Q & A with Berwanger biographer Brian Cooper

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the awarding of the first Heisman Trophy to Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago. As part of a year-long look at Berwanger’s accomplishments, we recently talked with his biographer, Brian Cooper, whose book “First Heisman: The Life of Jay Berwanger”, was published in 2013.

Cooper has been executive editor of Dubuque, Iowa’s Telegraph Herald for 29 years. His other biographies include “Red Faber: A Biography of the Hall of Fame Spitball Pitcher,” and “Ray Schalk: A Baseball Biography,” both published by McFarland & Co.

The book, published by Crestwood, is available through crestwoodpublishing.com or online booksellers.

What was it that intrigued you about Jay Berwanger to want to write a book about him?

“Researching possible subjects for my third non-fiction book, I was surprised to discover that no one had written a full biography of the first recipient of the Heisman Trophy, Jay Berwanger. While his career in athletics was outstanding and noteworthy, I further discovered that his experiences and achievements after college were interesting enough to carry a book beyond his playing days.

“That Berwanger was born in Dubuque, Iowa, where I am the local newspaper’s executive editor, and then spent his adult life in and around Chicago, where I was raised, made the project more intriguing for me.

“As a practical matter, the Dubuque-Chicago connections represented convenient research and sales/marketing opportunities for this free-lance project. I researched his first 18 years of life without leaving Dubuque, and one- and two-day trips to libraries in Chicago, less than 200 miles away, were manageable and affordable. Dubuquers have an appreciation for local history (especially sports history), and I saw research and marketing opportunities very similar to those I experienced with my biography of Urban “Red” Faber, a Dubuque County native and Hall of Fame pitcher for the Chicago White Sox (1914-33).”

Tell us about your research and what it involved, where it took you, etc.

“My primary source was newspaper archives. I spent countless hours poring over microfilmed and digitized articles from newspapers from Dubuque, Chicago and cities where Berwanger was the opponent. My research involved several day-long stints camped out in the University of Chicago library, Chicago Public Library and Iowa Historical Society in Des Moines. Another trip was to Loyola University’s library, which holds the tape of an hours-long interview Berwanger gave 50 years after he won the Heisman.

“Of course, I also accessed microfilmed issues of the newspaper I now edit, the Telegraph Herald; that involved walks of just a few steps from my office after my workday had ended.

“Complementing the newspaper articles were magazine articles, yearbooks, birth and death records, school transcripts, city directories and television programs in which he was featured. Berwanger’s three children – sons Cuyler (Butch) and John and daughter Helen Tierney – were of great support and assistance. They made themselves available for interviews and shared with me virtually their entire family archive, including photos, memorabilia, game films and even Jay’s University of Chicago diploma (1936). Butch was my primary family resource during the project, and he remains a friend and a booster of my marketing efforts.

“Some of the most fascinating material I accessed, courtesy of the University of Chicago’s Regenstein Library, were the papers of Amos Alonzo Stagg, the legendary coach and athletic director. I experienced a special sensation holding diagrams of football plays sketched in Stagg’s own hand. The Stagg papers helped me formulate sections of the book concerning the history of the University of Chicago and its athletic program. Stagg’s last season at Chicago was Berwanger’s freshman year – when freshmen were ineligible for varsity competition.”

What kind of impact did Berwanger have on his home town, Dubuque? 

“In the early 1930s, he was celebrated as an all-around sports star, competing in state tournaments in track and wrestling as well as being captain of the all-state team his senior year. A few years later, after his senior season of college football (1935), just days before he went to New York to accept the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy (later the Heisman), the Dubuque community hosted a sold-out banquet in his honor.

“In later years, after the passing of his parents, Berwanger’s visits to his hometown became less frequent. However, he would come back on special occasions. In 1979, he honored his prep coach (in football, wrestling and track), Wilbur Dalzell, by donating his duplicate Heisman Trophy to Dubuque Senior High School, which displays the iconic award in its gymnasium  trophy case. He returned as a charter inductee into the Dubuque Senior High Hall of Fame (1992). His last public appearance in Dubuque was as a celebrity guest at the Clarke University Classic golf outing (1999).

“For decades, aside from the display in the Dubuque Senior High trophy case, there was little public acknowledgment of Jay Berwanger‘s achievements as an athlete and a man. While working on the book, I connected with some local leaders who agreed that more recognition for Berwanger was appropriate. In September 2013, the community dedicated the renovated high school stadium, Dalzell Field, and unveiled a 7-foot-tall statue of Berwanger as well as a granite wall into which is etched biographical information on Berwanger and Dalzell. The tributes were financed through private donations.”

What was Berwanger like before he became a star football player at Chicago? Why did he decide to go to school there?

