The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • 95

TTTT If 9 or A Jury of Twelve Famous American Gridiron Coaches, Led by Pop Warner, Awards First Place to the Carlisle Indian, Jim Thorpe; Second Place a Tie Between Ernie Nevers and Red Grange, With George Gipp in Third Place 0 a is Here Are the Jurymen Pop Warner Bob Zuppke Illinois Dick Hanley Babe Hollingbery. State Gil Dobie Cornell Chick Meehan. York Univ. Harry Stuhldreher Fred Dawson. of Virginia Bill Roper Princeton Heinie Miller Temple Hugo Bezdek Penn State Wilmer Crowell Oaicial A jury of twelve outstanding football coaches declares Jim Thorpe (right) to be America's greatest football player.

However, Pop Warner selects Ernie Nevers (left) for that honor. He coached both of tltem Walter' Eckersall, old Chicago star, drew one first vote, that of Hugo Bezdek, and is tied with Tom Shevlin, of Yale, for fourth place in the poll of the football jury By C. William Duncan THE passing of years has failed to erase from the memories of experts the marvelous deeds of the Indian, Jim Thorpe, and today a jury of twelve confers upon him trie coveted honor of "Football's Greatest Player." Twenty years have flitted by since the colorful back starred for the Carlisle Indians, but those who saw him in action have not forgotten his brilliant runs, superb kicking and deadly tackling. Six of the jury gave Thorpe first place, four placed him second and one third, giving him a total of forty-nine points and victory in thi3 poll to determine the outstanding grid player of history. Ernie Stanford, and Red Grange, Illinois, tied for second with eighteen points each, revealing the wide gap between first and second places.

George Gipp, Notre Dame, was third, while Tom Shevlin and Eckersall, Chicago, were tied for fourth with ten points. Ted Coy, Yale, received nine points; Willie Heston, Michigan, seven; W. W. Heffelfinger, Yale, six; Vincent Steven-eon. University oi Pennsylvania, five; Frank Kinkey, Yale, five, and a dozen other players received four pointe- or less.

The jury consists of the following head coaches: Pop Warner, Stanford; Bob Zuppke, Illinois; Dick Hanley, Northwestern; Babe Hollingbery, Washington State; Gil Dobie, Cornell; Chick Meehan, New York University, Harry Stuhldreher, Villanova; Fred Dawson, University of Virginia; Bill Roper, formerly of Princeton; Heinle Miller, Temple; Hugo Bezdek, former head coach, now director of athletics, Penn State, and Wilmer Crowell, one of the Nation's foremost officials. Five points were given for first place, four for second, three for third, two for fourth and one for fifth. CONSIDER the opinions of Pop War- ner most interesting of all those related today, as he picked Ernie Nevers, Stanford star, ahead of Jim Thorpe. Pop, as every football fan knows, coached Thorpe at Carlisle and Nevers at Stanford. Here is what he says about it: "Ernie Nevers played his position by far the best of any player I ever saw.

He had a wonderful physique was big and powerful and yet very active. Nevers was the mental type every coach likes to have on his football team. He was a fine punter, a fine forward passer, a great line plunger and a marvel on defense. Ernie Nevers was a football player without a fault. "Jim Thorpe was the best man in his position I ever saw, the cleverest man for his weight I ever saw.

Jim was as fast, shifty and clever as any lightweight back and yet was heavy enough to play the smashing game and be a power in the interference. Thorpe was a great punter and passer as well as a fine ballcarrier. He was without superior as a safety man and could play any defensive backfield position. "Heffelfinger was an unusually large man but exceedingly fast on his feet. He never met the player who was nearly his equal.

Heffelfinger was powerful both defensively and offensively and was especially valuable or. interference. "Willie Heston was a heavy, very fast back, who showed all the skill and eiusiveness that is usually found in lighter ball-carriers. Heston had an ideal build for a halfback-compactly put together but very fast for his weight. "Frank Hinkey was probably the greatest field general in the history of football.

