a desperate punter to illegally fling the football over the line to a teammate who ran for a touchdown. Heisman walked away convinced it was the play that would save football from itself. As Heisman wrote, violent scrums based around bruising running plays were “killing the game as well as the players.”
In 1904-5, 44 players had been reported killed in football games, with hundreds sustaining serious injuries. Heisman said the forward pass “would scatter the mob.”
Among other advancements made by Heisman was the fumblerooski, creation of Quarters, and the scoreboard. Needless to say the game wouldn’t be the same without him.
