Paul Des Jardien
Encyclopedia
Paul Raymond "Shorty" Des Jardien (August 24, 1893 – March 7, 1956) was an American football
, baseball
and basketball
player. He played for the University of Chicago
where he was selected as the first-team All-American center
in both 1913 and 1914 and also pitched a no-hitter
for the baseball team. He later played professional baseball for the Cleveland Indians
and professional football for the Cleveland Indians (1916), Hammond Pros
(1919), Chicago Tigers
(1920) and Minneapolis Marines (1922). He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1955.
, and moved to Chicago, Illinois as a child. He attended Chicago's Wendell Phillips Academy High School
before enrolling at the University of Chicago
.
' football, baseball, basketball, and track & field teams. He earned 12 varsity letter
s, played on Western Conference
championship teams in both football and baseball, and became known as one of the best all-around athletes ever produced by the University of Chicago. While attending the University of Chicago, Des Jardien was 6 feet, 5 inches tall, and weighed 190 pounds. His teammates called him "Shorty."
In baseball, Des Jardien was a pitcher
, but also played at first and third base. The University of Chicago Magazine wrote: "Des Jardien at third base fields well, and adds strength by his spirit. All in all, the tall young man is one of the most excellent athletes Chicago has had in years." In May 1914, he threw one of the first no-hitter
s in Western Conference history and also struck out 14 Iowa Hawkeyes
batters in the game.
Des Jardien gained his greatest fame playing at the center
position for Amos Alonzo Stagg
's Chicago Maroons football
teams from 1912 to 1914. Des Jardien played at the center position on both offense and defense, was considered "the mainstay of his team on defense," and was also known for his ability as a long punter. During Des Jardien's three years as Chicago's center, the Maroons compiled a record of 17-3-1, including an undefeated 7-0 record and Western Conference championship in 1913.
After his sophomore year in 1912, Des Jardien was selected as a first-team All-Western player. Stagg praised Des Jardien as a "spectacular" player and "as flashy a center as I have seen in many years." In naming Des Jardien to his All-Western team in 1912, E.C. Patterson in Collier's wrote: "Des Jardien is not great of bulk, at least not horizontally. He is tall and rangy and remarkably active. His usefulness is accentuated when it is seen that some of Coach Stagg's forward pass tricks center around him."
In his junior and senior years of 1913 and 1914, Des Jardien was selected as a first-team All-American. He was also chosen by his teammates as the captain of the 1914 football team. In 1914, Walter Camp
wrote about Des Jardien: "He is the best center in the country — steady, reliable, absolutely dependable for his share of line work on attack, and a power on defense."
upon graduating from the University of Chicago in June 1915. According to the report, Des Jardien declined to sign a contract with the Cubs to avoid endangering his amateur status. The report described Des Jardien as one of the best pitchers in the Western Conference, a right-hander with a good curve ball.
Instead of playing Major League Baseball
in the summer of 1915, Des Jardien traveled to Asia with the University of Chicago baseball team. The team played 15 games, winning 12, while traveling to the West Coast of the United States. The team sailed from San Francisco on the SS Mongolia and arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii
in early September 1915. The team spent ten days in Hawaii and played games against teams from the U.S. Army and the St. Louis Athletic Club and teams made up of Chinese and Portuguese players. The team next sailed to Japan. On September 24, 1915, the Chicago team played a double header
in front of a crowd of 20,000 people in Tokyo
. Des Jardien pitched both games, defeating Waseda 5-3 and the Keio University
4-1. Des Jardien hit a home run
and struck out 11 batters in the game against the Keio.
Des Jardien served as an assistant coach for the University of Chicago's basketball, baseball and track teams upon returning from Japan in January 1916.
In early May 1916, he signed to play Major League Baseball
with the Cleveland Indians
. Indians manager Lee Fohl
said at the time, "I think I will make him a good pitcher. He already has learned to put more on his fast ball while his control is almost perfect." He made his debut on May 20, 1916, pitching one inning and allowing one hit, one base on balls
, and two earned runs. Des Jardien did not pitch another game in Major League Baseball.
