US Airways - November 2012 - (Page 110)

explore Must Read an excerpt from a Great New book A Worthy Legacy On December 8, the Heisman Trophy will be presented to the top college football player of 2012. The award, first presented in 1936, is a very big deal in the world of sports. Many Heisman winners went on to NFL glory: five are in the NFL Hall of Fame; and the last five winners are now playing — and successfully — at the pro level. The winners’ names make headlines, but few know about the name behind the trophy. John Heisman was a player, a longtime college coach, and the inventor of the forward pass and many of the game’s key rules. We’re happy to present the prologue of this insightful new book. —Lance Elko, Editor PrOLOGue ★ Early in 1935, the officers of the Downtown Athletic Club of New York proposed an idea to name one football player the best in the country. The club would honor that player at a formal banquet hosted by the Downtown Athletic Club with great pomp and circumstance. It seemed like such a grand notion that they took the idea to the club’s college football authority, John Heisman. “Why?” Heisman asked. Heisman had been hired as the club’s first athletic director in May 1930. He was an obvious choice for the position, having been one of college football’s most successful early coaches and innovators, as well as having worked in similar capacities at the Atlanta Athletic Club and the Houston Athletic Club. For the position in New York, Heisman refebruary 2012 ceived recommendations from legendary University of Chicago head coach Amos Alonzo Stagg; another legend, sportswriter Grantland Rice; and worldfamous golfer Robert Jones Jr., among others. Heisman argued that since the Touchdown Club of New York’s annual banquet was already in place for December, having another ceremony to honor a player of the year would be redundant. Besides, how could an individual be found or judged as the best in the country? Football is and always has been a team sport, Heisman argued, so where exactly is the merit in creating this type of an award? As to how the player of the year would be determined, Jack Prince, a prominent member of the Downtown Athletic Club, proposed that a system of voting should be implemented. Sportswriters, whose Copyright © 2012 by John M. Heisman and Mark Schlabach. Reprinted with permission from Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 110 usairwaysmag.com http://books.simonandschuster.com/Heisman/John-M-Heisman/9781451682915 http://www.usairwaysmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - November 2012

US Airways - November 2012
Table of Contents
CEO Letter
From the Editor
Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: Best Holiday Getaways
Hub Crawl: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Wine & Dine: Mendoza, Argentina Wines
Wine & Dine: Barbecoa Restaurant, London
Adventure: Thrifty in San Francisco
Adventure: Skiing Mt. Baker, Washington
Great Escapes: Red Horse Inn, South Carolina
Gear Up: Bar Ware
Making It Real: America's Historic Sites
Best of Education: Miller School of Albemarle
Silent Heroes: Honor Flight Network
Crossing Borders: Charlotte, North Carolina
Best of Health: Lankenau Medical Center
University Spotlight: University of Dayton
Celebrate Richmond, Virginia
Special Section: Chateau on Central
Must Read: Heisman — The Man Behind the Trophy
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
Giving: Miles for Good
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - November 2012