Miami Dolphins Quiz: 1) Most rushing yards, season? [Hint:
This isn”t easy.] 2) Most TDs, career? 3) Most interceptions,
career? Answers below.
From Johnny Mac: Nile Kinnick
In the spirit of full disclosure, I will admit a predisposition to
view the glass as half empty. Although sports in general has
attained great heights in attendance, revenue and coverage
there are troubles on the horizon. Arrests and convictions
seem as commonplace as box scores. Steroid use
is so prevalent that some sports ( notably body-building) hold
“drug-free” events, obviously to differentiate themselves from
the drug-ridden ones normally held. Every Olympic champion
who turned in performances out of context with prior
established times was accused of doping. Even Lance
Armstrong, the feel-good story of the year, is embroiled in a
drug controversy. College graduation rates for athletes
continue to slip. Sneaker companies, who market overpriced
junk made by 12 year old girls to inner city kids who can least
afford them, scour the country for talent among grade
schools…grade schools, for chrissake. Ticket prices are at
a level that puts them out of reach of most working guys.
Teams lucky enough to make the post-season reward their
loyal fans with ticket surcharges, double the average parking
fees, delayed refunds for unplayed games (giving them free
float on your money) and assorted other little legal scams
designed to rip you, the consumer, off.
Those of you on the east coast will remember fighting sleep to
catch the World Series. The people of New York, who
should have been the most excited by this, struggled to even
watch the games. The NBA All-Star game held in Madison
Square Garden last year offered a grand total of zero tickets
for sale to the general public…zero. All were gobbled up by
the teams, the league, the press and the corporations. Football
fans have been required for years to buy tickets to
meaningless pre-season games in order to purchase their
season ticket plan. The best general managers today don”t
evaluate talent, they navigate salary cap rules. As long as the
money pours in, these abuses will not only continue, but
grow worse. Player misbehavior, tolerated in direct
proportion to their on-field productivity, will also continue
unabated.
It is against this backdrop that I picked Nile Kinnick as the
subject for our first football biography. Kinnick”s story seems
the stuff of fable…Heisman Trophy winner, Phi Beta
Kappa student, war hero. A true amateur who chose to forgo
a pro career to attend law school. Yet outside of his beloved
Iowa, his name draws blank stares. People who can recite
Michael Irvin”s rap sheet in chronological order, or who plan
on giving Allen Iverson”s CD as a stocking stuffer couldn”t
identify Kinnick on a bet. That seems a shame, because
today”s sports world seems in dire need of a few more Nile
Kinnicks.
Born in Iowa in 1918, Nile was the grandson of a former
governor. Growing to an unimposing 5”8”” and 170 lbs and
possessed of neither great strength nor great speed, Kinnick
nonetheless starred in football and basketball at Adel High in
Adel, Iowa. The family moved to Nebraska after his junior
year. He continued his high school career there and after
graduation tried out for the University of Minnesota football
squad. He failed. Undaunted, he enrolled at Iowa and ended
up making the team. His presence certainly didn”t guarantee
results, as evidenced by the Hawkeye”s dismal 1-7 record his
sophomore year (although he did earn all All Big-Ten
honors) nor its 1-6-1 record his junior year (Kinnick was
injured through most of the campaign).
His senior year saw a complete reversal of fortune. A new
coach was hired and the squad, nicknamed “The Ironmen,”
had a memorable season. Like most on his team, Kinnick
played both ways (hence the nickname). He averaged 57
minutes a game and at one point played 402 consecutive
minutes! A halfback by trade, he was also the team”s main
passer under the old single wing offense. On defense, he was a
ballhawking cornerback, recording 8 interceptions his senior
year and 18 for his career. His career total was a school
record that stood 50 years. In his spare time, he handled the
punting and drop-kicked the points after touchdowns. Iowa
scored 130 points that season (1939) and Kinnick, by passing,
running or kicking, had his hand in 107 of them. Iowa went
into the final game with a shot at the Big Ten title, but Nile
was injured early in the third quarter against Northwestern
and the game ended up tied at 7. That left them at 6-1-1 for
the season, with a final A.P. rank of 9th.
Kinnick had many fine games during the season, but 2 stand
out. Notre Dame visited Iowa ranked second in the nation. A
defensive struggle ensued, with Iowa gaining the early lead
when the Irish fumbled a Kinnick punt deep in their territory.
Nile ran in for the score and added the extra point. The Irish
closed to 7-6 late in the game and forced Iowa to punt the ball
away with 2 minutes left. Kinnick, under a strong rush,
bombed one 63 yards that rolled out of bounds at the Notre
Dame 6-yard line. That effectively clinched the game. Kinnick
and 6 of his mates had logged 60 minutes each in the grueling
contest. A week later, they faced a tough Minnesota team.
Kinnick threw for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns (both in the
4th quarter) on just 7 completions to stun the Gophers 13-9.