Hinkey was alsc a wonderful wing-man. It Is claimed that in all his career at Yale he never permitted a yard gain around his end. Better than any other, Hinkey exemplified the determined, fighting spirit so valuable in a football player." Dick Hanley gives Thorpe first place on the list. "You have asked me my opinion as to whom I consider the greatest football player of all time, with second, third. How They Finished Jim Thorpe, 49 Ernie Nevers, 18 Red Grange, Illinois 18 George Gipp, Notre Dame 12 Tom Shevlin, Yale.

10 Walter Eckersall, 10 Ted Coy, Yale 9 Willie Heston, Michigan 7 W. W. Heffelfinger, Yale Vincent Stevenson, U. of 5 Frank Hinkey, Yale 5 Eddie 1 Lilian. Harvard 4 Truxtun Hare, U.

of Pa 4 Ed Glass, Yale 4 Benny Friedman, 4 Pete Henry, W. and 3 Bemis Pierce, Carlisle 3 Jake Slagle, 2 Bronko Nagurski, 2 Glenn Killinger, Pcnn 2 George Wilson, of 2 Harry Wilson, Penn State-Army 1 Bob Higgins, Penn State 1 fourth and fifth choices," said Mr. Hanley. "The men whom I would list first and second I have never had the pleasure1 of seeing perform," he said. "My first choice is Jim Thorpe, Carlisle's great All-America -under Pop Warner.

Every one who ever played against him or who ever watched him at the height of his career admits candidly that he does not know of a single weakness this fellow had during his playing days. He was a great kicker, excelling not only in punting but also in drop-kicking and place-kicking. He was a threat in every department of offensive line play, being an excellent smashing, plunging player. He wa tremendously fast, being one of the fastest big men the football game has known. In addition to his offensive ability, Thorpe was one of the greatest defensive players in the history of the game.

"Eddie Mahan, a fine kicker, passer and runner and a great defensive man, would be my second choice. I would rate Ernie Nevers, of Stanford, third. He did not possess quite the speed that Mahan and Thorpe did, but he was a much better than average football player. He was an excellent open-field runner and a better blocker than either of the first two mentioned. I would place Bronko Nagursk', of Minnesota, fourth.

Never, in all my life, have 1 had the opportunity to see an individual who possessed so much all-round ability as this man. "Grange, of Illinois, and Eckersall would tie for fifth as I see it. I place Grange in this position solely on the fact that he was probably the best open-field runner of the lot. Eckersall could kick, run, pass, do excellent defensive work, and in addition had that rare ability of being able to lead a team successfully. "Heston, of Michigan, should be listed with these individuals, as might Crowley and Gipp, of Notre Dame.

Both had every attribute of a football player, but one must limit one's selection somewhere." 4' mmmmmmmm 21 He played one year behind a good line and two years behind an average line. No player in history ever went up against such a keyed-up defense as Grange met, still he made good. "Grange played Just as hardin practice and minor games as in the big games. He was an ideal man for a team. He had the ability to run within himself." Chick Meehan places Thorpe first.

He opined that the ether four were very hard to pick but gave second place to Glass, of Yale; third to Coy, of Yale; fourth to Grange, of Illinois, and fifth to Friedman, of Michigan. 'The greatest football player I have ever ssen was Te4 Coy, of Yale," says Bill Roper. "There may have been greater players, but I have never seen them. Coy could do everything run. "Thorpe was a team In himself and loved the game," Stuhldreher remarked.

"He played football longer than any top-notcher I know' and was as in professional football as he was in college. George Gipp, my second pick, was by far Knute Eockne's greatest player at our school, Notre Dame. 'Rock' always said that. I'll give Red Grange third choice, Walter Heffelfinger fourth and Ernie Nevers fifth." In selecting Thorpe for first place, Gil Dobie said: "He was a big, powerful fellow, one of the strongest men who ever played football and could do all the heavy work He could do everything as well as every one. I doubt if there is any one who could do all things as well as Thorpe.

