Career
Berwanger had been a star halfback for the Chicago Maroons football team of the University of Chicago, where he was known as the "one man football team". In a 1934 game against the Michigan Wolverines, Berwanger left his mark on Michigan center Gerald Ford in the form of a distinctive scar beneath the future United States. President"s left eye. Berwanger also competed in track & field for Chicago, setting a school decathlon record in 1936 that stood until 2007.
In 1936, Berwanger became the first player to be drafted by the National Football League (NFL) in its inaugural 1936 NFL draft.
The Philadelphia Eagles selected him, but did not think they would be able to meet his reported salary demands of $1,000 per game. They traded his negotiating rights to the Chicago Bears for tackle Art Buss.
Berwanger initially chose not to sign with the Bears in part to preserve his amateur status so that he could compete for a spot on the United States. team for the 1936 Summer Olympics in the decathlon. After he missed the Olympics cut, Berwanger and Bears" owner George Halas were unable to reach an agreement on salary.
Berwanger was requesting $15,000 and Halas" final offer was $13,500.
Instead, he took a job with a Chicago rubber company and also became a part-time coach at the University of Chicago. Berwanger later expressed regret that he did not accept Halas" offer. After graduating, Berwanger worked briefly as a sportswriter and later became a manufacturer of plastic car parts.
The trophy was later bequeathed to the University of Chicago Athletic Hall of Fame, where it is on display.
There is also a replica of the Heisman on display in the trophy case in the Nora Gymnasium at Dubuque Senior High School. Berwanger died after a lengthy battle with lung cancer at his home in Oak Brook, Illinois, on June 26, 2002, at the age of 88.
