I recently read a book by Iowa sports journalist, historian, and author, Mike Chapman: Triumph and Tragedy: The Inspiring Stories of Football Legends Fred Becker, Jack Trice, Nile Kinnick, and Johnny Bright. I highly recommend the book, especially for those interested in college football history.
Not sure if the following has been posted on GopherHole before, but Nile Kinnick was interested in playing football at the U of Minnesota during the mid-1930s. The following is an excerpt from Chapman's book on page 75:
"Both Drake and Iowa State showed interest in the son of one of their graduates, but Nile entertained visions of playing at the University of Minnesota. Under Bernie Bierman, the Golden Gophers had won two national titles in the 1930s and were considered, with Notre Dame, one of the top two programs in the country."
"'When Nile was a senior, Bernie Bierman was the top dog in the Big 10, so Nile drove up to Minneapolis to see if the Gophers had any interest in him,"' said Nile Sr., in an exclusive 1984 interview with Maury White of the Des Moines Register. "'They didn't, not at all. Not many people know that. So he came back to Iowa."'
Not sure why Bernie wasn't interested in Kinnick, except at that time Minnesota had a plethora of running backs and some were of pretty good size, i.e., Stan Kostka and Julius Alfonse. Maybe it was Nile's physical size that led to Bierman saying no. In any case, it would have been interesting to know his thoughts about Nile when Kinnick led the Hawkeyes in a come from behind victory over the Gophers in 1939, the year Kinnick won the Heisman Trophy. Kinnick was a remarkable athlete, student and was a campus leader.
Again, if interested, I think those that would read Chapman's book about the above four football players would find it interesting, inspiring, and informative. A good read!
Go Gophers!!
Not sure if the following has been posted on GopherHole before, but Nile Kinnick was interested in playing football at the U of Minnesota during the mid-1930s. The following is an excerpt from Chapman's book on page 75:
"Both Drake and Iowa State showed interest in the son of one of their graduates, but Nile entertained visions of playing at the University of Minnesota. Under Bernie Bierman, the Golden Gophers had won two national titles in the 1930s and were considered, with Notre Dame, one of the top two programs in the country."
"'When Nile was a senior, Bernie Bierman was the top dog in the Big 10, so Nile drove up to Minneapolis to see if the Gophers had any interest in him,"' said Nile Sr., in an exclusive 1984 interview with Maury White of the Des Moines Register. "'They didn't, not at all. Not many people know that. So he came back to Iowa."'
Not sure why Bernie wasn't interested in Kinnick, except at that time Minnesota had a plethora of running backs and some were of pretty good size, i.e., Stan Kostka and Julius Alfonse. Maybe it was Nile's physical size that led to Bierman saying no. In any case, it would have been interesting to know his thoughts about Nile when Kinnick led the Hawkeyes in a come from behind victory over the Gophers in 1939, the year Kinnick won the Heisman Trophy. Kinnick was a remarkable athlete, student and was a campus leader.
Again, if interested, I think those that would read Chapman's book about the above four football players would find it interesting, inspiring, and informative. A good read!
Go Gophers!!
