On December 8 1942 1942 Heisman winner Frank Sinkwich
Legend has it that Georgia found 1942 Heisman Trophy winner Frank Sinkwich by luck more than anything else. Bulldogs assistant coach Bill Hartman had traveled to Youngstown, Ohio, to recruit a blue-chip player, but the prospect had already committed to Ohio State. While Hartman was refueling his car at a service station, the attendant told him about a talented player who lived down the street. Hartman found Sinkwich’s father sitting on the front porch of the family’s home, and Hartman eventually persuaded Sinkwich to visit Georgia. Sinkwich became one of the Bulldogs’ biggest stars. In three seasons with the Bulldogs, Sinkwich ran for more than 2,200 yards, passed for more than 2,300 and scored 60 touchdowns. As a senior in 1942, Sinkwich set an NCAA single-season record with 2,187 yards of total offense and led the Bulldogs to a national championship. He became the first player from the Southeastern Conference to win the Heisman Trophy. After retiring from pro football, Sinkwich returned to Athens, Ga., and operated a successful beer distributorship. “I’m from Ohio, but if I’d known when I was 2 what it was like down South, I would have crawled here on my hands and knees,” Sinkwich once said. Sinkwich died after a lengthy illness in 1990, but his legacy lives on at Georgia. During every home game, his family displays his Heisman Trophy in the beer company’s suite at Sanford Stadium. “We keep the legacy going and have it there for people to see,” said his grandson, Frank Sinkwich III. “We let people take their picture with it and even let them pick up and hold it.”
— Mark Schlabach
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