“In high school, Berwanger, the son of a blacksmith, was a star athlete in football, track and wrestling. He was a bit undersized as a sophomore, when he made the football varsity as a reserve. He ranked no higher than a special mention for all-state honors as a junior. However, by his senior season, he had filled out physically and was virtually unstoppable. After a last-second loss in the season opener, Dubuque Senior went undefeated and was named a state champion by The Des Moines Register, which designated him the captain of its all-state team.

“In track and wrestling, Berwanger qualified for state meets. He said he considered wrestling his favorite sport. In track, he competed in field events, sprints and hurdles. Several Big Ten Conference schools were among those expressing interest in Berwanger. His goals were to get a good education, compete in football and track, make the 1936 Olympics in the decathlon, and be well positioned for success in business after college.

“His decision to attend the University of Chicago, then a member of the Big Ten, was heavily influenced by a Dubuque businessman who served as the starter at local track meets, Ira Davenport. The owner of Dubuque Boat and Boiler Works, Davenport was a Chicago alum who won Olympic bronze at 800 meters in 1912. As early as Berwanger’s sophomore year, Davenport encouraged him to set his sights on the 1936 Olympics. Davenport talked up Chicago and even took the young man to the campus and introduced him to Coach Stagg and students at his former fraternity, Psi Upsilon.

“Berwanger was impressed by the University of Chicago’s academic “New Plan” and figured that, if he gained notoriety in athletics, there would be more business opportunities for him in Chicago than smaller university towns such as Iowa City and Ann Arbor. He applied for admission to the University of Chicago.
At that time, athletic scholarships were not permitted in the Big Ten, but Chicago found a way to grant Berwanger, an average student, a full-tuition scholarship based on academics and character. The scholarship was worth $300 a year, and Berwanger still had to work to cover his own room and board.”

What kind of football player was Berwanger?  What impact do you think he had on the game?

“He was a dominating and intimidating player. At 6 feet tall and 190 pounds, he was often the heaviest player on the field, and that included the linemen. The intimidation factor was multiplied by the fact that the huge running back (and defensive back) wore a face guard. After suffering a broken nose in his final prep game and again in a college scrimmage as a freshman, he was told the protection was necessary for him to continue playing the game. He was one of the first players and certainly the best-known player to wear a faceguard – a single bar across the face. Sportswriters called him “The Man in the Iron Mask.”

“Berwanger played a hard-nosed yet clean game. He said he enjoyed defense as much as offense, because on defense he could deliver hits instead of taking them. Under Coach Clark Shaughnessy, he did it all for the Maroons. Due to the rules of the day limiting substitutions, most players played both offense and defense, but few were on the field as much as Berwanger. As a sophomore, he played every down in all five of Chicago’s Big Ten contests. In addition to playing in the backfield on offense and defense, he kicked off, received kickoffs, punted, received punts, kicked extra points and, in his senior season, called all the offensive signals.

“Chicago teams were overmatched in the Big Ten, and even with victories over lesser opponents to open each season, the Maroons posted only a .500 record during Berwanger’s varsity career. Chicago had a passable first team, but no bench depth. Thus, opponents made their game strategy simply “Stop Berwanger” and wear down the starters. Despite playing on a mediocre team, Berwanger posted back-to-back All-America seasons, was Big Ten MVP and won the Heisman.

“He was a modest man and athlete, and a good sport. In one game, Berwanger broke off a long run down the sideline. The opposing players complained that he had stepped on the line early on. The referee did not get a good look at it, and he walked up to Berwanger and asked, “Did you step on the line, Jay?”  Berwanger acknowledged that he had, and the referee brought the play back.”

What did you find out about Berwanger in your research that surprised you the most?

“As a junior, he was elected captain of Christy Walsh’s All-America team but was NOT the MVP of his own college team. His teammates voted that honor to a senior and the team captain.

“In business, he received two U.S. patents for sponge-rubber products.

“Competitors at a January 1932 high school wrestling meet between Dubuque and Cresco high schools included a future winner of the Heisman Trophy and future winner of the Nobel Peace Prize: Berwanger and Norman Borlaug. They competed in different weight classes, however.

“As a game official, his controversial call on the goal line during the 1949 Rose Bowl infuriated West Coast sportswriters and backers of the University of California, which lost to Northwestern.”

Can you compare Berwanger to another athlete of this era? If so, who?

“I can’t cite a particular athlete. Sport, especially football, has become so specialized, there are few who can show whether they excel in all aspects of the game.

“Off the field, look at those current and former professional athletes who, without fanfare, donate their time, money and celebrity for people in need and for important institutions. And then you have a sense of what Berwanger was about in his post-collegiate life.”

Many thanks to Brian Cooper for taking part in this Q & A. His book is a must-read for anyone interested in college football and the Heisman Trophy.