Frank Sinkwich
 Sinkwichc.1942 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Halfback | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: | October 10, 1920 Starjak,Yugoslavia[a][b] | ||||||||||||||||
| Died: | October 22, 1990(aged 70) Athens, Georgia,U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Chaney (Youngstown, Ohio) | ||||||||||||||||
| College: | Georgia(1940–1942) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1943/ Round: 1 / Pick:1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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| As a coach: | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL/AAFC statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||||||
| Regular season: | 12–7–1 (.625) | ||||||||||||||||
| Postseason: | 1–0 (1.000) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career: | 13–7–1 (.643) | ||||||||||||||||
| Player stats atPFR | |||||||||||||||||
Frank Francis Sinkwich Sr.(October 10, 1920 – October 22, 1990) was a Croatian-YugoslavAmerican footballplayer and coach. He won theHeisman Trophyin 1942 while playing for theGeorgia Bulldogs,making him the first recipient from theSoutheastern Conference.[1]In the course of a brief but celebrated career in professional football, Sinkwich was selected for theNational Football League Most Valuable Player Award.He coached the Erie (PA) Vets semi-professional football team in 1949. Sinkwich was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Famein 1954.[2]
Early years
[edit]Sinkwich was ofCroatorigin.[3]He was born inStarjak,Yugoslavia (currently Croatia).[b]World War Ibroke out in 1914, and as with many, his mother and the children remained there for the duration of the war. They returned to the US, going toYoungstown, Ohiowhen he was two years old, joining his father Ignac (Ignatius), who operated a grocery store. By 1940, the family operated a restaurant in Youngstown. His surname was originally spelled Sinković.
According to an article Sinkwich wrote in 1988, he grew to appreciate the value of competitiveness on the streets of Youngstown's west side. "I learned early in neighborhood pickup games that I had the desire to compete," he wrote. "When people ask why I succeeded in athletics, I always tell them that I didn't want to get beat."[1]
Football career
[edit]Sinkwich gained early recognition as a star athlete at Youngstown'sChaney High School.[1]He went on to the University of Georgia to play under coachWally Buttswhere he was a two-timeAll-Americaselection. In1941,he led the nation in rushing yards with 209 carries for 1,103 yards. He set the NCAA single-seasontotal offenserecord of 2,187 yards[6]and led the Bulldogs to an 11–1 season in1942,capturing theSoutheastern Conferencechampionship and a victory overUCLAin the1943 Rose Bowl.That same year, theWashington D.C. Touchdown Clubhonored Sinkwich as "back of the year",[7]and he was overwhelmingly voted the "Number 1 athlete for 1942" in the annual poll by theAssociated Pressover second-place finisherTed Williamsof theBoston Red Sox,[8]a year in which Williams hit for baseball'striple crown.
The 1942 season was Sinkwich's first year of backfield-mateCharley Trippi.Georgia defeatedFlorida75–0, the worst defeat in the history of Florida football. Sinkwich played with abroken jawand kicked afield goalin a 19–3 defeat ofFloridain 1941.
In his three-year college career, Sinkwich rushed for 2,271 yards, passed for 2,331 yards, and accounted for 60 touchdowns (30 rushing and 30 passing).[1]Sinkwich earned hisBachelor of Sciencein Education (B.S.Ed.) from the university in 1943 and was a member of thePi Kappa AlphaFraternity.
After his collegiate career, Sinkwich joined theUnited States Marine Corps;however, due to his flat feet, he received a medical discharge and proceeded to play with theDetroit Lions,who had selected him first overall in the1943 NFL Draft.[9]In Detroit, he earnedAll-Prohonors in 1943–1944, as well as being namedNFL MVPin 1944.[1](No Detroit Lions player would be named NFL MVP for over half a century:Barry Sandersin 1997.)
After his two years in Detroit, Sinkwich served in both theUnited States Merchant Marinesand theUnited States Army Air Forces,but a knee injury received while playing for theSecond Air Force Superbombers footballteam in 1945 hampered his playing career when he returned to professional football in 1946 and 1947.[1][9]He coached the semi-professional Erie (PA) Vets football team in 1949. Sinkwich was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Famein 1954.[1]
In 2024, he will be included in Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame.[10]
Legacy
[edit]Sinkwich died after a long illness inAthens, Georgia,at age 70. "We've lost one of the great legends in football history," said then Georgia athletic directorVince Dooley."He was not only a great player but a wonderful person and citizen of Athens."[1]
Head coaching record
[edit]| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Spartans(Independent)(1950–1951) | |||||||||
| 1950 | Tampa | 5–4 | |||||||
| 1951 | Tampa | 7–3–1 | WBrandeis Classic | ||||||
| Tampa: | 12–7–1 | ||||||||
| Total: | 12–7–1 | ||||||||
See also
[edit]- List of NCAA major college football yearly rushing leaders
- List of NCAA major college football yearly total offense leaders
Notes
[edit]Notes and references
[edit]- ^abcdefgh "Frank Sinkwich was worshipped by his fans".The Vindicator.October 23, 1990.
- ^"Frank Sinkwich".Georgia Bulldogs official site.RetrievedSeptember 19,2009.[dead link]
- ^Croatian Chronicle Network35 Pacific Northwest Croatian Athletes
- ^"Frank Sinkwich (1954)".footballfoundation.org.
- ^"Frank Sinkwich".Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^Magill, Dan(1993)."Chapter 2".Dan Magill's Bull-Doggerel:Fifty Years of Anecdotes from the Greatest Bulldog Ever(1st Printing ed.).Marietta, Georgia:Longstreet Press. pp.43–48.ISBN1-56352-089-3.
- ^ Perazich, Chuck (June 14, 1982). "Frank Sinkwich Lauded at Croatian Home Fete".The Vindicator.
- ^"Who Won".Time.December 28, 1942. Archived fromthe originalon October 14, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 6,2007.
- ^abGrosshandler, Stan (August 1997)."Georgia's Greatest?"(PDF).College Football Historical Quarterly.X(IV). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on June 10, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 6,2007.
- ^"Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame announces 2024 inductees".croatiaweek.com.Croatia Week. May 7, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Frank Sinkwichat theCollege Football Hall of Fame
- Frank SinkwichatHeisman.com
- Career statistics and player information fromNFL.com·Pro Football Reference
| International | |
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| National | |
- 1920 births
- 1990 deaths
- American football halfbacks
- Baltimore Colts (1947–1950) players
- Detroit Lions players
- Georgia Bulldogs football players
- Tampa Spartans athletic directors
- Tampa Spartans football coaches
- New York Yankees (AAFC) players
- Second Air Force Superbombers football players
- All-American college football players
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Heisman Trophy winners
- First overall NFL draft picks
- United States Army Air Forces soldiers
- United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
- Coaches of American football from Ohio
- Players of American football from Youngstown, Ohio
- Croatian emigrants to the United States
- American people of Croatian descent
- United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II
- United States Merchant Mariners of World War II
- National Football League Most Valuable Player Award winners