Grange could go through the line and skirt the ends. Nevers was a great back but was not as good an open-field runner as Thorpe. I consider Pete Henry, of W. and one of the greatest tackles the game has seen. He weighed 230 pounds and was as active as any quick, small man.

1 give fifth place to Willie Heston." Heinie Miller names Thorpe, Hinkey, of Yale; Stevenson, of the University of Pennsylvania; Walter Eckersall, of Chicago, and Bob Higgins, of Penn State, in the order named. Tom Shevlin is Fred Dawson's first choice "for the blazing fire that he put Into himself and mates, coupled with smartness and prowess." He gives Thorpe second and Red Grange third. His fourth choice is George Gipp, "who started Notre Dame's climb to the top." His fifth pick is Ted Coy, "a terrible threat In the backfield, who punted like a mortar cannon, end over end There never was a harder ball-carrier than Coy and he was cool and deadly on defense." Hugo Bezdek names his selections as follows: Walter Eckersall, Jim Thorpe, Bemis Pierce, Glenn Killinger and Harry Wilson. He glve3 honorable mention to Tommy Sheldon and Red Grange. Wilmer Crowell picked Thorpe for first place instantly but thought over his other selections for two weeks.

Finally, he. gave Tom Shevlin second place, George Gipp third, Vincent Stevenson fourth and Pete Henry fifth. "I wanted plenty of time," he said, "because I've seen plenty of football players." Copyright by Public Ledger kick and pass. He won the Princeton game in 1907 single-handed and the Harvard game in 1909. The second-best man I have ever seen was Truxtun Hare, a great defensive guard and a wonderful interferer.

George Gipp would be third, 'Jake Slagle fourth and Tom Shevlin fifth. I never saw Thorpe or Heffelfinger play." HERE is the way Babe Hollingbery picks them: "I select Ernie Nevers, the great Stanford fullback, as the foremost football player of all time. Because of his all-round ability, determination and fighting spirit, he haa been unexcelled through the years. Nevers Is a wonderful offensive fulback and a wonderful defensive full as' well. He Is an excellent passer and kicker and often acted as his team's -quarterback.

He is a bom leader with an exceptionally fine personality. I pick Nevers first in preference to Jim Thorpe because Thorpe was never such an inspiration to his team as "Jim Thorpe, the Carlisle athlete, was probably the greatest all-round football player that ever lived, but he ranks as my second choice because he does not possess the qualities of Nevers, so necessary for a brilliant football player. "Benny Frleiman is third. Not only is Friedman one of the brainiest field generals that ever played football, but he is probably the game's best example of a perfect passer as well. Although these two assets were his main was a general all-round good offensive and defensive player.

"The University of Washington halfback, George Wilson, was as great a running back as any of the rest and also an excellent passer and kicker. Likewise, he was a wonderful tackier on defense. He is fourth. "From all the data I have been able to gather, W. W.

Heffelfinger, the former Yale athlete, was in a class by himself as a lineman and has stood out for the last two decades as the perfect player. He was fast, vicious and equally good on defense and offense. It was impossible for opposition to run plays on his side of the line. He is fifth choice." Thorpe is the first choice of Harry Stuhldreher. Ml Red Grange, the "galloping ghost of the gridiron" who cavorted at Illinois, ties with Ernie Nevers for second place among the great football stars.

Bob Zuppke claims that Grange ws the peer of both Thorpe and Nevers in all departments of the game Bob Zuppke gives first place to his own star of a few years ago, Red Grange. He gave second place to Heston, third to Thorpe, fourth to Eckersall and fifth to Nevers. "Grange was the fastest of all the backs and could do everything else as well as run," said Zuppke. "He could block, tackle, kick and throw. It happened that we did not use him as a kicker because we had a superfine kicker in Britton.

No football player ever as many great days as Grange or made as long runs. His record proves this. Many men are famous in football who did only once what Grange did innumerable times. "Grange is the only athlete I have seen in this branch of athletics who moved without one bit of lost motion..