On October 3, 1936, the Director of the Downtown Athletic Club, John Heisman, died at the age of 66, spurring his fellow board members to rename their annual award to the best college football player East of the Mississippi the “Heisman Trophy.” Did you ever wonder why the premier college football award is named after Heisman? Rest assured, it is with good reason!
Digging Deeper
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1869 of Bavarian (German) immigrants, John was raised in Titusville, Pennsylvania where he became the high school Salutatorian and played on the football team, much to his father's chagrin. He went on to continue playing football in college, first at Brown University and then at the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated from Law School. Playing center at only 158 pounds, Heisman was always undersized.