In the summer of 1917, Des Jardien played semi-professional baseball with the Mohawks in the Chicago League.
. With almost every veteran player missing from the football team due to a fraternity expulsion, Des Jardiens' 1916 Oberlin team failed to win a game for the first time in the program's history and scored only 13 points throughout the season.
In 1916, Des Jardien also played for Peggy Parratt
's Cleveland Indians football team in their first and only season as a professional football team. Parratt built a team of all-stars Des Jardien. The Indians lost two games to Jim Thorpe
's Canton Bulldogs
, played the Massillon Tigers
to a scoreless tie, and closed the season with three wins against the Columbus Panhandles, Detroit Heralds and Toledo Maroons
. He also reportedly played professional football for the Canton Bulldogs
and Fort Wayne Friars
,
During the 1916-1917 basketball season, Des Jardien played professional basketball with the Pine Village, Indiana
team.
Des Jardien served in the United States Army
during World War I
. In the fall of 1917, Des Jardien played on an Army football team at Fort Sheridan that included a number of former All-Americans including Albert Benbrook
, Ernest Allmendinger
, James B. Craig
and Dolly Gray
. In 1918, he was placed in charge of a German prison camp in Paris.
After returning from France, Des Jardien played professional football in 1919 for the Hammond Pros
. The 1919 Hammond Pros also featured George Halas
at wide receiver. The Hammond Pros played most of their games in Chicago's Cub Park, now known as Wrigley Field
. In December 1919, P.J. Parduhn, the president of the Hammond football team, was arrested on a charge of issuing bogus checks, after a complaint was lodged by Des Jardien and Milt Ghee
. Des Jardien and Ghee dropped the charges when Parduhn agreed to make good on the payment.
After the end of the football season, Des Jardien signed in December 1919 to play professional basketball with the Red Crowns team from Whiting, Indiana
. The Red Crowns were backed by Standard Oil and were considered the fastest team west of Buffalo. The signing of Des Jardien was expected to draw crowds from throughout the Midwest.
In 1920, he played for the Chicago Tigers
in the inaugural season of the National Football League
, then known as the APFA. Des Jardien played in all eight games for the 1920 Tigers, including seven as the starting center. The Tigers compiled a record of 2-5-1 in 1920, and Des Jardien was selected as a second-team All-APFA player.
In October 1922, Des Jardien signed to play semi-professional football for the Ironwood Legion team from Ironwood
in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In an October 1922 game against Bessemer
, Des Jardien kicked punts of 50, 55 and 65 yards. He also appeared in one game for the Minneapolis Marines in the 1922 NFL season
.
.
He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
in July 1955.
He died at his home in Monrovia, California
in 1956 from a cerebral thrombosis. He was buried at the Forest Lawn Cemetery.
In 2006, Des Jardien was posthumously inducted into the University of Chicago Hall of Fame.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. He played for the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
where he was selected as the first-team All-American center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
in both 1913 and 1914 and also pitched a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
for the baseball team. He later played professional baseball for the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
and professional football for the Cleveland Indians (1916), Hammond Pros
Hammond Pros
The Hammond Pros from Hammond, Indiana played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1926 as a traveling team.-History:The Pros were established by Paul Parduhn and Dr. Alva Young who was a boxing promoter, owner of a racing stable and a doctor and trainer for a semi-pro football team...
(1919), Chicago Tigers
Chicago Tigers
The Chicago Tigers of the American Professional Football Association played only in the first year of the league and, because of this, have the distinction of being the first official NFL team to fold. They had a record of 2 wins, 5 losses and 1 tie...
(1920) and Minneapolis Marines (1922). He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1955.
Early years
Des Jardien was born in Coffeyville, KansasCoffeyville, Kansas
Coffeyville is a city situated along the Verdigris River in the southeastern part of Montgomery County, located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,295...
, and moved to Chicago, Illinois as a child. He attended Chicago's Wendell Phillips Academy High School
Wendell Phillips Academy High School
Wendell Phillips Academy High School is a public 4-year high school located in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of the Chicago Public Schools and is named for the noted American abolitionist Wendell Phillips...
before enrolling at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.
