Mel Hein
| Mel Hein | |
|---|---|
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Position (s): Center |
Jersey number (s): 7 |
| born on August 22, 1909 in Redding , California | |
| died on January 31, 1992 in San Clemente , California | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1931 - 1945 | |
| College : Washington State University | |
| Teams | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Games | 166 |
| Touchdowns | 1 |
| 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 | |
Melvin Jack Hein (* 22. August 1909 in Redding , California , † 31 January 1992 in San Clemente , California) Nicknames : Old Indestructible or Cappy was an American Football player. He is considered one of the best offensive line players in the history of the National Football League (NFL) and played for the New York Giants .
Player career
High school
Mel Hein played American football in Burlington high school . As usual for a player at the time, he was used in various positions in the offense , but also played on the defensive line . As a student, he was voted Most Valuable Player in his league. In addition to football, he also played basketball .
college
In 1928, Hein joined the Washington State Cougars , the Washington State University team. Here he was also used as a linebacker , but established himself in the position of a center . Nevertheless, he also showed outstanding performance as a linebacker under his head coach O. E. Hollingbery and was able to intercept eight balls in one game alone. In 1931 he moved to the Rose Bowl with his team , but the team had to admit defeat to the University of Alabama 24-0. During his college career , the Cougars won 26 of their 32 games. Hein also played basketball in college, but later gave it up in favor of his football career.
Professional time
In the 1930s there was no entry draft in the NFL. In 1931 Hein first signed a contract with the Providence Steam Roller , which guaranteed him $ 135 per game. After the New York Giants awarded him $ 150 per game, he immediately resigned in Providence and signed with the Giants. He stayed with this team for 15 years. Even as a professional, he was used both in attack formation and in defense, and developed into the best center in the NFL. In 1934 he and his team under head coach Steve Owen together with his quarterback Ed Danowski won the NFL Championship for the first time against the Chicago Bears with 30:13. In 1938 the Giants succeeded in doing this again, this time in the final against the Green Bay Packers , which they won 23:17. In five more rounds, the Giants failed each in the final. In 1945, after 166 games in the regular season , Hein ended his playing career.
Although he broke his nose in a game against the Brooklyn Dodgers on December 7, 1941 , he never missed a game due to an injury during his professional and amateur career.
Coaching career
As early as 1943, in addition to his playing career, Hein was coach of a high school team. In 1947 he was then coach of the Los Angeles Dons , a team that was located in the AAFC , a competitive league of the NFL. Like the league, the Dons only existed from 1946 to 1949 and then had to stop playing. Hein was only a year coach in Los Angeles and won seven of his 14th games. In 1954 he became an assistant coach at the University of Southern California Trojans , the team at the University of Southern California . As a coach of the offensive line, he worked for the Los Angeles Rams , among others .
After the career
Hein was married twice and had four sons and a daughter. Until 1974 he worked in various positions in the AFL . He died of stomach cancer. His grave is not known.
Honors (selection)
Hein received a large number of honors. He was elected four times to the Pro Bowl , the final game of the best players of the season. The All-Pro was voted 13 times . His back number 7 is no longer awarded by either the Giants or the Cougars. In 1938 he was elected MVP for the entire NFL season. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame , the College Football Hall of Fame , the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame , the National Football League 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, and the National Football League 1930s All-Decade Team . He was named one of the top 100 football players of all time by The Sporting News magazine . The Giants honor him on the New York Giants Ring of Honor .
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 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Giants 1934
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Giants 1938
- ↑ Mel Hein in the Find a Grave database
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hein, Mel |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hein, Melvin Jack |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 22, 1909 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Redding, California |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 31, 1992 |
| Place of death | San Clemente (California) |