CHICAGO, June 27 (UPI) -- Jay Berwanger, college football's first Heisman Trophy winner, died of lung cancer on Wednesday. He was 88.
Berwanger was a star halfback for the University of Chicago when the Maroons were a powerhouse in the Big Conference and before varsity football was abolished at the school in 1939.
In 1935, the 6-0, 195-pound Berwanger ran for 577 yards and passed for 406 more before being invited to New York to receive a trophy for the "most valuable player east of Mississippi."
Berwanger was presented with the Downtown Athletic Club Award, which was renamed the John W. Heisman Memorial Trophy the following year in honor of the club's athletic director.
Berwanger, a native of Dubuque, Iowa, chose to attend to attend Chicago, where he was coached as a freshman by the legendary Amos Alonzo Stagg. In 1934, he was tackled in a game by Michigan's Gerald Ford, a future United States President.
In an era before football teams were divided up into offensive and defensive squads, Berwanger was renowned for his versatility. He called plays, ran, passed, punted, blocked, tackled, kicked off, kicked extra points, and returned punts and kickoffs. Berwanger's list of nicknames included "Genius of the Gridiron," "The One-Man Team," "The Flying Dutchman" (though his ancestry was actually German) and "The Man in the Iron Mask" (because he wore a special face guard to protect his twice-broken nose).
Berwanger was the first player ever selected in an NFL draft when he was taken by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1936. The Chicago Bears acquired his rights and Berwanger asked for $25,000 over two years. Bears owner George Halas thought that was too much money and Berwanger instead took a job as a foam-rubber salesman.
During World War II, Berwanger was a naval officer. He later founded a company that manufactured plastic and rubber strips.
Berwanger was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.