University of Chicago
Des Jardien enrolled at the University of Chicago in 1911 and played on the Chicago MaroonsChicago Maroons
The Maroons are the intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Chicago. They are named after the color maroon, one of the school's colors. They compete in the NCAA's Division III. They are primarily members of the University Athletic Association and were co-founders of the Big Ten...
' football, baseball, basketball, and track & field teams. He earned 12 varsity letter
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
s, played on Western Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
championship teams in both football and baseball, and became known as one of the best all-around athletes ever produced by the University of Chicago. While attending the University of Chicago, Des Jardien was 6 feet, 5 inches tall, and weighed 190 pounds. His teammates called him "Shorty."
In baseball, Des Jardien was a pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
, but also played at first and third base. The University of Chicago Magazine wrote: "Des Jardien at third base fields well, and adds strength by his spirit. All in all, the tall young man is one of the most excellent athletes Chicago has had in years." In May 1914, he threw one of the first no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
s in Western Conference history and also struck out 14 Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa Hawkeyes
The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletics teams that represent the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 24 sports, 11 for men and 13 for women. The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and are members of the...
batters in the game.
Des Jardien gained his greatest fame playing at the center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
position for Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg was an American athlete and pioneering college coach in multiple sports, primarily American football...
's Chicago Maroons football
Chicago Maroons football
The Chicago Maroons are the college football team representing the University of Chicago. The Maroons play in NCAA Division III as a member of the University Athletic Association. From 1892 to 1939, the Maroons were a major college football power...
teams from 1912 to 1914. Des Jardien played at the center position on both offense and defense, was considered "the mainstay of his team on defense," and was also known for his ability as a long punter. During Des Jardien's three years as Chicago's center, the Maroons compiled a record of 17-3-1, including an undefeated 7-0 record and Western Conference championship in 1913.
After his sophomore year in 1912, Des Jardien was selected as a first-team All-Western player. Stagg praised Des Jardien as a "spectacular" player and "as flashy a center as I have seen in many years." In naming Des Jardien to his All-Western team in 1912, E.C. Patterson in Collier's wrote: "Des Jardien is not great of bulk, at least not horizontally. He is tall and rangy and remarkably active. His usefulness is accentuated when it is seen that some of Coach Stagg's forward pass tricks center around him."
In his junior and senior years of 1913 and 1914, Des Jardien was selected as a first-team All-American. He was also chosen by his teammates as the captain of the 1914 football team. In 1914, Walter Camp
Walter Camp
Walter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
wrote about Des Jardien: "He is the best center in the country — steady, reliable, absolutely dependable for his share of line work on attack, and a power on defense."
Professional baseball and Asian tour
In January 1915, The New York Times reported that Des Jardien had agreed to play professional baseball for the Chicago CubsChicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
upon graduating from the University of Chicago in June 1915. According to the report, Des Jardien declined to sign a contract with the Cubs to avoid endangering his amateur status. The report described Des Jardien as one of the best pitchers in the Western Conference, a right-hander with a good curve ball.
Instead of playing Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
in the summer of 1915, Des Jardien traveled to Asia with the University of Chicago baseball team. The team played 15 games, winning 12, while traveling to the West Coast of the United States. The team sailed from San Francisco on the SS Mongolia and arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
in early September 1915. The team spent ten days in Hawaii and played games against teams from the U.S. Army and the St. Louis Athletic Club and teams made up of Chinese and Portuguese players. The team next sailed to Japan. On September 24, 1915, the Chicago team played a double header
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
in front of a crowd of 20,000 people in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Des Jardien pitched both games, defeating Waseda 5-3 and the Keio University
Keio University
,abbreviated as Keio or Keidai , is a Japanese university located in Minato, Tokyo. It is known as the oldest institute of higher education in Japan. Founder Fukuzawa Yukichi originally established it as a school for Western studies in 1858 in Edo . It has eleven campuses in Tokyo and Kanagawa...
