Heisman: The Man Behind the Trophy

The Heisman Trophy is the most coveted award in all of college football, perhaps in all of amateur sports. It might be the most well-known trophy in the United States. Yet, very little is known about the man for whom the trophy is named. John Heisman helped shape the game of football--both college and professional--in ways that improved both its safety and its entertainment value. Those of us who love college football can thank Heisman for many of the things we love about the game: the forward pass, innovative formations and motions, the quarter system, and many other innovations that we take for granted today.

The section on W&J College is fabricated. Do you notice there are no annotations or footnotes? In the entire book?My grandfather, Robert Martin Murphy, was an administrator of that college, student recruiter, and athletic director (scheduling all football games - he insisted on playing top teams, though his school numbered below 500 students) - he had been in those positions since his graduation from the school in 1906.It was he who recruited Charles Fremont “Pruner” West as a student and superior athlete. West excelled in many sports, particularly track and field, for which he won major awards. Also football.During West’s time on the football team, Washington and Lee attempted to have West removed from the team - phone calls to my grandfather starting right after they agreed to come North to play (two other games had been played against the Generals, but on their home turf in the South).Murph continued to deflect them saying the only way he would not play him would be if he were injured.At game time, W&L tried again, so the coach of that team, the President of W&J (Simon Baker) and Robert Murphy Met in the president’s Office - calling their bluff. They were sent packing and met a riotous mob of townspeople at the train station!John Heisman, hired by my grandfather, was at W&J only one football season. He had NOTHING to do with the W&L incident. In fact, when coach of Georgia Tech for many years (before briefly heading North), would not play Rutgers unless Paul Robeson was removed from the team. Coach of the Rutgers team refused, so that game was not played. It was Simon Baker and Robert Murphy who stood up to Washington and Lee. I have newspaper cutting to verify all of this.

The book, Heisman: The Man Behind the Trophy, tells a compelling tale of the life and times of the legendary coach John Heisman. In detail only available through the painstaking research of the coach's grand-nephew (co-author John M. Heisman) we know aspects of Coach Heisman's life and ethos previously unknown outside the Heisman family. The richness of of Heisman's life in and out of football show why the Downtown Athletic Club chose the only name for their award that would epitomize both on-field success along with class and academic merit off the field. A fast read that has enough surprises and historical perspective to keep even those not addicted to college football reading on. A worthy addition to the historical record of early college football invention and innovation along with a snapshot of American culture in the early 20th century. Especially rich in detail of life in the Jim Crow South in those years. Coach Heisman's courage in facing down the racial animus of those times is a story that had to be told.

So little has been told about one of the great innovative men in the history of sports, the legendary coach John W. Heisman. This book changes all that. It is packed with little-known inside stories about `the father of modern college football.'Now we have a better idea of why those were the good old days-- as important as the sweeping changes he brought to the playing field were the moral virtues Coach Heisman instilled in his players.An eye-opening must-read.

I love this book and would totally recommend it to any sports or college football fan. I was actually amazed how big of an impact Mr. Heisman had on the game. he was such a revolutionary coach he did things way before anyone else in the sport though of them. if your a fan of the game get this book you won't regret it. believe me. R.I.P. Mr. Heisman your impact will never be forgotten.

John Heisman, his great nephew had a huge amount of Heisman's personal document, so this book contains information that you won't find else where. It is coauthor with Mark Schlabach a professional sport writer. If Heisman had not gone to school in Titusville not being a true football fan I doubt if I would have read this book. I'm glad I did. He was a remarkable man.

Interesting book about a little known football icon

It was great to learn about one of the most influential, and unfortunately often forgotten names in coaching history.