Elroy Hirsch
| Elroy Hirsch | |
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Positions: running back , wide receiver |
Jersey number (s): 40 |
| born June 17, 1923 in Wausau , Wisconsin | |
| died on January 28, 2004 in Madison , Wisconsin | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1946 - 1957 | |
| NFL Draft : 1945 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5 | |
| College : Wisconsin , Michigan | |
| Teams | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Gaining space in the passing game | 7,029 yards |
| Ball catches | 387 |
| Touchdowns | 66 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
| College Football Hall of Fame | |
Elroy Leon Hirsch (* 17th June 1923 in Wausau , Wisconsin ; † 28. January 2004 in Madison , Wisconsin) Nickname : Crazylegs , was a US American football player . He played as a wide receiver and running back in the National Football League (NFL) and won with the Los Angeles Rams in 1951 the championship .
origin
Hirsch was an adopted child and came from a German - Norwegian family . His father worked in the steel industry. He attended high school in his hometown . In addition to American football, he also played baseball and basketball . He got his nickname from his running style, which he adopted as a child. He kept running cross-legged over curbs. Contemporaries of Hirsch stated that his running style was reminiscent of a demented duck.
Player career
College career
In 1942, Hirsch received a scholarship from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and ran there for their college team, the Wisconsin Badgers . Already in his first year in college he drew attention to himself with good performances under his trainer Harry Stuhldreher . He was used in various positions and was able to achieve 786 yards of space gain by running play , 390 yards by passing catches and 226 yards by throws in his first year . In particular, his unpredictable running style made him an unpleasant opponent for opposing defenders.
In 1943, Hirsch joined the United States Marine Corps , but was given the opportunity to continue his college education at the University of Michigan . He ran for the Michigan Wolverines , but also played other sports in college. In 1946 he was elected to the National College Football All-Star Team . The team played against the Los Angeles Rams . Thanks to two touchdowns that Hirsch was able to achieve, the college team achieved a 16-0 victory. Hirsch was named the game's Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Professional career
In 1945, Hirsch was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Draft . He never played for this team. Rather, he joined the Chicago Rockets between 1946 and 1948 , which were based in the competitive league All-America Football Conference (AAFC). In 1948, his team played a comparison game against the Browns. Hirsch suffered a first personal setback in his career. A hard tackle from an opponent caused him a knee and a skull injury. He was then unable to finish the season. After three years with the Rockets, he then moved to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL. From 1950 he was only used as a wide receiver by his trainer Joe Stydahar . 1951 had his personally most successful year for Hirsch. He set three season records during the regular season - for the most balls caught (66), the most touchdowns scored by passing catches (17) and the greatest gain in space. That record, 1,495 yards in one season, wasn't broken by Charley Hennigan until ten years later .
After the Rams had lost the NFL Championship Game to the Philadelphia Eagles 14-0 in 1949 , they again made it into the final in 1950. The game was lost again. The Cleveland Browns prevailed with 30:28. Hirsch was able to catch four passes for a gain of 42 yards. 1951 then succeeded the Rams with 24:17 against the Browns in the final. Again Hirsch achieved four pass catches for a space gain of 66 yards. In 1955, Hirsch moved into a final for the fourth time. Again he and his team had to admit defeat to the Browns in the final with 38:14.
In 1954, Hirsch wanted to end his career. Since the Rams had a lot of injured players, he decided to return and played with this team until 1957.
After the playing career
actor
Hirsch played in various films during his playing career. In 1953 his life was portrayed in the film Crazylegs . Hirsch played himself in it. After retiring from his career, he appeared in other films, including starring alongside Dana Andrews in Zero Hour! .
Sports official
In 1960, Hirsch became general manager of the Rams. He hired his former teammate Bob Waterfield as a coach. But he could not celebrate any more successes with the Rams, rather the team developed into one of the worst teams in the league. After almost 20 years, Hirsch had to leave the Rams. Before he was named sports director of his old college in Madison in 1969, he briefly held the same position at the Union Oil Company . During his time as sports director in Wisconsin, the Badgers grew in popularity enormously. Within four years he was able to increase the average number of viewers from 43,000 to more than 70,000. He also brought the loss-making football team back into the black. In 1981, 1982 and 1984 the Badgers could move into bowl games. Only the Independence Bowl was won in 1982 against Kansas State University 14: 3. After retiring in 1987, he remained an ambassador for his team.
Honors
Hirsch was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1965. He is also a member of the Madison Sports Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 1968 , the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame, the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team, the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame and 1974 in the College Football Hall of Fame . He played in three pro bowls and was named one of The 100 Best Football Players of All Time in 1999 by The Sporting News . His shirt number 40 is no longer awarded by the Badgers.
Off the field
Since 1981 an 8 km long race , the Crazylegs Classic , through the city center has been held in Madison in his honor . Hirsch was married. He left behind his wife, a son and a daughter. Elroy Hirsch is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in Wausau.
Web links
- Obituary for Elroy Hirsch
- Elroy Hirsch's career
- Elroy Hirsch, University of Wisconsin-Madison obituary
- Elroy Hirsch in the Internet Movie Database (English)
source
- Jens Plassmann: NFL - American Football. The game, the stars, the stories (= Rororo 9445 rororo Sport ). Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1995, ISBN 3-499-19445-7 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Origin of Elroy Hirsch
- ^ NFL Single-Season Receiving Yards Leaders. In: pro-football-reference.com. Pro-Football-Reference, accessed January 22, 2014 (English, Charley Hennigan (26) 1,746 yards 1961 for the Houston Oilers. Offline =).
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Rams 1949
- ↑ Endgame statistics 1949
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Rams 1950
- ^ Endgame statistics 1950
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Rams 1951
- ↑ Endgame statistics 1951
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Rams 1955
- ^ Endgame statistics 1955
- ↑ Elroy Hirsch at number 89 on the list of the 100 best football players of all time ( Memento from September 12, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Elroy Hirsch's grave in the Find a Grave database
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hirsch, Elroy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Crazylegs (nickname); Hirsch, Elroy Leon (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 17, 1923 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wausau , Wisconsin , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 28, 2004 |
| Place of death | Madison , Wisconsin , United States |