4-1. Des Jardien hit a home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
and struck out 11 batters in the game against the Keio.
Des Jardien served as an assistant coach for the University of Chicago's basketball, baseball and track teams upon returning from Japan in January 1916.
In early May 1916, he signed to play Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
. Indians manager Lee Fohl
Lee Fohl
Leo Alexander Fohl was an American manager in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns, and Boston Red Sox....
said at the time, "I think I will make him a good pitcher. He already has learned to put more on his fast ball while his control is almost perfect." He made his debut on May 20, 1916, pitching one inning and allowing one hit, one base on balls
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
, and two earned runs. Des Jardien did not pitch another game in Major League Baseball.
In the summer of 1917, Des Jardien played semi-professional baseball with the Mohawks in the Chicago League.
Professional football and World War I
In September 1916, Des Jardien was hired as the football coach at Oberlin CollegeOberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
. With almost every veteran player missing from the football team due to a fraternity expulsion, Des Jardiens' 1916 Oberlin team failed to win a game for the first time in the program's history and scored only 13 points throughout the season.
In 1916, Des Jardien also played for Peggy Parratt
Peggy Parratt
George Watson "Peggy" Parratt was a professional football player who played in the "Ohio League" prior to it becoming a part of the National Football League...
's Cleveland Indians football team in their first and only season as a professional football team. Parratt built a team of all-stars Des Jardien. The Indians lost two games to Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
's Canton Bulldogs
Canton Bulldogs
The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and its successor, the National Football League, from 1920 to 1923 and again from 1925 to 1926. The Bulldogs would go on to win the 1917, 1918...
, played the Massillon Tigers
Massillon Tigers
The Massillon Tigers were an early professional football team from Massillon, Ohio. Playing in the "Ohio League", the team was a rival to the pre-National Football League version of the Canton Bulldogs. The Tigers won Ohio League championships in 1903, 1904, 1905, and 1906, then merged to become...
to a scoreless tie, and closed the season with three wins against the Columbus Panhandles, Detroit Heralds and Toledo Maroons
Toledo Maroons
The Toledo Maroons were a professional American football team based in Toledo, Ohio in the National Football League in 1922 and 1923. Prior to joining the NFL, the Maroons played in the unofficial "Ohio League" from 1902 until 1921.-Origins:...
. He also reportedly played professional football for the Canton Bulldogs
Canton Bulldogs
The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and its successor, the National Football League, from 1920 to 1923 and again from 1925 to 1926. The Bulldogs would go on to win the 1917, 1918...
and Fort Wayne Friars
Fort Wayne Friars
The Fort Wayne Friars were an early professional football team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The team, which was also known as the Friars Athletic Association, consistently fielded good and noteworthy teams...
,
During the 1916-1917 basketball season, Des Jardien played professional basketball with the Pine Village, Indiana
Pine Village, Indiana
Pine Village is a town in Adams Township, Warren County, Indiana, United States. The population was 217 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Pine Village is located at the intersection of State Road 55 and State Road 26, near Big Pine Creek...
team.
Des Jardien served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In the fall of 1917, Des Jardien played on an Army football team at Fort Sheridan that included a number of former All-Americans including Albert Benbrook
Albert Benbrook
Albert "Benny" Benbrook was an American football guard who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1908-1910. He was chosen by Walter Camp as an All-American in 1909 and 1910 and was the team’s captain in 1910...
, Ernest Allmendinger
Ernest Allmendinger
Ernest "Aqua" Allmendinger was an All-American college football player.-Early years:A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Allmendinger played right guard and right tackle at Ann Arbor High School, for teams that lost one game in three seasons...
, James B. Craig
James B. Craig
James B. "Jimmy" Craig was an All American football halfback and quarterback who played with the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1911 to 1913. He was named an All-American in 1913...
and Dolly Gray
Dolly Gray (left-handed pitcher)
William Denton "Dolly" Gray was a left-handed professional baseball who played from 1909 to 1911 for the Washington Senators. One source says he was born in Ishpeming, Michigan.-Before the big leagues:Dolly Gray began his professional career during or before the 1902 season...