These exploits led to a plethora of post-season awards. Big-
Ten MVP, Walter Camp and Maxwell trophies and, finally, the
coveted Heisman. Receiving the latter trophy in December
1939, Kinnick waxed poetic in perhaps the finest acceptance
speech in history. Remember, America was still watching the
war evolve from afar, struggling with our possible
involvement in what many saw as Europe”s problem. “I”d like
to make a comment which, in my mind, is indicative perhaps of
the greater significance of football and sports 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 than the Criox de Guerre”
Kinnick was named 1939”s top male athlete, no mean trick
considering the competition included Joe DiMaggio, Joe
Louis and Byron Nelson. In 1941, seeing war was imminent,
he joined the Naval Air Corps reserve. He was called to active
duty on December 3rd, 1941. In a letter home, he gave his
reason for serving.”there is no reason why we shouldn”t
fight for the preservation of a chance to live freely. No reason
why we shouldn”t suffer to uphold that which we want to
endure. May God give me the courage to do my duty and not
falter”. A far cry from “it depends on what the meaning of
the word is, is.”
On June 2, 1943 he was flying a training mission from the
U.S.S. Lexington off the coast of Venezuela. Experiencing
engine problems, he ditched into the sea, forgoing a
dangerous landing on the carrier which would have
endangered his fellow shipmates. Search teams looked for
hours, but his body was never found. Kinnick was 24.
In a fitting tribute, Iowa named its football stadium after him in
1972.
The next time you see some miscreant in an orange jumpsuit
being led away in handcuffs and wonder where the hell all the
heroes have gone, just remember the name Nile Kinnick.
[Sources: ESPN Sports Century, College Football Hall of Fame,
University of Iowa]
Pat Ryan…foot in mouth
Ryan, the former Jets QB and current radio color commentator
for the Tennessee Titans, was doing the Jacksonville game on
Sunday when he said veteran football players hate having a hard-
fought game come down to “two foreign guys, the kickers.”
Dohh! And the payoff was that neither Tennessee kicker Al Del
Greco (a great golfer by the way) nor Jacksonville”s Mike Hollis
are foreign. When this was pointed out to Ryan by play-by-play
man Mike Keith, Ryan responded, “Well, you know what I
meant.”
Ryan has since apologized. For his sake, I hope he”s friends with
the owner.
Tiger Follow-up
Tiger Woods met with PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem to
discuss all of Tiger”s issues. Said the 24-year-old boy wonder, “It
was very positive, very upbeat. There is no hostility at all.”
Pat Ryan responded, “Tiger has foreign blood, you know.”
Lou Groza. RIP
Groza, the football Hall of Famer and ex-Browns great, died on
Wednesday at the age of 76.
Lou “The Toe” Groza was one of the greatest kickers in NFL
history. In an era when the straight on style was de rigueur, he
was actually named NFL Player of the Year for his efforts in 1954
when he converted 23 of 26 field goal attempts (in 12 games).
Groza was also a two-way player, doubling at offensive lineman.
He was one of the first players your editor can remember with
those distinctive black high tops.
Dennis Tito”s Excellent Adventure
Tito is the 60-year-old California investment whiz who is bound
and determined to go into space. He has deposited millions of
dollars into an escrow account controlled by Russian space
authorities which will be released once the cash-strapped Russkies
launch him as the first space tourist.
Initially, Tito, who has been in Russia for months now, training,
thought he would be part of a Mir expedition. But with the
current plans to dump Mir in February, Tito may become part of a
NASA-led expedition to the international space station.
Regardless, if he hasn”t left Earth by 6/30/01, the deal”s off.
NASA is none too pleased that they may be forced by their
Russian counterparts to honor Tito”s deal. Spare seats on
Russian rockets should go to European or Japanese astronauts
who have been training for years, not to wealthy “spectators.”
And why would yours truly be interested in Dennis Tito? Well,
all I can say is that I know him well from past business dealings.
I wish him well. [Source: AP]
Stolen Beer!!!
The following item appeared in the Star-Ledger newspaper this
past Wednesday.
“A New York City man stole a beer truck and drove it to
Plainfield, New Jersey (near where your editor lives, that”s why
this caught my eye), possibly selling some of its contents along
the way, police said.
“The truckload of brew was reported stolen from the Beehive
Beer Distribution corp. in Long Island City…(When officers in
Plainfield) spotted the truck…the suspect tried to run from the
scene. (An officer) caught him in the driveway…(The suspect)
had $200 in his pocket that could have been proceeds from selling
beer off the truck. There were still 11 kegs and 21 cases of beer
worth $1,012 on the truck, police said.”
Something tells me this poor slob didn”t quite get retail.
Top 3 songs for the week of 11/28/64: #1 “Leader Of The Pack”
(The Shangri-Las) #2 “Baby Love” (The Supremes) #3 “Come
A Little Bit Closer” (Jay & The Americans)
The Monkees are returning! Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, and
Peter Tork, all in their mid to upper 80s, are going to tour the
country next year.
Dolphins Quiz Answer: 1) Rushing yards, season: Delvin
Williams, 1,258.1978 2) TDs, career: Mark Clayton, 82.
3) Interceptions: Jake Scott, 35.
Dolphins Tidbits: The only two retired uniforms are for Dan
Marino and Bob Griese. In the 1966 draft (their first season),
they had two first round picks; Jim Grabowski, RB, who didn”t
play a down for Miami and ended up signing with Green Bay, and
that great Kentucky QB, Rick Norton. Norton played 5 seasons
with Miami, completing just 41.6% of his 382 passes. And in
throwing 30 interceptions, with only 7 TD passes, Rick Norton
retired with a quarterback rating of 30.0. That”s right, 30.0.
Oh well, in 1967 the Dolphins made up for their shaky start in
selecting Bob Griese.
Next Bar Chat, Monday…something on the medical front. Think
back to the 1960s. Dateline: South Africa.