. In 1918, he was placed in charge of a German prison camp in Paris.
After returning from France, Des Jardien played professional football in 1919 for the Hammond Pros
Hammond Pros
The Hammond Pros from Hammond, Indiana played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1926 as a traveling team.-History:The Pros were established by Paul Parduhn and Dr. Alva Young who was a boxing promoter, owner of a racing stable and a doctor and trainer for a semi-pro football team...
. The 1919 Hammond Pros also featured George Halas
George Halas
George Stanley Halas, Sr. , nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was a player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional American football. He was the iconic longtime leader of the NFL's Chicago Bears...
at wide receiver. The Hammond Pros played most of their games in Chicago's Cub Park, now known as Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
. In December 1919, P.J. Parduhn, the president of the Hammond football team, was arrested on a charge of issuing bogus checks, after a complaint was lodged by Des Jardien and Milt Ghee
Milt Ghee
Milton Pomeroy Ghee, Jr. was an American football quarterback. Born in Wilmette, Illinois, Ghee attended Oak Park High School before enrolling at Dartmouth College. He played college football for Dartmouth where he was selected as an All-American in 1914. Ghee played professional football in...
. Des Jardien and Ghee dropped the charges when Parduhn agreed to make good on the payment.
After the end of the football season, Des Jardien signed in December 1919 to play professional basketball with the Red Crowns team from Whiting, Indiana
Whiting, Indiana
Whiting is a city located in the Chicago Metropolitan Area in Lake County, Indiana, which was founded in 1889. The city is located on the southern shore of Lake Michigan. It is roughly 16 miles from the Chicago Loop and just short of two miles from Chicago's South Side. Whiting is home to Whiting...
. The Red Crowns were backed by Standard Oil and were considered the fastest team west of Buffalo. The signing of Des Jardien was expected to draw crowds from throughout the Midwest.
In 1920, he played for the Chicago Tigers
Chicago Tigers
The Chicago Tigers of the American Professional Football Association played only in the first year of the league and, because of this, have the distinction of being the first official NFL team to fold. They had a record of 2 wins, 5 losses and 1 tie...
in the inaugural season of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, then known as the APFA. Des Jardien played in all eight games for the 1920 Tigers, including seven as the starting center. The Tigers compiled a record of 2-5-1 in 1920, and Des Jardien was selected as a second-team All-APFA player.
In October 1922, Des Jardien signed to play semi-professional football for the Ironwood Legion team from Ironwood
Ironwood, Michigan
Ironwood is a city in Gogebic County in the U.S. state of Michigan, about south of Lake Superior. The population was 6,293 at the 2000 census. The city is on US 2 and is situated opposite the Montreal River from Hurley, Wisconsin. It is the westernmost city in Michigan, situated on the same line...
in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In an October 1922 game against Bessemer
Bessemer, Michigan
Bessemer is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,914. It is the county seat of Gogebic County....
, Des Jardien kicked punts of 50, 55 and 65 yards. He also appeared in one game for the Minneapolis Marines in the 1922 NFL season
1922 NFL season
The 1922 NFL season was the 3rd regular season of what was now called National Football League . The NFL fielded 18 teams during the season, including new league teams such as the Milwaukee Badgers, the Oorang Indians, the Racine Legion, and the Toledo Maroons...
.
Later years
After retiring from athletics, Des Jardien worked as a manufacturing executive in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in July 1955.
He died at his home in Monrovia, California
Monrovia, California
Monrovia is a city located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 36,590 at the 2010 census, down from 36,929 at the 2000 census...
in 1956 from a cerebral thrombosis. He was buried at the Forest Lawn Cemetery.
In 2006, Des Jardien was posthumously inducted into the University of Chicago Hall of Fame.
See also
- 1913 College Football All-America Team1913 College Football All-America TeamThe 1913 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations in 1913...
- 1914 College Football All-America Team1914 College Football All-America TeamThe 1914 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations in 1914. The organizations that chose the teams included Collier's Weekly selected by Walter Camp...